Job description

Appicants are invited for a three-year fulltime position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Equality in Education (CREATE), University of Oslo, Norway. The intended starting date is January 1, 2024.

CREATE is an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway with the objective to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education, see web site. The interdisciplinary centre integrates researchers with substantive expertise from education, psychology, sociology, economics, and genetics, and methodological expertise from educational measurement, psychometrics, econometrics, statistics, and biostatistics. The PhD fellowships are associated with CREATE’s research strand 2: “Intervening on the barriers to equality in education. 

More about the position

The Postdoctoral fellowship is associated with CREATE’s research strand 2, “Intervening on barriers to equality in education”. Strand 2 will conduct experiments to understand the mechanisms underlying learning in language, literacy (reading and writing), and mathematical skills. Additionally, strand 2 is responsible for conducting randomized controlled trials to ameliorate difficulties in these domains. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to contribute to the administration and implementation of such studies, including the development of assessment tools and interventions and the coordination of research assistants. The postdoctoral fellow is also expected to focus on research activities such as (co)authoring grant applications and articles for publication in high-quality journals. Finally, as one of the mains aims of CREATE is to develop synergies between longitudinal observational studies and intervention studies, the postdoctoral fellow might also work with observational data. 

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to work with the interdisciplinary team in strand 2 of CREATE, and will have the opportunity to define and pursue their own research interests within the scope of CREATE’s research aims.

The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of 3 years. Ten percent of the workload will be devoted to teaching, supervision, and/or research assistance.

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in top academic positions.

For more information about CREATE’s research program and the position, contact: Acting CREATE director Prof. Arne Lervåg, a.o.lervag@iped.uio.noProf. Janne von Koss Torkildsen (Strand 2 leader), j.von.k.torkildsen@isp.uio.no

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree or equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in educational sciences or psychology, or another relevant field. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Advanced quantitative research skills and eagerness to develop such skills further
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• A publication record in high-quality journals on thematically relevant research topics

The following qualifications are not required but will give applicants an advantage:

• Experience analyzing large datasets using software such as R or Mplus
• Experience with conducting and analyzing randomized trials, quasi experiments or longitudinal data, especially in topics related to academic achievement or learning mechanisms
• A strong interest in interventions and skill development

Personal skills

• A cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented style of work 
• Creativity and ability to work independently
• A genuine interest in, and preferably knowledge of, the substantive themes of the project
• Motivation for working within an interdisciplinary team
• Personal suitability

We offer

• Salary NOK 584 500 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• An interdisciplinary and international work enviroment, recognized as a Centre of Excellence
• 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 page, including a statement of motivation)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, publications and other relevant activites)
• 5 publications/academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered
• Project description (approximately 3-4 pages, indicating research interests, theoretical and methodological approaches, ambitions for external grant applications and international research stays, progress plan) with relevance to strand 2 of CREATE´s research program
• Copy of PhD Diploma or documentation of thesis submission. Applicants who have not yet defended their PhD dissertation need to include an advisor’s letter confirming specific expectations about when the degree will be received
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references , incl. the PhD supervisor (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

Incomplete applications will not be assessed. 

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link: "Apply for this job". 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.

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

• Acting CREATE director Prof. Arne Ola Lervåg
• Professor Janne von Koss Torkildsen (Strand 2 Leader)

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