Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the interaction between information systems and machine learning

About the position

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in action-oriented modeling for trustworthy AI, available at the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo.

The starting date is no later than 01.03.2027 and as soon as possible after the appointment.

The appointment is a full-time position for a period of three years.

The fellowship is funded in full by TRUST for the whole period. No teaching, supervision, or research-assistance duties are required in the position, and the fellowship period can therefore not be extended to four years on that basis.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

The place of work is the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo. The successful candidate will be part of the daily research and social life of TRUST – the Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI, and of the information systems research group.

Project description

The position is funded by TRUST, the Norwegian Centre for Trustworthy AI, which is a research centre dedicated to developing trustworthy AI systems that are accurate, fair, transparent, safe, and well-governed. The centre brings together researchers from computational and data science, law, social sciences, and philosophy to develop new AI technologies and study their societal impact in areas such as healthcare, industry, governance, security, and climate. TRUST is led by University of Oslo, SINTEF, and Norwegian Computing Center. With a consortium of over 70 partners from academia, industry, government, and civil society in Norway and internationally, TRUST’s research is theoretical, methodological, legal, and empirical in nature.

The postdoc will conduct the research project Action-Oriented Modeling for Trustworthy AI in Practice. The project addresses a persistent problem in applied AI: statistically accurate models routinely fail when they meet the organizations and ecosystems meant to use them. Models are misaligned with local procedures and decision processes, too rigid for resource-constrained operational systems, and opaque to the decision-makers who must act based on them. We treat this as a methodological problem rather than a technical one.

The primary deliverable of this position is a theoretical and methodological template that we call Action-Oriented Modeling. Rather than delivering finished algorithms, the template specifies how to build deliberately context-agnostic model architectures that expose methodological choices as parameters, and how local actors then configure, tune, and operate them. Its novelty lies in integrating three dimensions normally treated separately: configurable architectures that let domain experts shape model behavior without machine learning expertise; iterative field validation inside operational workflows; and governance mechanisms that transfer model ownership to local users.

The successful candidate will lead the development of this template into a generic, transferable, and theoretically grounded contribution. Your main tasks are to:

• Develop, formalize, and publish the Action-Oriented Modeling template. This is the central output
• Validate the template empirically through an action research design approach supplemented by participatory design methods
• Define governance principles for model ownership that let stakeholders revise models as operational contexts change
• Coordinate collaboration between the core development team, implementation partners, and local stakeholders, and act as a competence hub for action-oriented AI across TRUST

Two contrasting cases provide the empirical ground. The primary case is climate-sensitive disease prediction supporting public health decisions in low- and middle-income countries, built on DHIS2 and the action research network of the Health Information Systems Programme (HISP), with national health teams in ten countries. The complementary case is KoSy, the DHIS2-based municipal surveillance platform run by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. We seek a candidate motivated by the methodological contribution to these and other empirical settings.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in information systems, informatics, computer science, science and technology studies, or another relevant field. The applicant must document that the degree corresponds to the requirement. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defense are eventually eligible for appointment
• Documented experience with engaged, qualitative research methods in organizational settings, such as action research, design science research, or participatory design
• Documented ability to publish conceptual, theoretical, or methodological contributions in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals or conferences
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Desired qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience conducting sociotechnical research on information systems, examining how technology, people, and organizational contexts interact
• Understanding of machine learning and predictive modeling sufficient to engage critically and constructively with data scientists, for example on data quality and model assumptions
• Technical skills sufficient to deploy and test models

UiO is subject to the Security Act, which governs the organisation's protection of security-sensitive objects and knowledge, in addition to other relevant legislation concerning access to and handling of sensitive information. Based on this, it is a requirement that successful applicants are security-eligible. We may use background checks as part of our recruitment process.

What are we looking for in you?

In terms of personal skills:

• You are motivated by methodological questions, enjoy qualitative fieldwork, and are excited about the academic challenge of turning messy empirical data into clear theoretical contributions
• You work well both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team, and you communicate across the boundary between technical and institutional expertise
• You collaborate respectfully and effectively with practitioners and decision-makers who are not researchers
• You work in a professional and structured manner and adapt quickly to new tasks
• You are dependable and high-performing, also in hectic periods
• You prefer being present at work and contribute actively to the professional and social environment you are part of

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.

We can offer you

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
• A position at the centre of a national research effort on trustworthy AI, with access to the TRUST network and to operational partners in ten countries
• Committed colleagues in a good working environment
• 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
• Postdoctoral development programmes.
• 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 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund

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 (Norwegian), 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.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter, stating your motivation, summarizing your scientific work, and describing your research interests. The cover letter should not be written with the help of AI
• A research statement of no more than three pages, setting out how you would approach the development and validation of the Action-Oriented Modeling template. The statement must connect clearly to the development of the template, and it is the main basis on which the evaluation committee will assess your fit for the position
• CV summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, and other qualifying activity
• Copies of educational certificates and academic transcript of records
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that you wish to be considered by the evaluation committee. Please link these 5 publications, do not send them, except if they are still in manuscript format
• Names and contact details of 2 to 3 references, with name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and telephone number

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years).

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 can't, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.