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Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Industrial Ecology

Deadline: 01.12.2020

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.


The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.


The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors.

About the position

Applications are invited for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research on the design, maintenance, and repair of digital technologies from a sustainability perspective. The position will be based at the Sustainability and Design research group in the Digitalisation research section at the Department of Informatics.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo. Starting date to be agreed upon with Department of Informatics.

Job description

The position is funded by the research project Circular Energy for a Sustainable Circular Economy (Circular Energy). The Circular Energy project will investigate the role of design, maintenance, and repair of digital products as energy conservation strategies for a sustainable circular economy and, secondly, investigate how national and international regulation is supporting or hindering these strategies. With detailed case studies focusing on the practices of maintenance and repair of digitalisation technologies and on rebound effects - the unintended consequences triggered by digitalisation for sustainability, this project will contribute to the transition to a sustainable society, producing new understanding of energy conservation and sustainable digitalisation for policy makers, consumers, scholars, and product designers.

Circular Energy is a two-year research project and will address three related research questions (RQ):

1. Are maintenance and repair appropriate strategies to conserve energy in a Circular Economy?

2. How does existing regulation support the maintenance and repair of digital devices?

3. What is sustainable digitalisation in a Circular Economy perspective?

We expect the successful candidate to take the lead on answering RQ 1 and contribute to answering RQ 3.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who takes an interest in developing research on energy conservation from a product lifecycle and circular economy perspective. We ask applicants to provide a 5-page project description aligned with Circular Energy’s overall scope and design, with a special focus on RQ 1.A copy of the project proposal is available on request

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition is 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.

  • Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Industrial Ecology or related field. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
  • A broad sustainability profile including both research skills and socio-ecological understanding.
  • Demonstrated experience with product lifecycle assessments
  • Demonstrated experience in qualitative research methods including methods for empirical data collection through observations, interviews and workshops with users.
  • Excellent English skills, orally and in writing, are required. Proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is desirable.

The following qualifications will be considered as an advantage:

  • a passion for repair;
  • interest in product design;
  • experience with interdisciplinary research;
  • experience in visualisations of research results;
  • experience in working in teams.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 526 000 – 608 200 per year depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Professionally stimulating working environment
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Postdoctoral development programmes
  • 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, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
  • Project description (about 5 pages)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
  • Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records and letters of recommendation
  • A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works 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)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. 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).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented academic qualifications and the quality of the project as well as the candidates’ motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

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

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.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

  • Professor Maja van der Velden, Circular Energy project leader, majava@ifi.uio.no

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, e-mail: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no.

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