Job description

The Department of Special Needs Education invites applicants for a permanent position as Associate Professor (position code 1011) in mathematical learning difficulties with relevance for special needs education. The position has a double affiliation with The Department of Special Needs Education (ISP; primary affiliation) and with The Centre for Research on Equality in Education – (CREATE; secondary affiliation). The hired candidate will have office in the premises of CREATE.

The Department of Special Needs Education offers a Bachelor’s degree in special needs education and five special education majors (speech and language therapy, hearing, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, psycho-social difficulties, and developmental disabilities) at the Master’s level, in addition to an international Master’s program. The department’s lab, Oslo Special Education and Learning Lab (Oslo SpeLL) offers an excellent possibility to incorporate research, innovation and student activities into a clinical context.

CREATE is a temporary interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Faculty of Educational Sciences. CREATE aims to identify and intervene on barriers to achieving equality in education. The position is associated with CREATE’s research strand 2: “Intervening on the barriers to equality in education”. English is the working language at CREATE. The center will open in 2023 and is estimated to exist for a period of ten years. After this period, the hired candidate will have ISP as their sole affiliation.

More about the position

The position is central to both ISP’s strategic efforts to strengthen the department’s research and teaching in the field of specific learning disabilities within special needs education and CREATE’s objective to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education.

The position involves 47% teaching, 47% research, and 6% administrative tasks.

The teaching is within the area of mathematical learning difficulties at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels, focusing on the development of mathematical skills and learning difficulties in a lifelong perspective.

Regarding research, the successful candidate is expected to contribute substantially to the CREATE research projects. This will involve collaborating on interdisciplinary projects with other CREATE researchers. For more information about CREATE’s research program, contact acting CREATE director Prof. Arne Lervåg.

Relevant research topics for the position may include:

• developing and examining effects from reliable, durable, and educationally meaningful interventions addressing barriers to equality in mathematics development.
• the typical and atypical development of mathematical skills.
• mathematical cognition and the cognitive processes and/or dimensions underlying mathematical skills.
• precursors and/or predictors of mathematical skills and mathematical learning difficulties; from an individual or systems perspective.

Job description

The candidate for the position is expected to:

• Participate in collaborative research projects with colleagues at CREATE, especially the design and execution of CREATE’s intervention studies.
• Participate in the planning, teaching, and development of study programs, supervision and examinations, as well as related tasks at any program level.
• Promote the subject area through research, publication of academic work (nationally and internationally), and participate in national and international networks.
• Actively design research projects, and apply for external research funding.
• Disseminate research nationally and internationally.
• Conduct administrative tasks.
• Participate in relevant research groups at the faculty.

Qualification requirements

• Doctoral degree or equivalent qualifications within special needs education, education, psychology or other field relevant for the position.
• Record of international, peer-reviewed publications relevant for the position.
• Research experience and research interests related to mathematical skills and learning difficulties, broadly defined, but with relevance for special needs education.
• Documented basic university pedagogical competence. Applicants who do not have documented basic university competence must acquire this within two years from appointment.
• Good communication skills both written and oral in Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) and English are a prerequisite for performing all the tasks associated with the position. Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language at the time of appointment are given a deadline of two years to learn Norwegian.

Desired qualifications:

• Teaching experience.
• Documentation of qualifications in dissemination, management and administration will count positively.
• Experience with applications for external research funding.
• Interest and ability in leadership roles and administration.

Personal qualities

• A cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented style of work.
• Motivation to collaborate with the teams at ISP and CREATE.
• Personal suitability for the position.

We offer

• Salary NOK 679 700 - 777 900 per annum depending on competencies, in a postion as a Associate Professor (position code 1011).
• 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.

The application must include

• Application letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interests - max 2 pages)
• CV
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan for the position (max. 4 pages): The plan should outline specific studies addressing the research directions relevant to CREATE, including ambitions for grant applications and publications
• Educational portfolio of 3-6 pages documenting educational competence and experience, including a reflection note in which your own practice and learning vision is anchored in the SoTL criteria (focus on student learning, development over time, a research approach and collegial attitude and practice. For guidance, see this page)
• Description of qualifications in dissemination, management and administration
• Diplomas
• Up to 10 academic works with a brief account of their scientific significance and, in case of co-authorship, a description of the applicants' contribution to each publication
• References (list of 2-3 persons with name, title, email and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link: “Apply for this job”. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

Interviews and trial lecture will form part of the appointment process. The entire breadth of qualifications will be assessed in ranking competent applicants.

Contact information

For questions about the position, please contact:

• Head of Department, Professor Ona Bø Wie
• Professor Janne von Koss Torkildsen
• Professor Monica Melby-Lervåg

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 university pedagogical competence at the University of Oslo.

Ved kunngjøring som Professor: Please also see Guidance memo concerning employment and promotion of professors at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, UiO.

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.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to 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.

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