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PhD Research Fellow in human geography - socially inclusive decarbonisation and energy transitions

Deadline: 15.08.2021

Job description

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 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 12 administrative staff members. There are approximately 80 PhD. candidates and 1500 students enrolled in the Department.

There is a vacant position at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography for a PhD research fellow (SKO 1017) in human geography. The position is for a period of three years without compulsory work or four year with compulsory work (primarily teaching duties).

More about the position

The PhD fellow will be part of the work package Energy Flows and Spaces. The work package investigates policies for energy transitions and decarbonisation within urban and regional planning and development. We focus on the outcome of social inclusion/exclusion in terms of access to environmentally friendly energy and transport (i.e. public transport), and exposure to energy-related negative externalities (i.e. pollution). We also focus on processes of social inclusion in design, planning and development of low carbon urban/regional landscapes.

The PhD project will assess the direct and indirect implications of current decarbonisation and energy transitions in spatial planning, design and transport, using geographic information systems, and comparing the mappings with spatial distribution of housing prices and register data on socio-demographic, economic and cultural indicators.

Include is made up of seven research institutions and more than 20 user partners. The successful candidate will join the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, where the work package Energy Flows and Spaces is led by Professor Per Gunnar Røe.

Qualification requirements

  • A prerequisite for taking up the position is the successful completion of a Master’s degree. Candidates from disciplinary backgrounds other than human geography must demonstrate in their application letter that their educational background prepares them for doctoral study in human geography. Their Master’s degree must include a master thesis.
  • Applicants must have a minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent.
  • The master's thesis must have been submitted before the application deadline.
  • Applicants should have research interests within the field described above, and competitive candidates have skills in quantitative data analysis and geographical information systems. Knowledge of Scandinavian administrative register data is an advantage.
  • Applicants must have excellent written and oral proficiency in English.
  • The position requires that the person who is hired participates in the Faculty of Social Sciences' organised research education programme (PhD programme) and that the work results in a doctorate in human geography. The person who is hired will automatically be admitted to the PhD programme. The PhD candidate will also be part of a larger group of PhD students within the Include center.
  • Residence in Norway is expected, but PhD fellows are also encouraged to spend time abroad during the fellowship period.

The hiring process will include an interview. In addition to an overall evaluation of the applicant’s grades, particular emphasis will be placed on the quality of the master's thesis and the candidate’s general preparation for working with spatial and social science data and methods. 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 project’s and department’s needs.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 491 200 – 534 400 per annum depending on qualifications, at pay rate 54-59 (SKO 1017)
  • An academically stimulating working environment
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include

  • 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. This letter should also include a short presentation (1 -2 pages) of the research the applicant wishes to pursue within the framework of the project
  • CV with full summary of education, practice and academic work
  • The period of enrolment (admission-completion) in the master's study programme must be specified
  • Academic transcripts (university degrees only)
  • Copy of Master's degree diploma
  • Master's thesis
  • List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be submitted in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

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.

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. 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 information

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