Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

Blindern og Urbygningen (Foto: Wikimedia og Colourbox)

Postdoctoral Fellow (1-2) in Sociology or related social science field

Deadline: 15.04.2020

Job description

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.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

There is a vacant position at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography for a Postdoctoral Fellow (SKO 1352) in Sociology or equivalent. The full-time position is for a period of three years without compulsory work or four years with compulsory work (primarily teaching duties).

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

More about the position

The positions are funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant) and are dedicated to the newly established research project ORGMIGRANT (“How work organizations shape ethnic stratification across immigrant generations: assimilation, segregation, and workplace contexts”. The distinguishing feature of the project is an organizational approach to the study of ethnic stratification in the labor market, with a particular focus on how economic assimilation develops across immigrant generations. The project will address workplace segregation and how organizational processes contribute to immigrant-native wage and career inequalities within and between workplaces. The project will apply advanced quantitative methods to analyze large-scale administrative data, in particular linked employer-employee panel data covering the entire workforce across several decades. The primary focus is on Norway, but we will also conduct selected comparisons with other immigrant-receiving rich countries.

At the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, the project is part of the research group in Social Inequalities and Population Dynamics (SIPD). The Postdoctoral Fellow(s) will work closely with the principal investigator Dr. Are Skeie Hermansen, other members of the project staff, the project’s international collaborators, as well as other members of the SIPD group. The project will also collaborate with researchers in the Comparative Organizational Inequality Network (COIN) and the Fellow(s) will be invited to partake in workshops and can visit other institutions in Europe and North America.

Residence in Norway is expected, but the Postdoctoral Fellow(s) are encouraged to spend time abroad during the employment period.

Qualification requirements and personal skills

We seek outstanding quantitative researchers with a record of high quality research.

Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Sociology or a related social science discipline. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing application date. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate candidates:

  • Capacity for independent academic research at a high level, preferably documented through publications in international journals. Special attention will be given the quality and relevance of previous research.
  • Thorough knowledge of a relevant field of research (e.g., immigration, stratification, labor markets).
  • Documented skills in advanced statistical methods. Experience from research using administrative data is relevant, but is not a requirement for the position.
  • Excellent writing skills and oral proficiency in English.
  • Capacity for analytical thinking.
  • Ability to collaborate.
  • Creativity, initiative, and independence.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 523 200 – 605 500 per annum depending on qualifications.
  • A professionally 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

  • Application letter (max. 3 pages). Please describe your motivation for applying for this position and explain how your background, research, and experience is relevant to the project.
  • CV summarizing education, positions, research experience, and other qualifying activities.
  • A complete list of publications.
  • Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
  • Up to five academic works that the applicant wishes to have considered in the assessment process (a doctoral dissertation or a monograph will count as three publications).
  • 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. 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 applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the academic and personal capacity of the candidate to contribute to the project within the given timeframe, to interact within national and international networks, and to be part of a dynamic research group. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the Department Board. The length of the employment period will be based on the Department’s overall needs as well as an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the successful candidate.

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

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