Job description

The fellowship is a four-year research position with 25 % teaching and administrative duties. The fellow will join the Faculty’s PhD program, which is a three-year program requiring a Master degree upon entry and a strong background in macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics. The fellow is primarily funded through the Research Council of Norway under a grant on inequality and redistribution, headed by Associate Prof. Paolo G. Piacquadio. In particular, the project addresses the taxation of capital-incomes/wealth, the taxation of housing, and fiscal decentralization: for more details, see the project page. We seek a diverse pool of applicants.

More about the position

Proven academic record: The PhD candidate must hold a 2-year Master's degree (including master’s dissertation) or an equivalent qualification in economics. Candidates completing their Master's degrees (or equivalent) in the spring semester 2021 before August 1, 2021, may apply.

Candidates who have already completed economics courses at the postgraduate level in econometrics, microeconomics and/or macroeconomics will have a distinct advantage in the ranking of candidates, but strong candidates who lack this background can also be accepted, and will be required to take such courses as part of the PhD programme. Candidates with a degree from another institution than the University of Oslo will need to document qualifications based on detailed course descriptions and syllabuses.

Candidates who have completed a PhD program in Economics will not be accepted.

Candidates who have already been accepted to a PhD program in Economics must inform about this.

GRE test: For candidates with education from an institution outside the European Economic Area/the European Union or Switzerland a recent score from the general GRE test is required as part of the documentation of qualifications. Please add UiO as a recipient of your GRE test using our institutional code 0756. In addition you must scan and upload a copy of your test result to the application portal. The Department of Economics does not accept the GMAT tests to substitute the GRE.

Proof of proficiency in English: A good command of English is required of all applicants. International students must document their proficiency in English by taking either TOEFL- or IELTS-test. For information about score requirements, see Requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Economics

For further information, please visit the Faculty of Social Sciences’ homepage for the PhD programme: Applying for a PhD fellowship at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Evaluation of the application

Applications are assessed based on transcripts, scientific merit, skill, suitability for the project, and personal qualifications. We seek a highly motivated candidate with excellent qualifications. The research project requires background and interest in a subset of the following

• Public Economics
• Applied Theory
• Applied Econometrics
• Macroeconomics
• Welfare Economics

The fellowship is scheduled to start in August of 2021 (with some flexibility). A prerequisite for taking up the position is the successful completion of a Master degree.

We offer

• Annual salary between NOK 482 200 – 526 000 for PhD Fellow (SKO 1017)
• A friendly and academically stimulating international working environment
• Generous budget for travel and research assistance
• Options to spend 1-2 semesters abroad
• A good work-life balance and access to Norway´s excellent public services and welfare schemes, including generous parental leave provisions, affordable and accessible childcare, and a good pension scheme through the Norwegian Public Service Fund

How to apply

The application must include

• cover letter (max 2 pages, including statement of motivation, summarizing research interests, and how the applicant will contribute to the project)
• CV
• A project proposal (no more than 8000 characters)
• Copies of transcripts: All applicants must submit their transcript(s), preferably together with a class distribution of grades and an official explanation of the grading and credit system.
• Names and contact details for 1-2 reference persons (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number). Reference letters are not needed.
• If available, also include copy of master thesis and master degree diploma

The screening and evaluation of the candidates will begin immediately after the application deadline. The shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Please note that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian Language. Applications without sufficient documentation will not be considered.

When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the possible “project description” and the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. Applicants may 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 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

• Associate Professor Paolo Giovanni Piacquadio, email: p.g.piacquadio@econ.uio.no

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