Job description

The permanent position is available at the Department of Physics, under the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo.

The Department is searching for a physicist with an excellent research profile in the field of (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (S)TEM of energy related materials.

The position is connected to the section for Structure Physics, which is host to the Oslo-node of the NORTEM national infrastructure in Norway. The TEM infrastructure in Oslo includes an analytical monochromated and Cs probe corrected FEI Titan 60-300 and a high resolution analytical JEM 2100F instrument. In addition to more standard experiments, holography, high resolution STEM ABF and HAADF, in situ gas and omega-q EELS studies are possible. The TEMs are co-located with a well-equipped specimen preparation lab and the offices of students and employees of the section.

The section for Structure Physics currently has three permanent academic staff members (TEM (2), DFT modelling (1)), three permanent technical staff members, two adjunct professors, in addition to PDs, PhD- and master students. The main research focus is on functional energy related materials (i.e. materials for thermoelectric, photo voltaic, fuel cells and battery applications).

The section for Structure Physics is part of the Centre for Material science and Nanotechnology (SMN) at UiO (http://www.mn.uio.no/smn/english/). The centre is hosted by the Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry and spans over five research groups. A total of approximately 175 people are currently associated with the centre - including temporary staff and master students. The annual turnover is around 100 MNOK.

Over the last few years, SMN has also had great success in acquiring funding for infrastructure, both nationally and locally, and there is an increasing focus on international collaboration funded through the EU. SMN has, with the Solar Research Initiative (SOLARIS), been evaluated to be one out of five top research communities at UiO. The ambition is to develop a world-leading activity in solar energy. SOLARIS will put emphasis on functional materials for harvesting energy (including new solar cell concepts), but it will also include storage and usage. In this ambitious frontier initiative, we are currently in the process of recruiting international top scientists to establish a world leading research activity which the successful candidate for this position will be associated with.

For more information regarding SOLARIS, the instrumentation and the section for Structure Physics see:

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/news-and-events/news/solarcell.html

http://www.nortem.no

http://www.mn.uio.no/fysikk/english/research/groups/structure//

Successful candidates are expected to initiate, carry out and lead experimental research activities within the field of (S)TEM investigations of energy related materials. She/he is expected to obtain external funding for new research projects in this area, to supervise PhD and MSc candidates, and to play an active role in teaching, at both the bachelor and master/PhD level.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has the strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for the advertised position will be selected in accordance with this ambition. The applicant should have the following mandatory qualifications:

• A PhD degree in Physics
• Several years of post-doctoral experience
• A strong documented research competence within the field of (S)TEM and energy related materials
• Pedagogical skills and an ability to take active part in teaching
• Organizing and collaborative skills
• Good language skills, in particular a good command of both written and spoken English. The person appointed to the position must be able to teach in Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) within three years after being hired.

The following qualifications will be prioritized in the assessment:

• Documented research competence and interests relevant for the field of (S)TEM and energy related materials
• Strong academic qualifications and strong record of international peer-reviewed publications in journals with high impact factors in the scope of the position (with emphasis on the past five years record)
• Ability to collaborate across established academic disciplines and build national and international networks
• Experience with attracting external research funding and leading scientific research projects
• Pedagogical experience on master or bachelor levels and ability to supervise and inspire students
• Experience in development/redesign of courses/teaching methods, and motivation to take part in developing/improving study programs
• Experience with programming e.g. in Python or Matlab, and using numerical methods in research and education
• Experience with communicating university level research and education to a wider (non-scientific) audience

Evaluation

Interviews and trial lectures will be used as part of the appointment process. The basis for assessment will be the scholarly production of the applicant, other qualifications, pedagogical or educational, the applicant’s qualifications within leadership and administration as well as the general personal suitability. In ranking the competent applicants, the full range of qualifications will be considered and explicitly assessed.

References will also be contacted.

Reference is otherwise made to rules regarding the procedures for appointment of persons to positions as professors and associate professors at the University of Oslo:

https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-appointment-professor.html and Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence for appointments to permanent academic posts which include teaching duties:

https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-assessment-weighting-pedagogical-competence.html

We offer

• salary NOK 586 500 - 754 900 per annum depending on qualifications
• 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
• the opportunity to apply for promotion to full professorship at a later stage

Formal regulations

The successful candidate who at the time of appointment cannot document basic teaching qualifications will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.

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 aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

The University of Oslo has a goal of recruiting more women in academic positions. Women are encouraged to apply.

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

http://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/employment/work-results/

How to apply

The application must include:

• A cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interests)
• A CV including a list of scientific production with bibliographic references
• A summary of up to 3 selected scientific publications the applicant wishes to include in the evaluation describing their significance and impact. PDF of these publications (or open access link to these) must be provided
• A research plan (up to 5 pages) describing foreseen research activities and focus upon an employment at UiO. Potential local, national and international collaborations should be mentioned. It should be addressed if the success of the plan requires instrumentation, holders etc. not currently available locally or through collaborators.
• A certified copy of the candidate’s PhD Diploma
• A portfolio containing documentation of teaching experience, a description of teaching philosophy, capability of external fund raising and other qualifications the applicant wants to have considered
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered through our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Please note that all documents should be in English.

Contactinformation

• Head of Department Jøran Moen, email: j.i.moen@fys.uio.no, phone: + 47 22 85 64 30
• Associate Professor Anette E. Gunnæs, email: a.e.gunnas@fys.uio.no, phone: +47 22 85 28 12

For technical questions regarding the application system, please contact HR Adviser Elin Thoresen, +47 22 85 71 96, e-mail: elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no

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