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REA:Life - PhD in Cultural History

Deadline: 15.08.2019

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 Culture Studies and Oriental Languages(abbreviated IKOS from its Norwegian name) is one of the seven departments at the Faculty of Humanities. The Department has a broad competency in the study of religion and culture and in language based area studies of South Asia, East Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. The Department has several study programmes at both BA and MA levels. Among the Department's 110 employees about 40 are PhD and Postdoctoral Fellows.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) in Cultural History is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), University of Oslo.

The position is available from 1 November 2019.

The announced position is part of the UiO:Life Science convergence environment REA:Life. Convergence environments are interdisciplinary research groups that will aim to solve grand challenges related to health and environment. They are funded by UiO’s interdisciplinary strategic area UiO:Life Science.

REA:Life (Rediscovery of medicinal plant usage in the ‘Age of Exploration’: From cultural historical heritage to innovative pharmaceuticals) is an interdisciplinary project across natural sciences and cultural sciences involving twelve participants across six departments. The project aims to retrieve lost medicinal knowledge through tracing the prevalence of disease and the history of societies’ increasing awareness of epidemiological diseases during the Age of Exploration (15th–18th century). The project is recruiting four PhD fellows. All four fellows will join the interdisciplinary team for supervision and to take part in research related activities.

This call is for one doctoral research fellow, who will employ cultural historical perspectives. We invite applicants to formulate their own project within the history of health and medicine in the Nordic region. The project should investigate concepts of disease in a historical perspective. The successful candidate is expected to make use of source material from the period 1700–1950. Such material can be found at the Norwegian Folklore Archives at IKOS. The project description should be 3–5 pages long.

The appointed fellow will be affiliated with the Faculty’s organised research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. Read more about the doctoral degree. The appointed fellow is also expected to join the existing research milieu at IKOS and contribute to its development.

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant.

Qualification requirements

  • A master’s degree or equivalent in the fields of cultural history, culture studies, history, folklore, museum studies or related disciplinary background; the master’s degree must have been obtained and the final evaluation must be available by the application deadline
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and a Scandinavian language
  • High flexibility to enable working in an ambitious interdisciplinary setting
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Oslo, applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a five-year graduation course (master’s degree or equivalent), including a master’s thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

  • The project’s scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation
  • The project’s relevance to the overall REA:Life project
  • The applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
  • The applicant’s ability to complete research training
  • Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities
  • The applicant’s ability to read handwritten archival material

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
  • Curriculum Vitae (with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications)
  • Transcript of records of your bachelor’s and master’s degrees (applicants with education from a foreign university must attach an explanation of their university’s grading system)
  • Project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3–5 pages, see Template for project descriptions)

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Educational certificates, master theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link ‘Apply for this job’.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

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

  • For questions about the position: Associate professor Line Esborg

For questions about how to apply: HR-Officer Steffen Remvik

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