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PhD position - Department of Information Science and Media Studies

Deadline: 25.09.2019

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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.


There are seven departments and three centres at Faculty of Social Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments.

PhD position

There is a vacancy for a PhD position at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies within Information Science in the field of Behavioral Data Science and Recommender Systems. The position is for 4 years and 25 % of the time is compulsory duties at the department.

About the project/work tasks:

We are especially looking for candidates who want to work on the research frontiers of behavioral data science with an application to recommender systems; project proposals on online data mining and predictive modelling with an application to recommender systems are particularly welcome, but the position is also open for other qualified applicants within other areas of data science and recommender systems research.

The PhD candidate will be affiliated with the newly to be established Behavioral Data Science & Recommender Systems research lab which is part of the Semantic and Social Information Systems research group of the Department of Information Science and Media Studies.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

  • The applicant must hold a master's degree or the equivalent in Information Science, Informatics, Cognitive Science or equivalent
  • The degree has to be completed by the application deadline.
  • Background within data science and recommender systems is an advantage
  • The requirements are generally grade B or better on Master thesis and for the Master degree in total
  • Experience from scientific work (e.g., previous publications) is an advantage
  • Great motivation for research, interest in the topic and good knowledge of relevant theory and methods
  • As an applicant you should be able to work independently
  • Proficiency in both written and oral English

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.

About the PhD position:

The duration of the PhD position is 4 years, of which 25 per cent of the time comprises obligatory duties associated with research, teaching and dissemination of results. The employment period for the successful candidate may be reduced if he or she previously has been employed in a PhD position.

About the research training:

As a PhD research fellow, you will take part in the doctoral educational programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences, UiB. The programme corresponds to a period of three years and leads to the submission of the PhD dissertation. To be eligible for admission you must have completed a Master degree. The educational background must be equivalent to a five-year Master education, including a two-year Master degree and a Master thesis at least 30 ECTS. It is expected that the topic of the Master degree is connected to the academic field to which you are seeking admission.

Project proposal:

A research proposal of 5-8 pages must accompany the application. The proposal should present the topic, the research problem(s) and choice of theory and methods. The proposal should also include a progress plan for the different parts of the project. A budget of running costs should be included. Admittance to the PhD-programme will be based on the research proposal.

We can offer:

  • Salary at pay grade 54 upon appointment (Code 1017) on the government salary scale (equivalent to NOK 479 600,- per year). Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position
  • A good and professionally challenging working environment
  • Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
  • A position in an inclusive workplace (IA enterprise)
  • Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

  • A cover letter including a brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position
  • The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of them must be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis
  • Project proposal
  • CV
  • Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees.
  • Relevant certificates/references
  • A list of academic publications
  • Academic publications that you want to submit for assessment (including your master’s thesis or equivalent)
  • If you have a master's degree from an institution outside of the Nordic countries, or a 2-year discipline- based master's degree (or the equivalent) in a subject area other than the one associated with the application, you may later in the application process be asked to submit an overview of the syllabus for the degree you have completed

General information:

Additional information about the position is obtainable by contacting:

  • Head of Department, Professor Leif Ove Larsen, e-mail Leif.Larsen@uib.no, phone (+47) 55 58 41 16 or
  • Associate Professor Christoph Trattner, e-mail Christoph.Trattner@uib.no, phone (+47) 45 39 61 80

Practical questions regarding the application procedures should be directed to senior officer Bodil Hægland, phone +47 55 58 90 53, e-mail: bodil.hagland@uib.no.

Appointed research fellows will be admitted to the doctoral education program at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Further information about the program is available on the webpage http://www.uib.no/en/svf/37940/doctoral-education.

Questions about the program may be directed to senior officer Hanne Gravermoen, e-mail: hanne.gravermoen@uib.no, phone: +47 55 58 90 68.

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.

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.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

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