Job description

3-5 PhD Research Fellow positions (SKO 1017) for the PhD programme are available at the Department of Economics:

The appointments are for a period of 3 years without teaching duties. However, the period of appointment may be prolonged for up to 1 year conditional on the candidate taking on teaching duties. PhD Research Fellows will automatically be admitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences' PhD programme and benefit from the Faculty’s organized research training..

One of the positions will be associated with the project “275906 The Demand and Supply of Public Education” (a Toppforsk project), funded by the Research Council of Norway and led by principal investigator Professor Edwin Leuven. The primary objective of this project is to improve our understanding of how people make schooling decisions, how these decisions affect subsequent outcomes and how they line up with the demand in labor markets, and finally how they interact with the education system. The project will build on Norwegian registry data combined with targeted surveys and apply experimental and non-experimental methods using state-of-the-art statistics and econometrics. For this position we are looking for a candidate with a strong background in applied micro-econometrics, preferably with a focus on the economics of education or related fields. The other positions are not linked to specific topics or research projects. Applications from candidates in all fields of economics are encouraged and in particular in fields where the department has a strong research base and supervision capacity.

Qualification requirements

Proven academic record: The PhD candidate must hold a 2-year Master's degree (including master’s dissertation) or an equivalent qualification in economics. Candidates completing their Master's degrees (or equivalent) in the spring semester 2018 before August 1, 2018, may apply.

Candidates who have already completed economics courses at the postgraduate level in econometrics, microeconomics and/or macroeconomics will have a distinct advantage in the ranking of candidates, but strong candidates who lack this background can also be accepted, and will be required to take such courses as part of the PhD programme. Candidates with a degree from another institution than the University of Oslo will need to document qualifications based on detailed course descriptions and syllabuses.

GRE test: For candidates with education from an institution outside the European Economic Area/the European Union or Switzerland a recent score from the general GRE test is required as part of the documentation of qualifications. Please add UiO as a recipient of your GRE test using our institutional code 0756. In addition you must scan and upload a copy of your test result to the application portal. The Department of Economics does not accept the GMAT teststo substitute the GRE.

Proof of proficiency in English: A good command of English is required of all applicants. International students must document their proficiency in English by taking either TOEFL- or IELTS-test. For information about score requirements, see Requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Economics

For further information, please visit the Faculty of Social Sciences’ homepage for the PhD programme: Applying for a PhD fellowship at the Faculty of Social Sciences

We offer

• Salary NOK 472 300 - 497 000 per annum depending on qualifications
• A comprehensive course curriculum
• Supervision by one or two academic supervisors
• Academically stimulating working environment
• Favourable pension benefits
• Attractive employee benefits (e.g. parental leave)
• Fellows will be provided with their own office space and will have access to all the facilities of the department

Evaluation of the application

We seek highly motivated candidates with an excellent background in economics. When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the applicant's proven academic record, the project proposal and the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. Emphasis will moreover be placed on how the project fits the research strategy of the Department of Economics and supervision capacity. For further information, please see detailed guidelines for the project proposal.

Applicants may be invited to an interview.

The application must include

• Application letter
• Project proposal of 5-10 pages
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
• Copies of (both) transcripts and diplomas, and letters of recommendation (if any)
• List of relevant publications and other academic work
• Research papers, including master's dissertation. Where research work is co-authored, the contribution of the candidate should be indicated

Letters of recommendation may be included in the application but are not required.

Important documents in other languages than English or Scandinavian must be translated into one of these languages.

Applications without sufficient documentation will not be considered.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships 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 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

• Head of Administration Merethe Aase, email: merethe.aase@econ.uio.no, Telephone: +47 22 85 51 25
• Head of Department Steinar Holden, email: steinar.holden@econ.uio.no, Telephone: +47 22 85 51 56

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