UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.

Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.

Faculty of Science and Technology

The position

UiT The Arctic University of Norway wishes to recruit new associate professors in computer science to do computer systems research on a variety of topics within the systems listed above. Systems research towards achieving more advanced computer systems is of special interest. This includes integrating analytics techniques, including drawing on techniques from Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine learning (ML), into the computer systems for the purpose of making the systems themselves perform better with regards to a range of quantitative performance metrics. Also of interest is systems research on the architecture, design, implementation, and performance of AI/ML systems themselves. Notice that we are looking for research focusing on the system, including solutions for where and when to run the AI/ML algorithms, and the associated costs, including CPU utilization, memory footprint, delays, network traffic and energy needed. This research is expected to be done in collaboration with AI/ML methodology experts and with various domain experts.

We are not looking for persons to do research on the theoretical models for AI/ML, or to do research on the impact of using AI/ML in various areas of human endeavour. We are not looking for persons to do research on the theory of general or superintelligence AI. Narrow (“weak”) AI is of interest only if it is about the systems aspects of running a narrow AI algorithm on one or more physical or virtual machines.

The Department of Computer Science provides an active international research environment with 27 tenured faculty members, 13 adjunct professors, 11 post doctors and researchers, 9 technical/ administrative staff members and about 30 PhD students. The objective of the department is to advance the research and teaching of experimental computer science as a discipline, to demonstrate leadership within our areas of interest, and to contribute to society through our education, research, innovation, and dissemination.

Research on, and teaching of, computer systems; the fundamental hardware and software systems that form our computing infrastructure, have been a pillar of our department since its earliest days. We have contributed to the architecture, design and implementation of distributed systems, high performance distributed computing, cyber-physical and IoT systems, mobile and wireless systems, edge computing systems, and operating systems. In recent years we have also contributed with systems, models, and real-world applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Our research methodology is experimental, doing experiments both on actual prototype and simulated systems.

The research at the department also has a strong inter-disciplinary and innovation focus. Our research groups do systems to collect and analyse data for climate research and life sciences. We participate in several big centres including: Centre for New Antibacterial Strategies, High North Population Studies, and Centre for Research-based Innovation: Visual Intelligence. . The research at the department has resulted in several start-ups, and our graduates are very attractive nationally and internationally. The department is also active in outreach activities, such as in the air:bit project and the school laboratory at the Faculty of Science and Technology..

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within 6 months after receiving the offer.

The position’s field of work

We are seeking candidates that want to do experimental computer systems research for AI and ML methods and application, to improve the functional and non-functional aspects of the systems, or focusing on the system-side of developing and operating AI/ML algorithms. The overriding purpose of the position is to strengthen the Department’s established research areas and educational quality and capacity.

The successful candidate on this position must document quantitative research on computer systems, including having conducted performance measuring experiments on prototypes or through simulations. Relevant candidates will document systems research which has either included AI, including ML and other analytics approaches, inside the systems to improve them, or that the systems research has been about the systems-side of the architecture, design, implementation, experimentation and on running AI/ML models. The candidate should show a strong motivation to explore and create such novel systems.

In research, the receiver of the positions should strengthen an established research area at the department or provide complementary research competence that will benefit existing research in one or more areas.

In education, we expect the receiver of the position to participate in teaching at the department courses at all levels, and to participate in and contribute to the development of courses that attract major portions of our student body, rather than working exclusively with a limited set of students or with a specific area of focus. The candidates will contribute to the development of the study programs and courses at the department.

The candidate must participate in teaching computer science at all levels and formats offered by the department. This includes advising and supervision of undergraduate and graduate projects.

The associate professor will work with one or more of the department’s research groups and must contribute to enhance the department’s research within the described areas. There are excellent opportunities to develop research projects in collaboration with other faculty members across the groups.

The associate professor is expected to apply for and be successful in winning external research funds.

