Job description

A post-doctoral research fellowship (SKO 1352) within Music and Contemporary Media is available at the Department of Musicology (IMV), University of Oslo. The position is affiliated with the research project Platformization of Music Production (PLATFORM). The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway and is led by Associate Professor Yngvar Kjus, the Department of Musicology.

More about the position

The PLATFORM project studies how music production evolves in the digital and online environment in terms of the ways in which production technology is developed, used, and brought to bear on creative roles and modes. The project focuses on digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Logic Pro and BandLab and how these networked clusters of music technologies are reshaping the foundations of creative audio work, including composition, performance, and collaboration. Its hypothesis is that the developers of DAW technology, as well as their various user groups, are all involved in a platformization process that has profound cultural, social, and economic ramifications for the music sector. The project is organized in six work packages, some focused on central aspects of technological development and use, others engaged with technology’s entanglement with its surroundings, including production milieus and genre communities. The project description can be obtained by contacting the project leader Yngvar Kjus (see contact details below).

The Postdoctoral Research Fellow will be a central member of the project team and a core contributor to the empirical studies of how DAWs are developed and advanced in the online environment. The candidate is expected to investigate how established as well as more recent DAWs are developed and established as creative resources. Key methods may include qualitative interviews, case-studies of DAW interfaces, as well as field work on how developer milieus evolve and interact with relevant user groups (work package 1 and 2). The applicant is expected to develop a project description, which must be submitted as a part of the application.

The successful candidate is expected to join the research milieu at the Department of Musicology and participate in its working environment and development. The candidate is expected to live in the vicinity of Oslo, Norway.

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years.

Qualification requirements

• PhD within an area with relevance to the planned postdoctoral work, for instance within Musicology, Media Studies, Sociology, Software Studies, or other disciplines relevant for the project. The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation before the application deadline.
• The candidate’s research project must be closely connected to and relevant for the PLATFORM project.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

• The project's originality, scientific merit and innovation.
• The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the research training and his/her research project within the stipulated time frame
• Knowledge of the theories and methods used in the PLATFORM project
• Knowledge and interest in music production technology
• Good collaboration skills and an ability to join and contribute to the Department’s research environment and interdisciplinary academic communities
• Research ambition such as demonstrated through academic publications and conference presentations is advantageous, but not a requirement.

We offer

• Salary NOK 534 400 - 615 800 per annum depending on qualifications
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Attractive welfare benefits

How to apply

The application must include

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae with grades listed (with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities)
• List of publications
• Project description (appox. 3 - 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions). The project description must present a feasible progress plan. It is expected that the applicant will be able to complete the project during the period of appointment
• List of published and unpublished works
• Educational certificates of your Master’s and PhD degree.
• A list of 2-3 reference persons (name, relationships to the candidate, contact information)

DO NOT include any certificates or transcripts that are not listed above

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, jobbnorge.no.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

The tentative starting date is May 2022.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

This is a project funded by the Research Council of Norway and applicants with a previous postdoc position funded by the Research Council of Norway cannot be appointed for this position. No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow 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.

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

• Project leader of the PLATFORM project, Associate Professor Yngvar Kjus, phone number: +47 92084733, e-mail: yngvar.kjus@imv.uio.no
• Head of Department Zafer Özgen, phone number: +47 22854004, e-mail: zafer.ozgen@imv.uio.no
• HR Adviser Hilde Kristine Sletner, e-mail: h.k.sletner@hf.uio.no

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