4 Postdoctoral Research Fellow positions in Political Science
Deadline: 01.09.2021
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.
Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Do you want to take part in shaping the future?
Postdoctoral Research Fellow position
We have four vacant postdoctoral research fellow positions in political science for two ERC projects at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory at the University of Bergen. The positions are for a fixed-term period of 4 years, of which 75% (3 years) will be dedicated to research within the themes of one of the two ERC projects and 25% (1 year) will be dedicated to teaching and administrative tasks in the field of political science.
Applicants are asked to specify in their application if they want their application to be considered for a position in one or both of the two ERC projects, SUCCESS or INCLUDE. They are asked to submit a project proposal only for the most preferred project.
The Inclusive Politics Project (INCLUDE): The objective is to take research on public opinion and the politics of cultural and religious diversity in a new direction. With few exceptions, research has understandably targeted exclusion—opposition to immigration, prejudice towards minorities, the surge in support for the far right. This project aims to expand the scope of inquiry and to examine instead openings to the inclusion of minorities in contemporary established liberal representative democracies. The INCLUDE project will bring conceptual and empirical attention to different aspects of public opinion and different segments within the public than are currently at the center of attention in research on intergroup attitudes and support for the far right. The team will collect data in sequences of survey experiments in Norway, Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Sweden. The project leader is Professor in Political Science, Elisabeth Ivarsflaten. Read more about the Inclusive Politics Project here.
The Gender Gaps in Political Endurance Project (SUCCESS): Gender imbalance in political office has been a recurring topic in political science the last decades. This project takes a fresh look at this debate by arguing that if we cannot just look at variation in numbers of men and women elected to office, we must also take a closer look at how political careers unfold. The project aims to expand our knowledge about not just how political careers starts, but how they proceed and how quickly they end. Of interest is research into where, why and how gender gaps in political careers occur. The project will carry out qualitative interviews with parliamentarians and their allies in five countries, conduct representative and citizen surveys with experiments in a selection of these countries, and develop a dataset on political endurance across the world. Cases selected for the first round of the project is France, Norway, and the United States. Later two additional cases will be selected based on the findings from the first round, most likely cases in other world regions. The project leader is professor in Political Science, Ragnhild L. Muriaas. Read more about the SUCCESS project here.
About the project/work tasks:
The INCLUDE project seeks postdoctoral candidates who plan to conduct research at the forefront of the subfields of public opinion and political behaviour with an emphasis on inter-group attitudes and/or new methodologies in survey research. The INCLUDE project welcomes two types of postdoctoral research plans: (a) those seeking to advance survey and survey experimental research in the field of political science generally and (b) those seeking to contribute to new knowledge about conflicts between liberal democratic values in questions of Muslim inclusion in established democracies. Both types of research plans must demonstrate relevance to the new inclusive politics research agenda to be advanced by the INCLUDE project. The postdoctoral research fellow will be part of a research group that will collect experimental survey data in Norway, Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Incorporating plans for survey data collection in these countries in the project proposal will be an advantage.
The SUCCESS project seeks postdoctoral candidates who are interested in moving the research-front on questions related to gender and representation further with an emphasis on gender-gaps in political careers. The project is looking for applicants who are interested in studying the choices, networks and resources involved in sustaining the political careers of elected representatives (qualitative/quantitative techniques) and/or an interest in survey research on how candidate profiles affect vote choice (survey studies / experiments). The postdoctoral research fellows will be part of a research groups that will collect data in Norway, France, the United States and two additional cases.
The Postdoctoral fellow is expected to contribute fully to all scientific activities needed for the project to reach its goals. While most of the three project-years will be geared towards conducting independent and collaborative research, ordinary administrative project tasks such as writing project reports, organizing meetings, and contributing to dissemination is also a part of the position. One year will be dedicated to teaching and administrative tasks in the field of political science at the University of Bergen.
Qualifications and personal qualities:
The applicant must hold a PhD within Political Science (awarded either in the Norwegian system of higher education or an equivalent international degree), or must have submitted his/her doctoral thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
Documented training and skills in the methods of data collection and analysis appropriate to the project.
Proficiency in both written and oral English is a requirement.
Candidates must be able to work independently and in a structured manner, as well as have the ability to cooperate with others.
For the INCLUDE project, prior work on intergroup attitudes is an advantage.
For the INCLUDE project, experience collecting and/or analysing survey and/or survey experimental data is a requirement.
For the SUCCESS project, please specify if you have some knowledge of French.
For the SUCCESS project, experience from analysing qualitative and quantitative data is an advantage.
Potential candidates may be invited to the department for an interview and might be asked to give a presentation of their research.
About the position of postdoctoral research fellow:
The position of postdoctoral research fellow is a fixed-term appointment with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. The fixed-term period for this position is 4 years (usually four years). Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution.
A research proposal of 4-5 pages must accompany the application. The proposal should contain a progress plan for the different parts of the research work, as well as a plan regarding publishing. It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the period of employment. Hired applicants are expected to revise their proposal for final approval during the first 6 months.
We can offer:
The opportunity to be part of an exciting, ambitious, vibrant and well-connected research environment at the University of Bergen, where two ERC Consolidator Projects in political science will start simultaneously and hire a total of four Ph D candidates and four postdoctoral research fellows.
A good and professionally challenging working environment.
Salary at pay grade 61 – 63 (code 1352) on the government salary scale upon appointment (equivalent to NOK 553 500 – 574 700 per year). Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position. For particularly well qualified candidates, a higher salary may be considered.
Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
A cover letter stating the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position. The cover letter must state if the candidate wishes to be considered for both projects or only the most preferred one.
The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main advisor from the PhD programme.
CV
Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted.
Relevant certificates/references.
List of publications.
Up to five publications in full text including statements of author contributions to these publications.
A postdoctoral research plan/project proposal of 4-5 pages related to the most preferred of the two projects, INCLUDE or SUCCESS.
The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.
The closing date is September 1st, 2021.
The application has to be marked 21/8905
Applications sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.
Practical questions about the application process should be directed to: HR manager Bjørn Arild Petersen, bjorn.petersen@uib.no
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
Further information about our employment process can be found here.
