PhD candidate in Sport Science ‑ focus on cross‑country skiing and biathlon

The department of health sciences (HOV) at Mid Sweden University offers education and conducts research in areas such as public health science, sport science, medical science, nursing and occupational health science. The department offers doctoral education in public health, occupational health, sports science and nursing, and maintains campuses in both Sundsvall och Östersund. Mid Sweden University’s Östersund campus is home to sport science education at bachelor, master and doctoral levels. Research in the department is primarily conducted through the Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, an established modern, international testing and research environment with five specialised laboratories for physiology, biomechanics, and biomedical methodology. The centre conducts physiological testing for athletes and applied research in close collaboration with several sports federations, with a particular focus on winter sports such as cross-country skiing and biathlon, as well as other sports.

The research subject of sport science is now seeking a doctoral candidate for a project that will investigate how physiological and biomechanical factors affect performance capacity in cross-country skiing and biathlon. The project will involve data collection both in the Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre’s labs, and field-based work at the ski stadium in Östersund. Possible directions for the PhD project could include investigating how tactical skills and pacing affect performance in cross-country skiing and biathlon, or exploring the relationship between biomechanics, skiing economy, and speed. The overall aim is to facilitate applied research that can directly translate to athletes’ and coaches’ needs by generating evidence-based knowledge. The PhD candidate is planned to be supervised by Associate Professor Erik Andersson with Dr. Malin Jonsson Kårström as a co-supervisor, with the possibility to involve additional cosupervisors if necessary.

Job description
The doctoral education includes research (80%) as well as teaching and administrative work (20%). Practical work in a laboratory environment is expected, as well as regular physical presence on campus for both data collection and collaboration with the research team.

Entry requirements
General eligibility includes those who have obtained a degree at advanced level (Master or equivalent) or have completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at advanced level. Otherwise, candidates should have acquired substantial equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad.

Specific eligibility includes those who have at least 90 higher education credits in sports science or a related subject, or have acquired substantial equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. Candidates are required to have excellent command of English, both spoken and written.

Personal qualities
We expect you to have good collaboration skills and enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team. You need to be flexible and be able to adapt to changes in the project’s focus. Attention to detail and an analytical approach are important to ensure high quality in the research. We value initiative and a structured working style, as well as good communication skills to be able to present and discuss research findings both internally and externally. The ability to build trust and act professionally in applied sports settings is also important.

Assessment criteria
The selection criteria for admission to doctoral education are based on the ability of the candidate to successfully complete doctoral studies. To this end, the following criteria are considered:

• Documented scientific proficiency (e.g. abstracts, publications) and relevant educational background.
• Quality and feasibility of the written research plan submitted with the application, including relevance to the research subject’s strategy and expertise.
• The applicant's ability to reason and discuss research questions, choice of methods, and the project's relevance.
• Experience in data analysis, statistics, and/or programming.
• Personal qualities as described above.

Additionally, consideration will be given to applicants’ proficiency in Swedish, both spoken and written, as well as previous experience of laboratory work in a sports science context, and experience of work in high performance environments within sports.

Employment process
Processing of the appointment will comply with the provisions in Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance, and will be carried out in accordance with Mid Sweden University’s Employment Procedures.

Terms of employment
The doctoral employment is for a period equivalent to five years and is expected to lead to a doctoral degree. In addition to doctoral studies, which comprise 80% of full-time, the employment will include teaching and administrative work comprising 20%, which then corresponds to a full-time position. If the study pace of the doctoral education changes, the employment period will change accordingly.

Initial doctoral student positions are valid for a maximum of one year, after which the position may be renewed by no longer than two years at a time. Provisions regarding doctoral studentship employment can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

The entry date is 2026-04-01 or as agreed.

Place of employment: Östersund

Salary: In accordance with Mid Sweden University’s salary scale for doctoral students.

Information
Further information may be provided by contacting Dr Erik Andersson, erik.andersson@miun.se , 010 142 8863 deputy Head of Department Prof Marko Laaksonen, marko.laaksonen@miun.se.

Application
The application materials should be submitted in Swedish or English. A complete application consists of:

• Cover letter
• CV (including eventual scientific publications)
• Degree certificates(s) and other certifications required by the application system
• Description of the proposed research project, maximum 17000 characters including spaces (around 5 A4-pages).
• A recommendation letter or contact details for at least one reference (e.g. university teacher or employer).

Please send in your application through our recruitment system no later than 2026-02-20.

Mid Sweden University has two campuses; in Sundsvall and in Östersund, both located close to students, colleagues and the surrounding society. At the same time, it is located conveniently close to the sea, forests and mountains, which provides a great quality of life. Here, new knowledge is created by means of internationally successful research and education that contribute to the development of our society. This way, we actively contribute to a sustainable future and a better world. Mid Sweden University works actively for equal opportunities and strives to embrace the qualities that diversity and equality bring to the organization. Prior to any recruitment work, Mid Sweden University has taken a position on consulting support, recruitment channels and marketing. We therefore kindly ask media vendors, recruitment sites and the like not to contact us.

• Contract type

  Full time

• First day of employment

  2026-04-01 or as agreed

• Salary

  Mid Sweden University’s salary scale for doctoral students

• Number of positions

  1

• Working hours

  100%

• City

  Östersund

• County

  Jämtlands län

• Country

  Sweden

• Reference number

  MIUN 2026/93

• Union representative
  • Börje Norlin, Saco, 010-1428594
  • Per Bergman, Fackförbundet ST, 010-1428371
• Published

  2026-01-16

• Last application date

  2026-02-20