About ARENA and NORCIE
ARENA Centre for European Studies at the University of Oslo (UiO) invites applications for a post-doctoral fellowship (SKO 1352) within political science, political economy or European studies. The post-doctoral position is hosted by ARENA and connected to the Norwegian Research Council project The Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE), led by the Department of Economics, University of Oslo.
ARENA Centre for European Studies is a multidisciplinary research centre at the University of Oslo, studying the direction, dynamics and sustainability of the evolving European political order. The Centre has conducted research on political, economic, legal and social integration, transformation and cooperation in Europe since 1994. As a member of the ARENA team, you will be part of a professional research centre with extensive experience in coordinating international research projects and networks financed by European and Norwegian research funding institutions. More information about ARENA is available at www.arena.uio.no
ABOUT NORCIE
The Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE) will strengthen Norway’s capacity to understand, anticipate, and respond to structural changes and policy shifts in the international economy – through cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and the communication of actionable insights on foreign, trade, security, and development policy. Rooted in economics, political science, and geography, this interdisciplinary centre will bring together four leading research environments with distinct yet complementary expertise in international economics: the Departments of Economics (ØI) and ARENA at the University of Oslo, the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Building on the combined strengths of each of these research environments, NORCIE will provide core international economics, geo-economics, geopolitical, and international relations insights – combining heterodox methodologies spanning across the social sciences. You can read more about NORCIE here: The Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE) - ARENA Centre for European Studies
More about the position
As a post-doctoral fellow, you will be working on the NORCIE project alongside Professors Craig Parsons and Bent Sofus Tranøy at ARENA, as well as partners in the project at the Department of Economics, UiO, the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), and the Peace Research Institute Oslo. You will be expected to both assist with research tasks designed by the project leaders and to develop and implement your own research in related areas. The position is announced within the overall thematic focus of the NORCIE project, with a particular emphasis on NORCIE’s research regarding the evolving EU economic order. Given NORCIE’s mission to inform Norwegian policy discussions, it is desirable that candidates have an interest in issues of relevance to Norway.
The selected candidate should have research experience and interests that connect to some of the ARENA-led components of NORCIE.
The largest part of ARENA’s involvement in NORCIE will be related to studying the evolving EU economic order. The concept of rules-based openness has always been at the core of EU economic principles, but major pressures are pushing the EU to develop more active and discretionary capabilities. We will study these processes of change from both inside the EU (with interview research on the EU’s evolving policies regarding tradable goods, financial services, and information technology) and in the EU’s key external relationships (researching the related policies of the US, China, Russia, India and Brazil and their consequences for interactions with the EU).
Other and more specific areas of ARENA’s involvement in NORCIE will cover:
- Interactions of EU environmental policies and trade. In partnership with economists at the UiO Department of Economics, ARENA will study the politics of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and related issues, including interviews with firms, interest groups public officials at national and EU levels, with a focus on energy-intensive manufacturing sectors.
- Energy firms and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rules and norms. In partnership with economists at CMI, ARENA will study how large EU- and US-based companies in the energy sector (including fossil fuels and renewables) relate to ESG considerations. This work will include interviews with decision-makers at each step in firms’ supply chains and in sectoral associations as well as wider data on stakeholder attitudes.
You are welcome to get in contact with project leader and Research Professor Craig Parsons at ARENA, or Centre Director Pernille Rieker, if you have questions regarding your research interests’ potential fit with NORCIE’s research agenda.
The appointment is a full-time position for the duration of three years, with no teaching obligations.
The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their discipline.
The proposed starting date for the position is as soon as possible. You will be provided with office space, equipment, and services as well as necessary resources for research related field work and conference travel.
As a post-doctoral fellow, you will have your base at ARENA Centre for European Studies. You will be expected to be present in Oslo and to participate in ongoing activities at ARENA and NORCIE.
Qualifications
- Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree (PhD) in political science, international political economy or European studies before taking up the post (SKO 1352).
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate an ability to conduct high quality research in areas relevant to the theme of the call.
- Excellent written and oral proficiency in English is required.
- Prior experience researching these topics at the national, comparative or EU level will be considered as an advantage: trade policy, financial services, information technology, environmental policy, energy policy, corporate governance and ESG norms.
- Experience with qualitative research methods is an advantage, since the main ARENA activities will centre on interview-based research. Given the interdisciplinary nature of these projects, quantitative methodological skills are also helpful.
In assessing the candidates, particular emphasis will be placed on the quality and relevance of the submitted research publications and the article proposal. Personal suitability and motivation will be taken into consideration.
A good command of either Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is an advantage.
Potential candidates will be invited for an interview.
Why should you choose us?
- An academically stimulating and international research environment combined with a friendly and inclusive work environment.
- Committed colleagues in a good working environment.
- A good work-life balance and access to Norway's excellent public services and welfare schemes, including generous parental leave provisions and affordable and accessible childcare.
- The city of Oslo: A unique mix of vibrant city life and extraordinary nature with rich opportunities for cultural and outdoor activities.
- Good welfare schemes.
- Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
- A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
- Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
- Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 672 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.
Application
The online application must include:
1. A cover letter (maximum 2 pages). The letter should consist of four paragraphs in the following order:
a) a short presentation of yourself,
b) a short presentation of your merits,
c) a short presentation of your intended research and
d) a short account of why NORCIE and ARENA is of interest to you.
2. A research proposal relevant to the NORCIE research focus (maximum 3 pages, excluding bibliography). The proposal must demonstrate familiarity with previous research within the area, an ability to formulate a scientific problem and research questions, to specify a relevant research design and methods and how it contributes to the project’s research agenda.
3. A CV summarizing your education, academic employments and other qualifying activities that you may have. The period of enrolment (admission – completion) in the PhD programme you have attended must be specified. Applicants with work experience outside of academia in settings relevant to the research project are also encouraged to apply.
4. A complete list of publications.
5. Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts from university degrees only)
6. One writing sample (e.g. published articles or working papers) of what you consider your best publication to date preferably a single authored article in an international journal.
7. Names and contact details of two persons from whom recommendation letters may be solicited. You should indicate your relation to these persons. Please do not submit any recommendation letters before we contact you and explicitly ask you to.
The application and all supporting documents must be submitted in our electronic recruiting system. Please follow the link “apply for this job”.
Please note that all documents should be in English.
Contact information
For further information regarding the position please contact
Project leader: Craig Parsons, Research Professor, ARENA
Centre Director: Pernille Rieker, ARENA
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.
More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found
here.We hope you will apply for the position with us.
General information
The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.
Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.
Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian) and Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO.
The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.