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Postdoctoral Fellow in Paleontology (Natural History Museum)
Deadline: 30.04.2019
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 Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is Norway’s most comprehensive natural history collection. For almost 200 years, preserved plant specimens, animal specimens, rocks, minerals and fossils have been collected, studied and preserved here. The museum is located at Økern and in the beautiful Botanical Garden, which is not only popular for recreation, but is a scientific collection in itself.
A position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Paleontology is available at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. The position is placed in the research group “Norwegian Center for Paleontology” at the museum’s facility at Økern.
The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of four years with 25 % duty work devoted to teaching, collection management, outreach activities and administration. The postdoctoral fellow is expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of the fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.
The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.
Starting date no later than 01.10.2019.
More about the position
The position is connected to the team “Spitsbergen Mesozoic Research Group“ (SMRG), which is a long lasting paleontological research group concerning Mesozoic fossils and deposits (2004 – ongoing) at the museum. The aim of SMRG is to use the fossil wealth of Svalbard to answer evolutionary and paleoenvironmental questions.
The SMRG core consists of two professors and one associate professor, two Ph.D. candidates and master students, together with several international scientists at other institutions. The postdoctoral fellow will benefit from synergies within the team in Oslo, and cooperation with researchers in Sweden, USA, England and Germany.
The primary goal of the position will be to describe the fossils of the Early Triassic marine bonebeds at Svalbard. Most of the material (about 35.000 fossils) are in the process of being cleaned and are ready for scientific description. This will be the fundament for studies of how icthyopterygians evolved live birth and how marine ecosystems redeveloped after the largest extinction in Earth history – the Permian/Triassic mass extinction. Svalbard got one of the best fossil records to do this.
The successful candidate will work on the ontogeny and taxonomy of the earliest marine reptiles and possibly the co-existing temnospondyl amphibians.
Qualification requirements
The candidate must have a PhD or the equivalent in paleontology/paleobiology. We seek a candidate with a background preferably in Arctic Mesozoic paleontology, who has experience with arctic fieldwork and handling of vertebrate fossils. Experience in µCT scanning and classical histology are welcomed. Experience with marine reptiles, amphibians and Mesozoic fish is considered an asset. The candidate will need skills in statistical programs like PAST and R, and cladistics like PAUP and TNT.
A good command of written and spoken English is required.
We offer
- salary NOK 515 200 – 597 400 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
- a professionally stimulating working environment
- 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:
- Application letter (statement of motivation, background and research interests)
- CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, museum experience, administrative experience, popular science experience and other qualifying activity)
- Copies of educational certificates and transcript of records
- A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works (in pdf format) that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
- Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number). The references will be contacted if necessary. Letters of recommendation are therefore not required for the initial application.
The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Please remember that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language
Interviews will be part of the appointment process, along with a trial lecture.
Formal regulations
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.
No one can be appointed as Postdoctoral Fellow for more than one specified 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 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
About the position and project details:
About administrative questions and the application procedure: HR officer Thomas Brånå
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