PhD research fellowship (SKO 1017) in Innovation studies
Deadline: 12.04.2026
Publisert
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.
TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture is a cross disciplinary unit at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo. TIK is home to 40 staff members working in research, education and research communication in innovation and science and technology studies (STS). A major part of TIK’s activity is externally funded research. TIK also offers postgraduate education; a PhD-programme and two Master programmes. The Centre also hosts OSIRIS - Oslo Institute for Research on the Impact of Science.
About the position
One PhD research fellowship (SKO 1017) in Innovation studies is available at the TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture.
The position forms a part of the Norwegian Research Council funded research centre SURE-AI: «Centre for Sustainable, Risk-averse and Ethical AI». The position is for three years, with a possibility of extension for teaching activities.
About SURE-AI
SURE-AI is a Norwegian AI centre funded by the Research Council of Norway (2025-2030). The primary objective is to create a new generation of algorithms for inference and decision-making by pushing the boundaries of the underlying computational techniques. SURE-AI researchers will drive a transformative leap in AI through a groundbreaking Centre initiative dedicated to making AI more efficient, transparent and safe, addressing the critical challenges of resource consumption, behavior unpredictability and ethical alignment with human and societal values. The centre involves senior researchers from well-renowned national and international research institutions, in close collaboration with industry and the public sector. Overall, SURE-AI includes 19 national Norwegian partners, as well as researchers from 15 international institutions.
About the PhD position
The PhD fellow will contribute to WPs 9 and 10 of the SURE-AI centre. This research will investigate the adoption and use of AI for private firms and public organizations, and the factors that affect adoption patterns and strategies, such as organizational skills and capabilities, ICT-related infrastructures and digital skills of the employees, as well as ethical and regulatory constraints that may affect organizations’ propensity to implement and use AI. Research in these workpackages will also investigate the effects that AI use in firms have on R&D and innovation, the changing nature of working tasks, and business performance. Professor Fulvio Castellacci and Associate Professor Markus Bugge coordinate the TIK Centre’s work in SURE-AI.
The appointed candidate will be part of the TIK Centre’s research group in Innovation Studies.
The research fellow will be part in the Faculty’s approved PhD programme (TIK track) and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. For more information, please see the Faculty of Social Sciences’ web site.
In addition to their own research work, fellows may be invited to participate in teaching and/or administration activities connected to research and teaching in the programs offered at the Centre. All such work will be compensated with an equivalent extension of the research fellowship.
Selection criteria
Qualification requirements
Applicants must hold a two-year Master’s degree (or equivalent qualifications) and meet the formal requirements for admittance to the Faculty of Social Sciences’ PhD program.
The Master’s degree must be within a specialization of relevance to innovation studies and related fields (management and organizational studies; economics of innovation).
The Master’s degree must be of high quality (grade A or B).
Applicants must document experience with and/or a well-described interest in the field of innovation studies, with special interest in studies of ICTs, digitalization and AI.
Applicants must be fluent 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:
TOEFL, with a minimum result of 550 on the Paper-based Test (PBT), or 80 on the Internet-Based Test (iBT) OR
Experience with empirical methods for qualitative and /or quantitative research will be considered an advantage.
Experience with one or more of the following computing skills will be considered an advantage: Natural Language Processing; LLMs; R; Python.
Experience with teaching and supervision will be considered an advantage.
Very good skills in Norwegian or other Scandinavian language is an advantage, but not a requirement.
The successful candidate is expected to take active part in activities like seminars and workshops at TIK. Residency in or close to Oslo is therefore expected.
Assessment
Applicants will be assessed on the quality and relevance of their project proposal, their academic grades and their academic experience and personal skills to carry out the project. The hiring process will include an interview with the best qualified candidates.
The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the centre’s board and will be based on an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the shortlisted candidates as well as the centre’s needs.
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, 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.More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.
We hope you will apply for the position with us.
We offer
Salary NOK 550.800 - 595.800 per annum, depending on qualifications. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
An academically stimulating working environment
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
Attractive welfare benefits including excellent benefits for families (kindergarten, paid paternal/maternal leave etc) and a generous pension agreement.
In addition, Oslo offers a family friendly environment with rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities in its immediate surroundings.
Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.
Application
The application should be written in English and must include:
Application letter (1-2 pages). Please describe your motivation for applying for a PhD and explain how your background, research and experience are relevant to this PhD position. Indicate which of the qualification requirements you meet.
Project proposal. 5 pages. The proposal should address how you would approach the project as described above “About the PhD position” within your chosen research theme conceptually and methodologically and its relationship to your current experience. Please include a timeline of suggested activities.
3-page CV summarizing education, positions, research experience, and other activities. The period of enrolment (admission-completion) in the master's study program must be specified.
A complete list of publications (if relevant).
Academic diplomas and grade transcripts (university degrees only).
List of 2 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number). Please note that references will only be contacted for candidates invited to interview.
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position". Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university's grading system. Please note that all documents must be in English (or a Scandinavian language in the case of transcripts; the application materials should be in English).
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.
