UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus comprehensive university at the international forefront. Our vision is to be a driving force for developing the High North. The Northern Sami notion eallju, which means eagerness to work, sets the tone for this motive power at UiT. Along with students, staff and the wider community, we aim to utilise our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio and interdisciplinary advantage to shape the future.

Our social mission is to provide research-based education of high quality, perform artistic development and carry out research of the highest international quality standards in the entire range from basic to applied. We will convey knowledge about disciplines and contribute to innovation. Our social mission unites UiT across various studies, research fields and large geographical distances. This demands good cooperation with trade and industry and civil society as well as with international partners. We will strengthen knowledge-based and sustainable development at a regional, national and international level.

Academic freedom and scientific and ethical principles form the basis for all UiT’s activities. Participation, co-determination, transparency and good processes will provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and far-sighted priorities. Our students and staff will have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on academic integrity, we will be courageous, committed and generous in close contact with disciplines, people and contemporary developments.

We will demonstrate adaptability and seek good and purposeful utilisation of resources, so we are ready to meet the expectations and opportunities of the future. We will strengthen the quality and impact of our disciplines and core tasks through the following three strategic priority areas.

Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Mathematics and Statistics

The position

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics has an open permanent position as Professor/Associate Professor within the field statistics. The position is affiliated with the research group Complex Systems Modeling (CoSMo). Early career scientists, as well as experienced candidates are invited to apply for Associate or Full Professor, respectively.

The department provides education in mathematics and statistics at the bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. levels at the Faculty of Science and Technology and also contributes to study programs at other faculties at UiT. The department currently has around 55 employees, including 18 in permanent academic positions, 2 administrative staff, and the rest in temporary positions as postdoctoral researchers or Ph.D. students.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position in Tromsø within a reasonable time, no later than 6 months after receiving the offer.

The position’s field of research or work

We are seeking a candidate who will strengthen our fundamental and applied research in statistics within the CoSMo group and establish collaboration and interactions with the existing staff in the department’s research groups. The CoSMo group is interdisciplinary, combining theoretical development with applications across climate and environmental sciences, health, and beyond. We have a strong tradition in the analysis of time series, spatio-temporal models, dynamical models, graph-structured data and Bayesian inference.

The appointed candidate is expected to participate in research group collaborations and professional networks both nationally and internationally, as well as in the dissemination of research to a broader audience. The position also expects involvement in grant applications (The Research Council of Norway/EU).

The applicant is expected to teach statistics courses at all levels, ranging from applied introductory courses to specialized master’s and Ph.D. courses. The appointed candidate should participate in the supervision of master’s and Ph.D. students, as well as in the planning and further development of our study programs.

We emphasize a collegial teaching environment.

Contact

Further information about the position and UiT is available by contacting 

• Professor Martin Rypdal, Head of Department, e-mail: martin.rypdal@uit.no 
• Professor Sigrunn Holbek Sørbye, e-mail: sigrunn.sorbye@uit.no

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification requirements for the position as Professor:

• Academic level conforming to established international or national standards for position of Professor in statistics. 
  • A Norwegian doctoral degree in statistics or a closely related field, or an equivalent doctoral degree recognized as comparable to a Norwegian doctoral degree, or competence at a corresponding level documented by academic work of the same scope and quality.
  • Substantial contributions to research or artistic development work at the highest level, in accordance with international or national standards within the field.
• You must be fluent in oral and written English and should have a good command of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language. Applicants who are not fluent in a Scandinavian language must be willing to learn Norwegian within 3 years and pass the language exam level B2 (“Bergenstesten” or equivalent). UiT offers relevant Norwegian language courses for new employees.
• Documented pedagogical competence

In addition to documented pedagogical competence you must document:

• Development of the quality of one's own teaching and supervision over time, and
• Broad supervision experience, preferably at master's/PhD level, and
• Participation in the development of educational quality in academic communities

To be awarded a professorship, you must document substantially more extensive research of high quality than that required to be awarded a doctorate degree. You must document academic activity at a high level over the previous six years, and that this points forwards towards continued activity at professorial level.

In addition to the above, high qualifications must be documented within the following areas:

• Academic management experience
• Network and collaboration
• External funding
• International profile
• Administrative experience
• Dissemination/outreach

UiT follows national guidelines for professorial promotion within Mathematics, Science and Technology disciplines, decided by the National Faculty Meeting of Mathematics, Science and Technology, when evaluating candidates for professorships. UiT makes a comprehensive assessment of:

• Scientific qualifications
• Educational qualifications
• Academic management experience
• Network and collaboration
• External funding
• International profile
• Administrative experience
• Dissemination/outreach

You can find the guidelines here.

Documented external funding, experience with research leadership and relevant collaboration for innovation activities will be rated positively for the Associate Professor position and will be an important aspect for the Full Professor position.

Minimum Qualification requirements for the position as Associate Professor : 

• A Norwegian doctoral degree in statistics or a closely related field, or an equivalent doctoral degree recognized as comparable to a Norwegian doctoral degree, or competence at a corresponding level documented by academic work of the same scope and quality. 
• Documented pedagogical competence (see section below). 
• Proficiency in English, both written and spoken. 
• You must be fluent in oral and written English and should have a good command of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language. Applicants who are not fluent in a Scandinavian language must be willing to learn Norwegian within 3 years and pass the language exam level B2 (“Bergenstesten” or equivalent). UiT offers relevant Norwegian language courses for new employees.

We will emphasize the applicants motivation for the position and personal suitability.

We are looking for candidates who, among other qualities, have:

• Good collaboration skills
• Abilities to communicate and interact efficiently with colleagues and students.
• Abilities and willingness to contribute to a good working environment

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.

We offer

• A stimulating and friendly working environment
• Opportunity of R&D sabbatical leave 
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• If you have to relocate to Tromsø then the Faculty of Science and Technology may reimburse your moving costs. Further details regarding this matter will be made available if you receive an offer from us.

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

Work- and 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, Professor/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 Professor is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1013. The remuneration for Associate Professor is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1011. As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes availiable. For more information see: spk.no.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University in 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 at 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
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience and professional work 
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees, in original language and translated) 
• Letter(s) of recommendation if applicable
• Two 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 proficiency.

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 year of 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 drawnup 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.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

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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