About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Information Systems available at the Department of Informatics.

The preferred starting date is January 2023.

The research fellowship is a full-time position with a fixed-term period of three years. Candidates who can and want to contribute to teaching and supervision at the department may be offered an additional year of teaching-related compulsory duties in the early stages of the contract period. In this case, the appointment period will be extended to a total of four years, where compulsory duties will be spread out over the full contract period, averaging 25% per year.

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

Job description

The position is devoted to carrying out research focusing on digital platforms and digital ecosystems in a large organization preferably the financial sector or the health sector. Particularly, the research in the position is devoted to the role of IT architecture in enabling digital platforms and digital ecosystems. This includes but is not limited to various strategies chosen by the organization to transform silo-oriented legacy systems towards a more agile and innovation-friendly IT architecture. Computing capabilities such as artificial intelligence are also highly relevant. Even though the doctoral candidate is expected to use a socio-technical approach, we stress that the study is particularly occupied with the role of, as well as the changes enabled by the capabilities of innovative digital technology.

The doctoral candidate will be connected to an ongoing project in a large organization that investigates, develops, and implement flexible and innovative IT architectures as a part of the platformization strategies.

For this position, we are looking for a research candidate who will:

• Use an engaged scholarship approach, which emphasizes the tight collaboration between practitioners and researchers in the development of knowledge. Qualitative methods and techniques like interviews, observations, and action research are preferred, but a mix of qualitative and quantitative may also be relevant.
• Use a socio-technical perspective on development, implementation, and use. This entails investigating the relationship between the capabilities of digital technology, and organizational and user-oriented issues.
• Strengthen the research team's interdisciplinary approach and outcomes. The doctoral candidate will be part of a research group and is expected to share insights derived from the investigation with fellow researchers.

The project is an intersection of information systems and software engineering and involves working with either public or private organizations (e.g, in the healthcare or financial services) that are transitioning to modern and innovative IT architectures and digital platforms crucial for developing competitive advantages.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Information Systems or other relevant disciplines
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Candidates without a Master’s degree have until November 2022 to complete the final exam.

Preferable qualifications:

• Experience in work in projects related to programming and IT architecture
• You have experience in working in interdisciplinary teams
• You speak Norwegian or a related Scandinavian language.
• Knowledge about digital innovation and digital transformation
• Knowledge and experience in qualitative research methods

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

• the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

http://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

Personal skills

• You are open to learning
• You have or are open to, developing communication skills across various research disciplines
• You have the capacity to conduct empirical research and are resilient to cope with setbacks in the process.
• You are a team player who is interested in co-developing research ideas and in playing an active role in the team – yet you also (and like to) work independently
• You enjoy organizing workshops and seminars both in academia and industry

We offer

• Salary NOK 501 200 – 544 400 per year depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• A highly dynamic and motivated team of international researchers
• Career development programmes, professional courses and workshops
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records
• Documentation of English proficiency
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• a research proposal describing aims for the PhD research.

The application with attachments must be delivered 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).

Applicants will be called in for an interview.

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

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 further information please contact Associate Professor Egil Øvrelid, +47 90080353, e-mail: egilov@ifi.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no

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