Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages

Job description

A three-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1352) is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.

The position is associated with HumAIn: A humanities hub for the reimagination of AI project, funded by the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. The candidate is expected to develop a research project closely connected to the main project. 

About the project

HumAIn is an interdisciplinary humanities hub and collaborative research project aimed at investigating the imaginaries and narratives surrounding and embedded within AI, with an explicit focus on creating and reimagining new AI stories. To stake out a new path for research on critical AI studies from a humanities perspective, HumAIn fosters a proactive and creative engagement with AI that includes but goes beyond critique.

The hub is designed to facilitate a dynamic interplay between interpretation and creativity, emphasizing both methodological and narrative innovation, and showcase the potential for humanities approaches to shape and reimagine what AI is and can be. HumAIn is organized into three interrelated collaboratories with team members from different disciplines and departments working together on exploring the textual, affective, and speculative aspects of AI.

More about the position

The postdoctoral fellow will work on a project on the theme of “Narrative Cultures and Futures of AI” within the framework and aims of the HumAIn project. Individual and original research ideas are highly encouraged, and priority will be given to candidates whose proposals detail a concrete project within the general project theme. Quantitative and computational approaches within a narrative theory and humanities framework are also welcome.

The proposed projects can explore themes such as posthuman folklore, science fiction and AI, narrative approaches (including eco-narratology) to AI, feminist approaches to AI, cultural history of AI, AI approaches to Digital Humanities, AI approaches to historiography, and legal-textual approaches to AI futures. Cultural approaches to AI from the Global South (within regions covered at the Department: China, Middle East, and South Asia) will be particularly welcome. Relevance for ongoing projects at the department such as CoFUTURES will also be welcome.

We welcome applicants with a PhD from all relevant humanities, social science, creative writing, arts and design disciplines. Preference might be given to candidates that have published creative work/science fiction related to AI, have industry experience within science fiction or AI fields, and/or have specific AI related technical competence.

The Postdoctoral Researcher will be expected to devote their time to their own research agenda as well as working with a dynamic team of humanities and information systems scholars at the University of Oslo on developing and shaping the HumAIn hub and its activities.

The postdoc will have a key role in the overall research project, from data collection to analysis and dissemination, and they will help organize workshops, develop curriculum and engagement projects, and build relationships with external partners and participate in teaching relevant to the hub. The postdoc will have the opportunity to work closely with the second HumAIn postdoc, based at the Department of Media and Communication. 

The position is available for a period of 3 years. There is a 10 % component of the position which is devoted to teaching and administrative duties.

The main purpose of postdoctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements

• PhD or equivalent academic qualifications with a specialization in relevant humanities, social science, arts and design disciplines, including but not limited to: literature, creative writing, artistic research, design research, data science, human-computer interaction, science and technology studies, cultural history, and music. 
• The candidate's research project must be directly connected to the HumAIn project
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position
• The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.

In the evaluation of the applications, emphasis will be placed on:

• The research project’s scientific merit and HumAIn-related relevance
• The applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to carry out the project within the allotted time frame
• The applicant’s motivation to contribute to the HumAIn project
• The applicant’s research qualifications, including their publications 
• The applicant’s experience with the coordination of research activities, such as organization of workshops/seminars, conferences, and panels. 
• Demonstrated interest in conceptual/theory development, research creation and/or methodological innovation
• Good co-operative skills, and the ability to successfully join in academic collaboration within and across disciplines

We offer

• Salary NOK 575 400 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications 
• A professionally stimulating working environment 
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Attractive welfare benefits

How to apply

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (including a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities)
• Complete publication list. The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:
  • Peer-reviewed publications:
  • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc
  • Non-peer-reviewed publications
• Project description (appox. 3 - 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions). The project description must present a feasible progress plan. It is expected that the applicant will be able to complete the project during the period of appointment.
• A maximum of 1 published article and 1 creative work relevant to the project may also be attached. 
• Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Danish or Swedish).

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, jobbnorge.no. 

The short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

Formal regulations

See also Regulations concerning Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

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

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

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

Contact information

For questions about the position:

• Associate Professor Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay

For questions on how to apply:

• HR Officer Janne Gjestad

Apply for position