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Doctoral Research Fellowship ERC-project "Before Copyright"

Deadline: 30.03.2023

Universitetet i Oslo

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 archaeology, conservation and history (IAKH) is comprised of three disciplines which in different ways study the past. The department has internationally oriented archaeologists, the only conservation program in Norway and the biggest group of historians in Scandinavia. The department has close to 100 employees, including non-permanent research fellows. The study programs span archaeology from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages, object and paintings conservation, and history from Antiquity to the present age.

Job description

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) is available at the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH), University of Oslo.

The position is associated with the 5-year Starting Grant 101042034 “Before Copyright: Printing privileges and the politics of knowledge in early modern Europe” funded by the European Research Council and led by Principal Investigator Marius Buning, Associate Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Oslo.

More about the position

Before Copyright” examines the long-term history of printing privileges from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The intimate relationship between legal frameworks and the politics of knowledge is the primary focus of the project.

For this doctoral position, we are looking for someone who wants to specialize in the history of printing privileges in Scandinavia, between c. 1500-1800. Candidates may focus on a specific location or time period but should have an interest in the long-term development of the privilege system from its inception to its demise.

The project proposal should include a clear set of questions related to how printing privileges provided a normative framework for the production of knowledge. One might consider political alliances and conflicts, for example, but also scientific and trade networks, media strategies and censorship, or the cultural dynamics of specific locations in a globalizing world. Applicants are expected to state explicitly in their project proposal why they have chosen a particular approach and what sources they intend to use (e.g., printed literature, engravings, court records, maps, chancellery archives, etc.). Preference will be given to project proposals that raise critical questions about visual representation and memory cultures.

As a PhD student, you will have one or more co-supervisors, either at another Norwegian university or from abroad. The person appointed will be affiliated with the Faculty’s organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu or network and contribute to its development. Read more about the doctoral degree.

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant. The expected start date for the position is between August and November 2023.

The employment location for this position is Oslo.

Qualification requirements

  • A Master's degree or equivalent in history, law, art history, archival studies, or other disciplines relevant for the project. The Master's degree must have been obtained and the final evaluation must be available by the application deadline.
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English, see Language requirements, as well as reading knowledge of the sources languages relevant for the project.
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

When assessing applicants, the following qualification will be taken into account:

  • Experience with digital research methods, e.g., GIS or network analysis.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Oslo, applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a five-year graduation course (Master’s degree or equivalent), including a Master’s thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year Master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

  • The project's scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation
  • The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
  • The applicant's ability to complete research training
  • Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

How to apply

The application must include

  • Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
  • Curriculum Vitae (with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications)
  • Transcript of records of your Bachelor’s and Master's degrees. Applicants with education from a foreign university must attach an explanation of their university's grading system
  • Documentation of Language requirements (if applicable)
  • Project description clearly outlining the research questions, sources, and timeline for achieving well-defined results. The project proposal should be 3 to 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions). Prospective applicants should clearly specify the location of their sources as well as their level of reading skills of the source language(s).
  • The master thesis (in any language, no summaries needed) or, alternatively, 2 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered

Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

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

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

Formal regulations

See also regulations as well as guidelines for the application assessment process and appointments to research fellowships.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic 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.

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

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