Job description

A Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (SKO1352) in Computational Musicological Analysis is available at RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion at the University of Oslo.

RITMO is a Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway. This interdisciplinary centre focuses on rhythm as a structuring mechanism for the temporal dimensions of human life. Methods from musicology, psychology, neuroscience, and informatics are combined to study rhythm as a fundamental property that shapes and underpins human cognition, behavior and cultural expressions. For more information, see www.uio.no/ritmo.

All RITMO researchers are co-located and work in a unique interdisciplinary constellation, with world-leading competence in musicology, psychology and informatics. It is expected that all members of the center contribute to the general activities and collaborations within RITMO. The researchers have access to state-of-the-art facilities in sound/video recording, motion capture, eye tracking, physiological measurements, various types of brain imaging (EEG, fMRI), and rapid prototyping and robotics laboratories.

More about the position

The postdoctoral fellow will take part in the MIRAGE project, aimed at designing and implementing a comprehensive computational framework for music analysis. The objective is to generate rich and detailed descriptions of music, encompassing a large range of dimensions, including low-level features, mid-level structures and high-level concepts. The envisioned methodology consists of close interaction between automated music transcription and detailed musicological analysis of the transcriptions. Significant effort will be dedicated to the design of applications of value for musicology, music cognition and the general public.

The postdoctoral fellow will be involved in all aspects of the project, but will be given a particular responsibility for certain tasks, depending on expertise and interests.

The postdoctoral fellow will carry out research in one or preferably several of the following domains: music information retrieval, signal processing, computational musicology, and music cognition. Expertise in automated music transcription would be particularly beneficial.

The appointment is for a period of 3 years, with a suggested starting date 1 January 2020. There might be a possibility to extend to 4 years depending on the qualifications of the recruited candidate, the Department’s need for teaching and the Centre’s need for assistance.

The successful candidate is expected to become part of the research environment of RITMO and contribute to its development. The main purpose of postdoctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualifications/requirements

• A PhD degree or equivalent in music information retrieval, computational musicology, music cognition or other relevant fields. The applicant is required to document that the degree corresponds to the profile for the post.
• Strong programming skills (in Matlab preferably)
• Experience with music information retrieval, digital signal processing and/or music theory
• Knowledge of musicology and music cognition will be considered advantageous
• Expertise in automated music transcription would be particularly beneficial.
• Excellent skills in written and oral English
• The candidate’s proposed research project must be closely connected to RITMO’s research profile.
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position

The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation before the application deadline. A prerequisite for appointments is the successful completion of a doctoral degree. No one can be appointed for more than one specified postdoctoral period at the University of Oslo.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on

• the applicant’s scientific merit, innovation, and research-related relevance to the objectives of RITMO
• the applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to carry out his/her research within an allotted time frame and contribute to the research objectives of RITMO
• very good co-operative skills, and the ability to successfully join in academic collaboration within and across disciplines.

We offer

• salary 523 200 – 605 500 NOK, depending on qualifications
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• attractive welfare benefits
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

How to apply

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format:

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (complete list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications with links to full version of published papers)
• Research outline, including relevant research questions and theoretical and methodological approaches (approximately 2-3 pages, see template for research outline)
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

Diplomas, certificates, doctoral thesis and other academic works will be requested later.

Please note that all documents must be in English.

The short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview at the University of Oslo or we will arrange for a video-based interview.

Formal regulations

Please seee the Regulations concerning Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

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 Anne Cathrine Wesnes, a.c.wesnes@imv.uio.no, +47 22 85 44 89
• HR Adviser Hilde Kristine Sletner, h.k.sletner@hf.uio.no

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