Oslo School of Environmental Humanities (OSEH)

Job description

A three-year researcher position (SKO 1109) is available at the Oslo School of Environmental Humanities (OSEH), at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo (UiO), Norway, starting January 2021. OSEH opened in January 2019 as a new and experimental interdisciplinary initiative at the Faculty of Humanities (HF) to strengthen research and teaching in the environmental humanities. Open to all scholars and students at the university, OSEH is hosted by IKOS in close collaboration with the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas (IFIKK) and Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH).

More about the position

We seek applicants whose research and public engagement support and complement OSEH's core commitments of building a strong environmental humanities research community at UiO, promoting interdisciplinary research and teaching on environmental topics including the climate crisis, and engaging with a wider public.

We especially encourage applicants with research and teaching interests in interdisciplinary approaches to environmental humanities, including postcolonial and Indigenous approaches; multispecies and extinction studies; Anthropocene studies; environmental histories; blue (aquatic) humanities; or energy humanities.

Applicants should complement the research conducted at OSEH on the interrelationship between environment and society, applying tools and methods of the humanities. Applicants should have an environmentally-focused research background in the humanities and/or social sciences in fields such as anthropology, archaeology, area studies, literature, history, art history, philosophy, media studies, heritage studies, urban studies, science and technology studies and/or political ecology.

OSEH seeks to recruit candidates with excellent academic qualifications who are open-minded, creative, well-organized, and

have strong collaboration skills. The candidate is expected to conduct their own research 60% of the working time, and to publish at an international level within the field of environmental humanities. As part of this research, the candidate will be expected to develop an interdisciplinary research project to be submitted as an OSEH-affiliated research grant application to Norwegian, EU (and potentially other relevant) funding agencies. The candidate will work together with the OSEH director and working group, and 40% of their time will be committed to assisting with the tasks of OSEH. Specifically, we are seeking a candidate who will take a significant role in planning relevant public and academic events and forging collaborations that strengthen OSEH’s emerging research profile and community.

This includes:

• Co-organizing and participating in the weekly lunchtime seminar series, workshops and conferences
• Forging strong links across UiO and with other environmental humanities centers
• Co-teaching in the newly established postgraduate Honours Certificate in "Environmental Humanities and Sciences" (EHS), on a relevant 5 ECTS credits course
• Being an active part of the research environment at OSEH

Qualification requirements

• PhD or equivalent academic qualifications in the humanities or social sciences, preferably with a specialization in the field of interdisciplinary environmental humanities. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• An excellent research track record relative to career stage
• High scientific quality and originality of a proposed research project
• Strong coordination and collaboration skills
• Excellent written and spoken language skills in English

In the evaluation of the applicants, emphasis will be placed on:

• The proposed project’s scientific merit and research-related relevance for OSEH
• Academic qualifications and academic production relevant to the advertised position. Originality and innovative thinking will be weighted more heavily than quantity
• Experience in research related to the interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities
• Good co-operative skills, and the ability to successfully join in academic collaboration within and across disciplines
• Skills within popular dissemination and public outreach
• Experience in research development and applying for third-party funding
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position
• Ability to work independently and in a structured manner
• Teaching experience and knowledge of a Scandinavian language is an advantage

We offer

• Salary level NOK 523 200-605 500 per year, depending on qualifications
• A dynamic interdisciplinary and international working environment
• Interesting and challenging work assignments
• Extensive collaboration opportunities in addition to own research
• Possibilities for professional development, specialization and generalization of expertise
• Pension agreement with Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

How to apply

Applicants must submit the following attachments:

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position, and how they envision their contribution to building interdisciplinary collaboration at OSEH
• Research proposal (3-5 pages) describing the candidate’s plans for their own research 60 % of the working time
• Curriculum Vitae (complete list of education, positions, administrative experience, teaching experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications and details for three referees)
• Three publications from within the past five years to be assessed by the hiring committee
• A maximum of three public outreach publications or other examples of outreach activities relevant to the position

Please note that all documents must be in English. The short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview at the University of Oslo.

Formal regulations

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for

the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Associate Professor and OSEH Director Ursula Münster, e-mail ursula.munster@ikos.uio.no
• HR Adviser Hilde Kristine Sletner, e-mail: h.k.sletner@hf.uio.no

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