PhD Research Fellow in Sociology- Punishment as a Vehicle for Change?
Deadline: 30.04.2026
Publisert
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Department of Sociology and Human Geography is Norway's leading department for both Sociology and Human Geography. The Department offers four Bachelor's and three Master's programmes. Research, teaching and dissemination activities within both fields are of the highest level. The Department is renowned both for the breadth of topics and methodologies employed and for its highly qualified researchers. Gender balance among the academic staff is an important distinguishing feature. The Department has 35 permanent academic staff, nearly 40 doctoral and post doctoral research fellows and 14 administrative staff members. There are approximately 80 PhD. candidates and 1500 students enrolled in the Department.
The position is for a period of three years without compulsory work or four years with 25% compulsory work (primarily teaching).
The department is ranked as the premier academic research institute in sociology and human geography in Norway, conducting top international research while offering high quality education for students. The department is renowned both for the breadth of topics and methodologies employed and for its highly qualified researchers.
More about the position
The PhD fellow will be part of the research project Punishment as a Vehicle for Change? The Causal Impact of Norwegian Corrections on Reoffending and Reintegration in Norway and Beyond (NoReoffend), which is financed by the Research Council of Norway and headed by Professor Synøve N. Andersen. The fellow is expected to pursue independent research under supervision and within the scope of the NoReoffend project.
The NoReoffend project seeks to advance our knowledge on the intended and unintended consequences of punishment, using Norway as a case study. The project will employ population-wide register data and experimental methods to assess causal effects of sentencing and programming on the reoffending, employment, education and/or family outcomes of sentenced individuals. The successful candidate is expected to develop a research agenda focused on one or more of these outcomes and contribute to the project’s WP1. Please contact Prof. Andersen for more information and a more detailed description of the project.
The position requires participation in the Faculty of Social Sciences' organised research education programme (PhD programme) and the completion of a doctorate in sociology. The candidate who is hired will automatically be admitted to the PhD programme. Residence in Norway is expected, but a research stay abroad during the fellowship period is encouraged.
Qualification requirements and assessment criteria
Applicants will be assessed on the quality of the project proposal, the quality of the master’s thesis and the applicant’s personal prerequisites to carry out the project. The hiring process will include an interview.
Applicants must have a master's degree/second-level degree in sociology or equivalent. Applicants are expected to demonstrate through their application letter and project proposal how they will contribute to the research project. Applicants from other disciplinary backgrounds than sociology who wish to apply must demonstrate in their application letter that their educational background, master’s thesis and project proposal qualify them for research within the fields of advanced quantitative methods and/or the sociology of deviance.
Applicants must have prior education that corresponds to 5 years at the university level in Norway, with two years (120 ECTS) at the master’s level. If the scope of education at the master’s level is less than two years, an individual assessment may be made.
Applicants must have average grades of A or B in their master’s degree.
Applicants must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English. Applicants who have completed their education outside of the EU/EEA-area and who do not have English as a native language, must document language skills as documented by: TOEFL - with a minimum result of 550 on the Paper-based Test (PBT), or 80 on the Internet-Based Test (iBT) OR IELTS - International English Language Testing Service, with the result 6.0.
The applicant must provide a tentative description (5-10 pages) of a PhD research project that she or he plans to carry out during the fellowship period. Applicants are expected to be able to complete the project during the appointment period. As causal identification is integral to the project’s research agenda, the proposal must include relevant discussions of challenges to, and opportunities for, disentangling selection and causal effects for the proposed research questions. The proposal must include a paragraph declaring if and how AI was used in the development of the proposal.
Applicants should have experience within regression analysis and/or the sociology of deviance. Experience with quasi-experimental techniques and/or large datasets is an advantage, but a demonstrated understanding of, and motivation to learn more about, such techniques may compensate for a lack of experience.
The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the department’s board and will be based on an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the shortlisted candidates as well as the department’s needs.
We offer
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.
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 Doctoral Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 551 000 to 594 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
How to apply
A letter of application. Please describe your motivation for applying for this position and explain how your background, research and experience is relevant to the research project. Your previous experience with advanced quantitative methods (incl. quasi-experiments) and/or the sociology of deviance should be highlighted.
A project proposal (5-10 pages). The proposal must include research questions, theoretical framework, methodology (including relevant discussions of causal inference), and research design as well as a time-line for completion of the research. The proposal must include a paragraph declaring if and how AI was used in the development of the proposal.
CV with full summary of education, practice and academic work. The period of enrollment (admission-completion) in the master's study programme must be specified. Applicants with a one-year master’s degree must submit an appeal for an individual assessment (max 1 page) in which they demonstrate that they have completed research work equivalent to at least half a year’s relevant scientific workload.
Academic transcripts (university degrees only).
Copy of master's degree diploma.
Master's thesis. Please note that your thesis must be uploaded and registered as an "Attachment" in the electronic application.
Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. This may be uploaded as an “Attachment".
List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).
TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable. These may be uploaded as an “Attachment”.
The application with attachments must be submitted in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Please note that all documents must be in English (or a Scandinavian language).
The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the department’s board and will be based on an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the shortlisted candidates and the department’s needs.
Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO
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.
We hope that you will apply for the position.
More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.
Formal regulations
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.
No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.
The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.
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.
The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.
Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.
If there are qualified applicants with special needs, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview.
Contact persons:
Please refer to our Q&A web page before making personal enquiries. Requests to review proposals or supporting documents prior to the closing deadline will not be accommodated.
Principal Investigator, Synøve N. Andersen. All questions regarding the content of the project and the project proposal should be directed to her.
