Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

Blindern og Urbygningen (Foto: Wikimedia og Colourbox)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Information Systems

Deadline: 22.07.2020

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.


The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.


The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors.

About the position

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research on responsible AI from an Information Systems perspective. The position will be based at the Digitalization research group at the Department of Informatics and is funded by the research project AI4Users.

The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of up to four years (25 % of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities)

Starting date to be agreed upon with the Department of Informatics.

Job description / Project description / Development plan:

The AI4Users project addresses the “black box” problem and aims at contributing to the responsible use of AI in public sector services. The project takes a human-centred perspective addressing the needs of different groups including citizens, case handlers at the operational level, middle managers and policy makers. Specifically, the project includes a) design, prototyping and assessing tools enabling different categories of non-experts to maintain insight into AI applications, b) formalization of design knowledge generated in actionable design principles, c) empirical studies into the needs and challenges of responsible AI specific to the public sector and capacity building through collaborations between academia and the public sector nationally and internationally.

The methodological approach employed is Action Design Research (ADR). ADR specifies an iterative and adaptive research process closely linked to practice. Researchers will perform observations and interviews with individuals from the different target groups to gain insights on their needs and experiences.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who takes an interest in developing research on responsible AI from an Information Systems perspective.

We ask applicants to provide a 5-7 page project description aligned with AI4Users´ overall scope and design. A copy of the project proposal is available on request.The applicant should outline what he or she plans to focus on, including how this area of inquiry can be further developed within the project as a whole. It is expected that the researcher will be a part of the AI4Users leadership team and actively contribute to the coordination of the project, including the coordination of external software developers and supervision of MSc-candidates.

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition is to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

  • Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Information Systems. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
  • An overall sociotechnical skill profile including both software development skills and socio-organisational understanding.
  • Demonstrated experience with Information Systems theory and concepts including experience in scientific writing in Information Systems research.
  • Strong skills in qualitative research methods including methods for empirical data collection through observations, interviews and workshops with users.
  • Proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. The everyday language of the user groups targeted by AI4Users is Norwegian.
  • Excellent English skills, orally and in writing are required.
  • Plans for excellent research within the project, as evidenced by the required project description aligned with AI4Users´ overall scope and design, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced position.
  • The following qualifications will be considered as an advantage: experience with interdisciplinary research; experience from working in the industry as well as in policy/regulation; experience from teaching and supervising students including at the MSc level.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 523 200 – 605 500 per year depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Professionally stimulating working environment
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Postdoctoral development programmes
  • Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
  • Project description (5-7 page)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
  • Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records and letters of recommendation
  • A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works 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 application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented academic qualifications, the project description, and the quality of the project as well as the candidates’ motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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

  • Associate Professor Polyxeni Vassilakopoulou, Project Manager, polyxenv@uia.no,
  • Associate Professor Miria Grisot, miriag@ifi.uio.no

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, e-mail: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

Apply for position

Powered by Labrador CMS