Job description

Do you enjoy research work? Would you like to be part of an interdisciplinary project team and generate new knowledge about digitization and learning in today’s working life?

Applications are invited for 1-2 four-year position(s) as PhD Research Fellow within the research project Changing Competence Requirements in Public Services: Consequences of Digitization in General and Highly Specialized Work (CORPUS). The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway, as a collaboration between the Department of education and the Department of informatics at the University of Oslo. The project team comprises senior researchers and PhD Research Fellows affiliated with the two departments. The announced position(s) will be placed in the Department of education.

The CORPUS project will generate new knowledge on competence requirements and learning in the public services, by conducting close-up studies on how digitization changes work, what competences are needed to cope with and resolve problems faced, and what learning opportunities are afforded in everyday work. CORPUS will examine work, learning and expertise in settings where new technologies for service coordination and machine-supported processes and decision-making have been implemented. Organizational and workplace level empirical studies will be conducted in the public health sector but the results will be relevant for other types of work organizations as well as for ways of understanding how digitization affects professional expertise.

The research fellows in CORPUS will collaborate in the data collection, yet focus on different research questions. The announced position(s) will investigate learning opportunities and challenges in relation to new ways of working in digitalized environments. The project will employ an ethnographic approach and use different data sets from digital working environments. Applicants are asked to develop a project description focusing on selected aspects of the project frame, such as questions related to learning opportunities inherent to the work practices or to self-initiated learning. PhD projects may focus on one of the digitization trends addressed in CORPUS, either platform-based work or automation. The project description will be further developed in collaboration with the project team. More information about the project can be obtained from project leader Monika Nerland and from the project webpage.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates who take an interest in developing research competencies within the area of workplace / organizational learning and in collaborating with colleagues in an interdisciplinary team of researchers.

More about the position

The fellowship period is 3 years, with possibility for a fourth year depending on teaching competencies and needs. The start date for the postion(s) is 1.1.2020.

The research fellow must take part in the Faculty’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The research fellows will work in a stimulating and internationally oriented research environment, which in addition to the project team also comprises junior and senior researchers in the research group "Knowledge, Learning and Governance: Studies in Higher Education and Work " (HEDWORK) at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. A research stay abroad during the employment period is encouraged, depending on available funding.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in education or another field with relevance to research on work practices and learning in digital contexts (e.g., organization studies, sociology of work, profession studies, technology-enhanced work or learning, public administration). Applicants with background in research on public sector (health care) services, nursing education or other health professions may also be relevant. The master’s degree (120 ECTS) must have a minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent. The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS.
• Candidates will need to be proficient in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language, and in addition show sound oral and written communication skills in English.
• Experience from research within organizational / workplace learning, professional practice or digitization processes in working life will be considered an advantage
• Knowledge about the public health services and/or recent reforms in this sector will be considered an advantage.

In the assessment of applications, emphasis will be put on

• the quality and relevance of the project proposal
• the applicants’ academic and personal qualifications for completing the research training program
• personal suitability and motivation for the position, including good capacity to collaborate and take part in an interdisciplinary project team
• capacity to engage in interactive field work among diverse occupational groups

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

We offer

• salary NOK 479 600 – 523 200 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, (position code 1017)
• 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

• cover letter statement of motivation and research interests
• a project description (8-10 pages), including the research question(s) the applicant would be interested in investigating within the wider CORPUS project, a review of literature relevant for these questions, an outline of analytical framework and methodology as well as a progress plan. General guidelines for project descriptions are provided here.
• CV (summarizing education and work experience, including any publications/academic works)
• the master thesis and any other publications that may be of relevance to the application
• copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• documentation of proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language (if the applicant is not a native Norwegian or Scandinavian
• 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, please follow the link: "Apply for this job". 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.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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 appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

• Professor Monika Nerland, phone (+47) 22858172
• Associate Professor Mervi Hasu, phone (+47) 22854336

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