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 position on Covid-19 contact tracing as public health infrastructure
There is a vacancy for a postdoctoral research fellow on regulatory, technological and public health dimensions of Covid – 19 contact tracing. The postdoctoral researcher will study the role of integrated data protection instruments, such as data protection impact assessments and privacy by design, in contact tracing applications, and situate these as instruments of digital politics and governance. The position is located inside the CoPol project, which will focus on contact tracing as digital politics across public health, regulatory and technological dimensions. The position is for a period of 3 years.
The research project will be located at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities (SVT), which is an interdisciplinary, interfaculty center at the University of Bergen. The research community at SVT is multidisciplinary, including philosophy of science, history, sociology, science and technology studies (STS), ethics and other disciplines that do research on science.
About the project/work tasks:
This position is part of the Norwegian Research Council-funded research project CoPol: Covid – 19 Contact Tracing as Digital Politics. For more information, see https://www.uib.no/en/svt/143875/copol-covid-19-contact-tracing-digital-politics
The postdoctoral research fellow is expected to carry out independent empirical work on data protection and regulatory measures in relation to Covid-19 contact tracing. This work includes interactions with technology developers, risk managers, regulators, public health practitioners, lawyers, and users. It will be closely coordinated with parts of the project that study digital politics and contact tracing as a public health measure.
The postdoctoral research fellow is expected to be able to work both independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary research environment, under the supervision of the project leader and in collaboration with other project team members.
Qualifications and personal qualities:
The applicant must hold a PhD or an equivalent degree, or have submitted his/her PhD thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline, within a relevant discipline, e.g. science and technology studies, critical data studies, legal studies, political science or similar fields. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded before appointment to the position.
Applicants should have proven affinity with interdisciplinary work and demonstrated originality in research.
Relevant expertise in science and technology studies, critical data studies, legal studies, political science, or similar fields. Familiarity with data protection impact assessments and / or privacy engineering is an advantage.
The applicant should demonstrate capacity to work independently and in a structured manner, and have the ability to be self-motivated and to cooperate with others in teams, including interactions with technology developers and regulators.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in both written and oral English. Some knowledge of Norwegian / Scandinavian is an advantage, but not a prerequisite.
About the position of postdoctoral research fellow:
The postdoctoral position is a fixed-term appointment with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for employment in top academic positions. This fixed-term position is for a period of 3 years. Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution.
Upon appointment, applicants will coordinate with the project leader the specific work tasks, milestones, and deliverables, based upon the CoPol project objectives and goals. It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the period of employment.
We can offer:
A good and professionally challenging work environment
Salary at pay grade 61 (code 1352) according to the state salary scale upon appointment. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 553 100. Further salary advancement will depend on seniority in the position. A higher salary may be considered for particularly well qualified applicants.
Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
Good welfare benefits
Your application must include:
The application must be sent electronically via the link «APPLY FOR THE JOB» on this page.
The applicant must use the electronic CV form, and the application must contain:
A comprehensive 2 – 3 pages cover letter outlining: (i) your motivations for applying; (ii) your research qualifications and interests; and iii) what contributions you can bring to the CoPol project.
Name and contact information for 2 reference persons, one of which should be the main supervisor from the PhD programme.
CV.
Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted.
Relevant certificates/references.
List of scientific work (publication list), including submission of the one or two most relevant to the position / project, if applicable.
Other relevant publications.
The enclosures can be submitted as Word- or pdf-files.
Copies of academic publications (if any), higher education certificates and diplomas must be accompanied by a translation into English or Scandinavian if not written in either of these languages. The translations must be sent together with copies of academic publications within the deadline of application.
General information:
Detailed information about the position and the CoPol project can be obtained by contacting:
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.
The best qualified applicants will be invited to an interview before the final recommendation.
Any queries or problems concerning the electronical application procedure should be directed to The Faculty of Humanities by email: fakadm@hf.uib.no.
Further information about our employment process can be found here.
