The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Department of Education was established in 1938 and is one of three departments at The Faculty of Educational Sciences which also has two permanent centers.
The research is based on traditions from both the social and the human sciences, the department thus accommodates great breadth in topics and perspectives. The department employs approximately 90 people; 40 scientific staff, 30 doctoral and post-doctoral students, and 20 administrative/technical staff. The number of students is approximately 700.
Did you have a genuine interest for Artificial Intelligence and Education?
About the position / About the job
Applications are invited for a full-time one-year position as Data Scientist with genuine interest for Artificial Intelligence and Education in the project "Learning Analytics Infrastructure (LAI): Infrastructure for data-driven research in Higher Education and profession-oriented learning".
The position is located at the Department of Education, at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo. The LAI project is a two-year infrastructure pre-project funded by the Research Council of Norway, from seed funds intended to support the development of research infrastructure.
The project is a collaboration between three major universities in Norway (Univiversity of Oslo, University of Bergen and NTNU) and will establish the foundation for infrastructure for data-driven research in educational research. The project will map and pilot the conditions of how to build a full-scale infrastructure to facilitate sharing and reuse of research data in established formats supporting FAIR principles, and set the baseline for the development of expertise to enable fundamental and applied data-driven research in HE.
Duties related to the position
The data scientist is expected to contribute to the LAI project by supporting the development of a ‘proof-of-concept’ to facilitate technical trials of an infrastructure that enables researchers to collect, transfer and store digital data (including multi-modal data) from various digital learning environments, and support the analyses and visualisations of such data in a research ethical manner using data science and AI. This includes using and developing API's that support data communication and infrastructure development between various settings at the three universities and secure storage locations at Univ. of Oslo. In addition, the data scientist is expected to support the researchers’ development of learning analytics concepts, models and measurable constructs that will lay the groundwork for the infrastructure architecture. The work requires the data scientist to have skills to harvest, harmonize, store, analyse and visualise educational data using state-of-the art tools, some research experience to collaborate with educational researchers, and developer experience to utilize and build infrastructural resources in collaboration with partners at the three universities.
Qualification requirements
Relevant university education, with a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Master´s degree is desirable. Applicants are holding a combination of degree in data science, computer science, applied AI, Learning Analytics and/or related to fields to Educational Sciences.
Knowledge of research infrastructure such as TSD and Educloud, and container technologies (e.g., Docker, Singularity).
Experience with data engineering, including data pipelines, storage solutions, and management of structured and unstructured data.
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English. Reasonable communication skills in a Scandinavian language are acceptable.
Desired qualifications
Familiarity with cloud services and high-performance computing (HPC).
Proficiency in backend development (e.g., Python, Node.js) and use of APIs for data access and integration (e.g., RESTful, xAPI, LTI).
Experience with data analysis and visualization using relevant tools (e.g., R, Python, Tableau, or JavaScript-based libraries)
Awareness of data privacy, GDPR, research ethics, FAIR principles for research data, and experience in collaborating with academic researchers
A genuine interest in educational technologies, learning analytics, and multimodal.
Research skills in educational sciences or social sciences are preferred.
What are we looking for in you?
Good analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to work focused, independently and in collaboration with researchers
Good communication skills and ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
Personal suitability will be emphasized in the recruitment process.
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues — could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.
We hope you will apply for the position with us.
Why should you choose us?
Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
Salary in position as Over Engineer, position code 1087 in salary range NOK from 650 000 to 720 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.
How to apply:
Your application should include:
Cover letter (statement of motivation)
CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".
When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.
General information
The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.
Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.
