Associate professor in media studies and climate change
Deadline: 01.05.2021
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.
Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Do you want to take part in shaping the future?
Associate professor in media studies and climate change
There is a vacancy for a permanent position as Associate Professor of media studies at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies and CET – Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation. The position is open to candidates in media studies within areas such as media use research, journalism studies, social media and digital communication, political communication, rhetoric and strategic communication, or environmental and risk communication, with a research focus on media and climate.
Climate change and sustainability are becoming central themes at the international research front in various sub-fields within media studies. The media is central to how citizens and decisionmakers find information about climate change, for attitudes and opinion formation on climate questions, for communication on climate change in everyday life, and for societal action. Understanding the role of media in people’s lives and in society is essential in order to contribute to climate transformation, and there is considerable potential for internationally leading and actionable knowledge in the area.
The position will contribute to strengthen interdisciplinary research on climate and energy transformation, which is a priority area for the University of Bergen.
Department of Information Science and Media Studies (Infomedia) is a multidisciplinary academic community situated at The Faculty of Social Sciences (more information here . Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation is an interdisciplinary research centre at the same faculty (more information here . This position will add to and expand interdisciplinary research on media and climate and consolidate further formal cooperation between strong research environments at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The position is open to candidates with a broad range of theoretical and methodological competences within media studies, with research interests directed towards media and climate. This could include topics such as climate communication, media use, trust and credibility, misinformation, social media, climate activism, media technologies, and democracy and governance.
We seek dedicated researchers, university supervisors and teachers with the skills necessary to collaborate and to strengthen the Department’s research and teaching portfolio as well as the research priorities of CET. Personal aptitude will be important for the position.
Qualifications and personal qualities:
A Ph.D. in media studies, communication or equivalent, with relevance for the department’s profile and the work tasks.
A strong academic background and documented expertise within on media and climate, in reference to sub-fields or topics mentioned above. This implies a demonstrated ability to publish research at a high international level beyond the PhD dissertation.
Well documented progress in research and publication and plans for future research and publication are desirable.
The assessment of the applicant’s scientific work will focus primarily on research published during the last five years.
An interest in interdisciplinary research is a requirement, and experience with interdisciplinary work is an advantage.
Experience in initiating, managing and operating major externally funded research projects is an advantage.
Basic pedagogical training is a requirement for the position. The successful applicant will be offered training if this requirement has not been met prior to employment.
The position will have shared responsibilities between the Department and CET. The successful applicant is expected to share his/her research time equally between the two units.
At the Department, he/she must be willing and able to teach compulsory courses at both graduate and undergraduate level at the Department. The successful applicant must be able to teach in Norwegian or one of the other Scandinavian languages within two years of his/her appointment.
At CET, he/she must contribute to project generation, supervision and strategic building of interdisciplinary research teams. The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines for CET affiliated researchers, including the CET Low-Carbon Travel Policy.
Educational competence
Basic teaching training and experience in the supervision of students at university level is a requirement for the position as associate professor (link). This implies completed formal pedagogical training, as well as basic skills in planning, implementation, evaluation and development of teaching and supervision. Should the successful applicant not have such competence at the time of appointment, he/she will be required to document such training within two years of the date of appointment.
Educational competence must be documented in a pedagogical portfolio which should include a documented overview of practical experience and competence as well as a brief reflection statement. The statement should primarily describe the applicant’s own teaching philosophy and an evaluation of own teaching in relation to his/her knowledge of students’ learning at a higher education level.
We can offer:
A good and professionally challenging working environment
Salary at pay grade 68 - 75 (code 1011/ Pay range 24) in the state salary scale. This currently amounts to an annual salary of NOK 618 600 – 708 900 before taxes. Further increase in salary will depend on seniority. A higher salary may be considered for a particularly well qualified applicant.
The city of Bergen – a welcoming and well-connected European city with a unique mix of vibrant life and extraordinary nature.
Your application must include:
A cover-letter showing motivation for applying as well as a summary of planned research activities and initiatives
CV
Five publications to be considered in the assessment, with information about where this work was published. The evaluation of the applicant’s scientific work will focus primarily on research published the last five years.
Complete list of publications
Declarations of co-authorships where it is necessary to clarify your contribution
Teaching portfolio
Certifies copies of diplomas and certificates
The contact details of two references
The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.
The expert committee will assess candidates based on the criteria above. The faculty will then invite the best qualified candidates to submit their academic work
General information:
Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:
Head of Department Leif Ove Larsen, leif.larsen@uib.no or Centre Leader Håvard Haarstad, havard.haarstad@uib.no
Practical questions about the application process should be directed to HR Advisor Bodil Hægland, bodil.hagland@uib.no.
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times. Reference is made to the general University regulations that stipulate that, as part of the normal duties of the position and within his/her academic field, the successful applicant may also be required to teach, supervise and carry out examination related tasks outside the organisational unit to which the position belongs.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
For further information about the recruitment process, click here.
