PhD Research Fellow in Science and Technology Studies (STS)

About the position 

The Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture (TIK) at the University of Oslo (UiO) invites applications for a 3-year PhD Fellowship (position code 1017). The position is affiliated with the research project APPROPRIATE – Licences to appropriate land for societal ends, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The PhD candidate will be based at the TIK Centre and affiliated with the TIK Centre’s STS research group.

The position encompasses possibilities for teaching tasks within TIK’s teaching programs, including supervision of candidates and students within these programs, according to the TIK Centre’s needs and the candidate’s profile or interests. If such tasks are agreed upon, the contract will be extended accordingly.

About the project 

APPROPRIATE - Licences to appropriate land for societal ends

The licensing system is a key arrangement in Norwegian environmental policy and is both a tool of democracy and a tool for the appropriation of land and natural resources for societal and economic ends. The goal of the APPROPRIATE project is to investigate the licensing system: how different valuation practices play out in planning and decisions making processes, how economic reasoning and other forms of expertise are taken into account, and how dilemmas and conflicts in processes towards accomplishing good licensing procedures are negotiated and handled.  The licensing system will be analyzed with a point of departure in the contemporary situation, but will also study the licensing arrangement in its broader historical, political and economic context. 

APPROPRIATE will focus on two empirical cases in particular: aquaculture and wind power. The PhD position is dedicated to the case of wind power. APPROPRIATE will work as a tight team where the PI will work with the project members on all the WPs, yet with clear distribution and responsibility of tasks. In addition to the PI and the PhD candidate, the project is in the process of employing one postdoctoral fellow. 

More about the position 

The PhD candidate will have as their core task WP2 on the case of wind power. The key research questions of this project are: (1) How do licenses value the nature they set out to appropriate for societal ends? (2) How do economic reasoning and reasoning around the conditions of nature encounter and become weighed and valued against one another in licensing practices? (3) What are the economic and philosophical reasoning through which the licensing system is based and (4) how do this act upon the license-regime? In addition this WP will investigate how ‘license-workers’ in their day to day practice, that is bureaucrats, make judgments with regards to the conditions for appropriation and the granting of licenses.

A more detailed description of the overall project and its theoretical foundations and methods can be retrieved by the PI, together with a more detailed outline of the work package on wind power. This will guide the applicants in developing their project proposal.

The PhD candidate will be collaborating closely with the PI and postdoctor, including on other elements of the project proposal, such as workshops and dissemination activities. The project will also be conducted in exchanges with an international board of experts.

The main purpose of the PhD position is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. To this end, the main focus of this position is to conduct research, including publication and dissemination. In addition, the fellow is expected to actively contribute to the broader research agenda and academic environment of the APPROPRIATE project. 

The PhD candidate must take part in the Faculty of Social Sciences’ approved PhD program (TIK track) and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. For more information, please see the Faculty of Social Sciences’ web site.

 Selection criteria 

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a 2 year Master’s degree or equivalent in relevant areas of STS or other relevant social sciences or humanities, and meet the formal requirements for admittance to the Faculty of Social Sciences’ PhD program.
• The Master’s degree must be of high quality (grade A or B)
• Fluency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian knowledge as this is necessary for working with the empirical material upon which APPROPRIATE builds 
• A project description of high academic quality that describes how its research plan will contribute to the relevant WP and the overall project. 
• Documented experience with empirical research and the handling of empirical data.
• Good cooperation skills

Preferred qualifications

• Prior knowledge of the empirical subject area is an advantage 
• Documented experience with document analysis and interviews is an advantage.
• Documented experience and interest in employing and advancing STS theory such as valuation studies and/or social studies of markets is an advantage. 

The successful candidate is expected to take active part in activities like seminars and workshops at TIK. Residency in or close to Oslo is therefore expected.

Assessment

The evaluation of the candidates will be based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualifications - required as well as preferred - applicable to the position, including personal qualifications. The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.

The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the centre’s board and will be based on an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the shortlisted candidates as well as the centre’s needs.

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. 

We offer

• Salary NOK 551 000 - 596 000 per annum depending on qualifications. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
• A pleasant and stimulating working environment. 
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities. 
• Practical support for international researchers: ISMO – International Staff Mobility Office - University of Oslo.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Application

The application must include 

• Application letter. 
• Project description and progress plan (no more than 5 pages) for the work to be undertaken during the term of appointment. 
• CV (summarising education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity). 
• A complete list of publications. 
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only). 
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

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

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. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system. 

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), Guidelines concerning appointment to recruitment positions at UiO and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.