Job description

Applicants are invited for a 2 year position as Postdoctoral Fellow in History of Global Health to be based at the Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo.

The Postdoctoral fellow will be working in the Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, work in close collaboration with the Research group in Medical Anthropology and Medical History and be part of a larger project on antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance.

The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council’s SAMKUL program and is dedicated to a new research project entitled From Asia to Africa: Antibiotic Trajectories across the Indian Ocean. The project follows the production and export of antibiotics from China and India, across the ocean, to its import, regulation, circulation and consumption in Tanzania. The Postdoctoral fellowship is part of Work package 2 of which the main objective is to document and analyze how Asian antibiotics travel in formal and informal networks in Tanzania and the affiliated regulatory efforts and challenges. The Postdoctoral fellow will be investigating how in general import and drug regulation of antibiotics into Tanzania developed since the country’s independence and specifically, how, towards the end of the 20th century, Asian antibiotics came to dominate in import, trade and distribution through official and unofficial routes. In connection with this, the development of regulatory efforts and challenges shall be studied in the light of addressing the issue of antimicrobial resistance. The project includes 6 months fieldwork in Tanzania and the postdoctoral fellow will develop relevant methodological approaches, such as identifying sources in archives, in regulatory and other relevant authorities, and conduct interviews. There is an agreed collaboration for support with the Tanzania Medicine & Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) (See the project description for more details on the project at large).

The postdoctoral fellow will be part of a research team consisting of a PhD student doing an ethnographic study on antibiotics use in Tanzania, a Postdoctoral fellow working on the production and export of antibiotics and active pharmaceutical ingredients in China and a PhD student working on antibiotic production in India, as well as six senior staff (Heidi Fjeld (PI), Christoph Gradmann (leader of Work package 2), Heidi Østbø Haugen, Anne Kveim Lie, Ruth Prince, Muhammad Zaman).

More about the position

The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of 2 years (10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities).

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in history, anthropology, political science, human geography, sociology, African studies, or a related discipline . Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Fluent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Good skills in oral and written Swahili
• Archival or other historical fieldwork experience in Tanzania
• Willingness to contribute part of your time to the overall project, including project meetings, workshops as well as co-writing projects
• Experience with managing both academic and administrative tasks

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

Personal skills

• to be able to work independently and collaboratively
• to be able to engage with diverse multidisciplinary group of colleagues and students, and contribute to a positive working environment
• be able to engage creatively with relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks
• be highly motivated
• to be flexible

We offer

• salary NOK 526 000 – 597 000 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• generous funds for research, travel, conference participation, and dissemination, books and equipment
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• 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

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter (1-2 pages: statement of motivation, academic and other relevant backgrounds)
• CV, including a list of education, positions held, list of publications and writing experiences, teaching experiences and other qualifying activities
• Grade transcripts (university only) and PhD diploma
• Your PhD thesis
• Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a project description, outlining the proposed research in more detail (3,000 words maximum)
• Shortlisted candidates might be asked to document Swahili skills
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number). Only reference persons for interviewed candidates will be contacted.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description (whenever this is required in the call for applicants), and the quality of the project as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Associate Professor Heidi E. Fjeld, h.e.fjeld@medisin.uio.no. Tel: +47 2285 0603, 99013401
• Professor Christoph Gradmann, christoph.gradmann@medisin.uio.no, Tel.: +47 2285 0615, 48420261

For questions regarding the application process: HR Advisor Marie Cecilie Bakken, m.c.bakken@medisin.uio.no.

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