Job description

A position as a PhD Research Fellow in Law is available at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. The objective of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The applicant must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Law at the start of the position. Read about the PhD programme here.

The position is externally funded and is part of a Centre for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME) called NorthWind - Norwegian Research Centre on Wind Energy. The Centre host is Sintef research institution in Trondheim and the University of Oslo is a formal research partner to the Centre. The PhD candidate will be working within the project NorthWind at the University of Oslo, and have the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Department of Energy and Resources Law, as working place.

The goal of the FME NorthWind is to create green jobs and export industry in Norway, reduce cost of wind energy installations and increase efficiency of wind farm operation. It is also to reduce negative environmental impact, improve public acceptance of wind power and support the UN sustainability goals. For more information about the Centre and the research and industry partners, see this.

The fellowship runs for three years without teaching duties, or four years with teaching duties constituting 25 % of the overall workload. A four-year fellowship requires that the candidate can contribute to the current teaching needs of the Faculty of Law.

Starting date: Fall/Late 2022 preferably.

More about the position

The PhD candidate's work will contribute to Work package 3 (WP3) of the NorthWind project on “Electrical infrastructure and system integration". The objective of WP3 is to develop reliable and cost-effective electric power components and system solutions to enable profitable large-scale deployment of offshore wind energy in the North Sea. WP3 includes a legal component, where legal research focuses on improving the applicable legal and regulatory framework. The PhD position is attached to the subtask 2 of WP3 (WP3.2) dedicated to “System integration”.

In that context, the PhD candidate will study the legal framework for the development of offshore grid infrastructures. Among the relevant topics of research are planning and permitting procedures for offshore wind infrastructures, as well as optimal market design rules (ownership, operatorship, third party access, tariffs, etc.). The primary focus of the PhD thesis will be on offshore wind infrastructures, but a system integration perspective could be included. The project must primarily address the Norwegian legal context and include the perspective of common energy projects between North Sea countries. Therefore, the primary focus of the research will be on Norwegian law, but relevant international, regional and EU/EEA law must be included. WP3 includes some common case studies (for example, Sørlige Nordsjøen II) that can also be used as part of the PhD project.

Qualification requirements and skills

• The applicant must hold a 5 year Norwegian master's degree in law or the equivalent.
• Successful applicants should normally have grades that place them among the top 10– 15 percent of graduates. This requirement also applies to the master's thesis.
• Knowledge of the renewable energy sector is an advantage, but not a requirement for being selected. Relevant competence for the position is experience with academic research on energy and/or environmental law from the perspective of Norwegian, European and/or international law.
• The project languages are both Norwegian and English. A good command of a Scandinavian language is therefore required, in addition to a good command of the English language, written and spoken. The language skills can be documented by diploma, proof of studies, work experience or publications in the selected languages and will be assessed during the interviews for the selected applicants.
• The applicant must be able to work in an independent and structured manner.
• Good collaboration skills and the skills to contribute to the development of legal research are required.
• The candidate must take an active role in developing the professional environment at the workplace during the employment period.

Assessment

Applicants must submit a project description of 5–10 pages, which gives an account of the research project, its contribution and relevance to Norwegian and/or European legal science and the NorthWind project, choice of theory and scientific methodology, possible scientific ethical challenges, and a work plan for completion. A PhD thesis at the Faculty of Law can be a monograph or a collection of several articles. As part of the project description, the applicant should present a publication strategy for the research done within the project.

In assessing the applicants, emphasis will be placed on the applicants' project description, grades, previous publications in the field of law, and the applicant's professional and personal qualifications for successfully completing the project.

The PhD candidate is expected to complete the project by the end of the fellowship period.

Short-listed applicants will be invited to an interview.

The applications are evaluated by an assessment committee. The committee ranks the applicants based on the criteria indicated above and interviews with short-listed candidates. A separate interview committee may be set down.

The final decision is taken by the Faculty's separate appointment board.

We offer

• Salary NOK 491 200,- to 534 400,- per annum, position code 1017
• An inspiring, friendly and inclusive working environment
• Pension plan in the state pension fund
• Attractive welfare arrangements

How to apply

The application must include

• A letter of application describing the applicant's qualifications and motivation for the position.
• Project description (5–10 pages), explaining the applicant's PhD research activities in a 3-year period. This includes a description of the theoretical background, the aims, methodologies and publication strategy.
• Curriculum vitae with documentation of education, professional work experience, required language skills and academic work.
• Certified copies of certificates, diplomas with all grades, and a complete list of publications. Non-Norwegian diplomas (Master, Bachelor, and the like) must be provided in the original language as well as in an English or Scandinavian translation. Non-Norwegian certificates and diplomas must be accompanied by official documentation that explain the grading system, which makes it possible to assess whether the applicants meet the requirements pertaining to grades.
• Up to 3 scholarly publications. If the publications are written by more than one author, a declaration of authorship that explain the applicant's contribution to the publication should be submitted.
• A list of references (2–3 references that include names, relation to the applicant, and contact details)

All documents must be submitted in English or in a Scandinavian language.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our electronic recruitment system, please click “Apply for this job”.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo and the completion of the PhD Programme.

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

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

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.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

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.

Contact information

Regarding questions about the research project: Professor Catherine Banet: catherine.banet@jus.uio.no

Regarding questions about the recruitment system and process: HR officer Siri Martenson: siri.martenson@jus.uio.no

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