Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

Blindern og Urbygningen (Foto: Wikimedia og Colourbox)

PhD Research Fellow in Sociology

Deadline: 01.09.2020

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.

Job description

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

More about the position

The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway and is dedicated to the newly established research project FERTILITY.

The aim of the project is to unpack the underlying mechanisms behind the falling fertility trend and the rising fertility inequalities in the younger generations. We will investigate how labour market changes and economic (in-)security are associated with fertility and we ask, among other things: how perceived economic uncertainty and concerns about the future influence people’s decisions about fertility, which factors in the labour market are a threat to fertility and which are becoming a prerequisite for high fertility. We will also assess how unequal fertility patterns emerge in the interplay between new gender roles and social groups. The project will make use of both international comparative survey data and administrative register data and will draw upon advanced statistical methods from social sciences and life course analysis.

At the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, the project is part of the research group in Social Inequalities and Population Dynamics. The Fellow will work closely with the principal investigator Professor Trude Lappegård, other members of the project staff, the project’s national and international collaborators, as well as other members of the SIPD group.

Qualification requirements

  • .Applicants must successfully have completed a Master’s degree in sociology or equivalent. Candidates from disciplinary backgrounds other than sociology must demonstrate in their application letter that their educational background prepares them for doctoral study in sociology. 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 with research interests within the areas described above will be preferred.
  • Applicants must have documented knowledge about the literature on fertility and family formation
  • Applicants must have documented knowledge of relevant quantitative research methods
  • Applicants with experience with working with large panel data sets, preferably administrative register will be preferred.
  • 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 sociology. The person who is hired will automatically be admitted to the PhD programme.

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 highly complex social science data and methods.

The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the Department Board. The decision regarding the inclusion of a year of compulsory work will be based on the Department’s teaching needs as well as an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the successful candidate.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 479 600 - 523 200 per annum, depending on qualifications
  • 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
  • CV with full summary of education, practice, academic employment and any publications. 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.
  • A list of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

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).

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.

Contact information

Apply for this job

Powered by Labrador CMS