Contact

Further information about the positions is available by contacting:

• Head of Department:Anders Andersen, email: anders.andersen@uit.no

For administrative questions, please contact the Department’s Head of administration: Svein Tore Jensen, email: svein.tore.jensen@uit.no.

Qualifications

Qualification requirements for this position

The candidate must hold a PhD in Computer science, have demonstrated an ability to conduct high quality systems and experimental research, and have a strong commitment to engagement outside of academia in ways that foster significant commercial or societal impact. Applicants should have a good publication record in terms of papers in international peer-reviewed conferences, workshops, and journals.

Documented external funding, experience with research leadership and relevant collaboration with academia and industry will be rated positively. In the documentation of external research funding raised during the career, applicants should clearly state her/his role in the acquisition and conduction of the project.

We ask the applicant to provide a 1-page research plan describing his/her anticipated research activities over the next 3-5 years. The plan should be realistic and make clear where the applicant plans for collaboration internally at the department, and externally with academia and industry. The plan should include information on already established internal and external collaboration.

An associate professor is expected to aim at developing further to a full professor. We encourage the applicants to briefly describe in the research plan how they plan to qualify for this within eight years.

Applicants must be fluent in oral and written English. It is an advantage to have good skills in a Scandinavian language. The candidate who is not fluent in a Scandinavian language must learn Norwegian to the language exam level C1 (“Bergenstesten” or equivalent) within 3 years.

We will emphasize personal suitability in our assessment. We expect the candidate to actively contribute to academic culture, think beyond the core of the own research interests, and have good collaboration skills necessary for joint interdisciplinary projects. The candidate must be willing to participate actively in the ongoing development of the discipline, the department, and the university

Qualification requirements for the position as Associate Professor:

• Norwegian doctoral degree in subject area concerned or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree, or competence at a corresponding level documented by academic work of the same scope and quality
• Documented pedagogical competence

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority.

Pedagogical competence (basic pedagogical competence)

All applicants for teaching and research positions shall document their pedagogical competence.

You must have acquired basic competence for teaching and supervision at higher education level. This includes basic skills in planning, conducting, evaluating and developing teaching and guidance.

Documentation requirement a) Applicants who have completed education or courses designed to provide teaching competence for teaching at universities and colleges, equivalent to a minimum of 200 hours, must attach diploma and curriculum for the completed course.

b) Other applicants shall describe, assess and document their competence as a teacher and supervisor. The skills must be documented in the form of a teaching portfolio.

If the pedagogical competence can be acquired within two years of appointment, applicants shall not be ranked based on pedagogical competence.

Those who do not satisfy the requirements may be appointed on a permanent basis on the condition that they satisfy the requirements within two years of appointment. UiT offers courses in pedagogical competence.

For information about basic pedagogical competence and teaching portfolio, see here (Only in Norwegian)

We offer

• Mentorship and administrative support for female associate professors, for developing a career plan and funds for realization of such a plan
• A challenging and stimulating working environment
• Support on applications for externally funded research projects
• R&D sabbatical conditions which are considered some of the best in the country
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Work- og salary conditions

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

The allocation of working hours is flexible and allocated on a case-by-case basis. In general, Associate Professors will spend an equal amount of time on teaching and research and development work. As a norm, the time resources spent on administrative duties constitutes 5 % for academic staff.

The remuneration for Associate Professor is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1011. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment.

We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application.

If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it.

Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

Application

The application must include:

• Cover letter including a short description of interests and reasons for applying for the position, including a 1-page research plan describing the anticipated research activities over the next 3-5 years
• CV containing a complete overview of experience, professional work and references
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees, in original language and translated)
• Written references
• Three references with contact details
• Documented pedagogical competence
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work
• Documentation of English profiency

Proficiency in the English language can be documented in the following ways:

• Diploma from a Norwegian upper secondary school with both spoken and written English (140 hours)
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
• IELTS (International English Testing Service)
• Completed university degree in the field of English language or literature
• One years completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA, for which English was the language of instructions.

Documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. The application and submitted documents must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. A trial lecture may also be held.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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 case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.

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