Associate Professor / Professor in Sport Nutrition

The position

A full-time position as Associate Professor / Professor in Sport Nutrition, with a particular focus on performance nutrition, is available at the Department of Physical Performance at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) from December 2026 or soon thereafter. 

The position is closely linked to the establishment of a new Master program in Sport Nutrition starting in August 2026, where the successful candidate is expected to play a central role in program development, teaching, and supervision.

The Department of Physical Performance has a long history of basic and applied research, focusing on biological effects of physical training from molecule to integrated physiology. 

The research spans fields such as:

• exercise physiology
• biomechanics
• nutrition
• and sport-specific performance

often conducted in close collaboration with national and international sport federations and industry partners. 

Competence requirements

The department is seeking a highly qualified and motivated candidate to contribute to teaching, research, and academic leadership within sport nutrition, particularly in relation to nutrition for performance, training adaptation, and athlete health.

The successful candidate is expected to have a strong international research profile and documented expertise in areas such as:

• Applied sport nutrition for athletic performance, including nutrition strategies for training, competition, and recovery
• Energy availability, metabolism, and body composition in athletes
• Dietary assessment methods and nutritional interventions in sport settings
• Physiological and/or molecular responses to nutrition in relation to performance and training adaptations
• Collaboration with athletes, teams, or sport federations in applied performance contexts

Experience with advanced methodologies (e.g., metabolic measurements, biomarker analysis, body composition techniques such as DXA, or dietary tracking technologies) will be considered an advantage. Strong competence in statistical analysis and data interpretation is required.

The candidate must document:

• A strong record of high-quality scientific publications
• Experience in teaching and supervision at bachelor’s, master’s, and preferably PhD level
• Experience in research collaboration, including interdisciplinary work and external partnerships

The successful applicant is expected to:

• Play a central role in the development of the sports nutrition research field at the institution
• Contribute actively to interdisciplinary collaboration within the department
• Participate in teaching and course development at undergraduate and graduate levels
• Supervise bachelor, master, and PhD students
• Have a PhD (or equivalent) in sport nutrition, human nutrition, exercise physiology, or a closely related field is required.

For appointment as Professor, additional emphasis will be placed on:

• Extensive academic leadership and supervision experience
• A substantial and sustained record of high-impact research
• Proven ability to attract external research funding
• International recognition within the field

A prerequisite for permanent employment is documented basic pedagogical competence (university teaching certification). Applicants who do not meet this requirement at the time of hiring must obtain it within two years.

Selection criteria

Applicants will be assessed based on:

• Quality, relevance, and impact of scientific work
• Teaching experience and supervision at all levels
• Experience with external collaboration and applied sport contexts
• Ability to attract external funding and disseminate research
• Interpersonal and communication skills

Proficiency in oral and written English is required. Applicants who do not speak a Scandinavian language must acquire Norwegian language skills at level B2 within three years.

The application

• Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. By the application deadline, please upload the following documents together with your application: 
• Application letter 
• CV (including teaching and supervision experience and the name and contact information of at least three references) 
• A complete list of publications 
• Copies of certificates/diplomas (including formal education in pedagogics, if applicable) 
• A statement of future research plans and information about research activities 
• Teaching qualifications and management experience. 

The Application must be in English. 

If the applicant wants other material to be considered in the evaluation (publications and other documentation of research and teaching qualifications, as well as management experience), such material must be clearly specified and available electronically.

Working conditions

• Salary is offered according to the Norwegian State pay scale (employment code 1011 for Associate Professor / 1013 for Professor), on a scale, for associate professor from NOK 790 000 to 890 000, for professor from NOK 890 000 to 1 000 000. For particularly well-qualified candidates, a higher salary may be considered. 
• The appointment will be made according to terms applying to civil servants. 
• NIH is a member of the Norwegian State Pension Fund.
• Working place is Department of Physical Performance at NIH.
• Excellent training facilities, corporate sports team, and opportunities for training during working hours.
• Immediate proximity to the subway, as well as parking, and locked bicycle parking.

Other information

Selected candidates will be interviewed. 

Inclusion and diversity are strengths, and NIH has a personnel policy goal of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, NIH seeks employees with diverse skills, subject combinations, life experiences, and perspectives.

If you are a qualified applicant with a disability, a gap in your CV, or an immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box in the job applicant portal for this. NIH will invite at least one applicant for an interview if they are qualified, and if you get the job, we will strive to accommodate any needs you may have. The ticking is used solely for anonymized statistics, apart from selecting the right candidate.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. In our recruitment system, applicants will be given the opportunity to request to be exempt from public access, but it is up to the employer to determine whether the request shall be approved or not. If the applicant's desire to be exempt from public access is not approved by the employer, the applicant will be notified so that he/she can withdraw the application.

Kontaktinformasjon

Interested applicants are advised to contact the academic community in preparing the application. 

Further details can be obtained by contacting:

• Head of Department, professor Truls Raastad, tel. +47 91368896,  trulsr@nih.no 

For questions regarding submitting an application or about the recruitment system Jobbnorge, please contact senior adviser HR, Bente Johansen-Aarbostad, bentejoh@nih.no