Job description

The Faculty of Educational Sciences invites applications for a permanent position as associate professor in educational measurement. The position has a double affiliation with the Centre for Educational Measurement at the University of Oslo (CEMO; first affiliation) and the Centre for Research on Equality in Education (CREATE; second affiliation).

CEMO is a permanent centre at the Faculty of Educational Sciences that combines basic research in educational measurement and applications of advanced measurement techniques to solve educational problems. The centre offers a Master of Science program in Assessment, Measurement and Evaluation, in which the teaching tasks of the position will be placed.

The successful candidate is expected to take responsibility for up to three courses of this program each year, in collaboration with PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows. The teaching tasks also include the supervision of Master students during their thesis work.

CREATE is an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Faculty of Educational Sciences. CREATE’s objective is to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education.

The successful candidate is expected to identify with one of the two following CREATE research profiles and one or more directions within this profile:

1) Overcoming key methodological challenges of CREATE in areas such as

a. causual inference in observational studiesb. analysis of longitudinal datac. adaptive testing, automatic item generation, and optimal test design

2) Identifying the barriers to equality in education over the life-course and over time by

a. disentangling the causal mechanisms hindering equalityb. understanding for whom, how, and why these mechanisms operatec.investigating which individual and context characteristics have the potential to promote equality in education

It is expected that the successful candidate collaborates with colleagues at CEMO and CREATE as well as other research institutions in Norway and internationally. Moreover, it is expected that the successful candidate publishes internationally and seeks external funding. The position involves 47% research, 47% teaching, and 6% administrative tasks.

Further information about the position, CEMO and CREATE can be obtained from CEMO director, Prof. Dr. Sigrid Blömeke (sigribl@cemo.uio.no).

Qualification requirements

• Doctoral degree or equivalent qualification in a field relevant for the position (f.ex. educational or social sciences, psychology, psychometrics, statistics)
• Record of international, peer-reviewed publications relevant for the position
• Experience with applications for external grants
• Experience with teaching relevant for the position
• Documented basic university pedagogical competence Applicants who do not have documented basic university pedagogical competence must acquire this within two years from appointment.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language at the time of appointment are given two years to learn Norwegian to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.
• Qualifications in dissemination, management and administration will count positively

Personal skills

• Ability to create an attractive work environment
• Ability to engage in active collaboration
• Ability to conduct scientific leadership

We offer

• An innovative and collaborative work environment with excellent opportunities for research and a strong commitment to teaching
• Salary from NOK 648 700 to NOK 746 900 per annum, depending on competencies, in the position of Associate Professor (position code 1011)
• Good pension schemes
• Good welfare benefits
• The opportunity to apply for promotion to full professorship at a later stage

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter explaining the motivation for applying and fit to the position (max. 2 pages)
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages)
• Complete list of publications
• Full text of up to 10 selected scientific publications the applicant wishes to include in the evaluation
• Brief account of the relevance of the selected publications for the position and, in case of co-authorship, a description of the applicants’ contribution to each publication
• Research plan for the position (3-6 pages): The plan should outline specific empirical-quantitative studies addressing the research directions identified including ambitions for publications and grant applications
• Educational portfolio (3-6 pages) documenting educational competence and experience, including a reflection note on how the own teaching practices and views of learning are related to a focus on student learning, student development over time, a research approach, and a collegial attitude and practice (the SoTL criteria. For guidance, see this page) The note should also identify selected courses of CEMO’s Master program the applicant is qualified to teach.
• Description of qualifications in dissemination, management and administration
• Copies of educational certificates
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, email, phone number)

Please note that all documents should be in English. Educational certificates can be in English or a Scandinavian language. Applicants who have completed their education outside of Norway are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system.

The application must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Incomplete applications will under normal circumstances not be assessed.

The entire breadth of qualifications will be assessed in ranking competent applicants. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a trial lecture and an interview.

Formal regulations

Please refer to the Rules for Appointments to Professorships and Associate Professorships at the University of Oslo, the Guide for Applicants and Members of the Assessment Committee and Rules for practicing the requirement for basic pedagogical competence at the University of Oslo.

Pursuant to section 25(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, information concerning the applicant may be made public, even if the applicant has requested not to appear on the list of applicants.

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

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

• CEMO director, Prof. Dr. Sigrid Blömeke
• Administrative Manager, Anne Line Bjarke

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