About the Position

The Faculty of Law has 1 – 2 PhD positions vacant for applicants who wish to obtain the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD). The positions are affiliated to the KG Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.

Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.

The PhD positions are for a fixed term, with the objective of completion of research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD Candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD programme, application form and regulations concerning the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) are available at the following address: www.uit.no

The appointment is for a period of 4 years.

Contact

Further information about the position is available by contacting:

• Professor Tore Henriksen, phone + 47 77 64 52 37, e-mail: tore.henriksen@uit.no

The position’s affiliation

The positions are affiliated to JCLOS, a national research centre partly funded for the period September 2013 – August 2019 by the Foundation K.G. Jebsen. From September 2019, the Centre will continue as an international research centre, then with a new name. The Centre have a staff of 25 – 30 employees; academic staff and PhD students. The Centre is located at the Faculty of Law, providing for close contact and collaboration between the staff. The Centre also has an extensive national and international academic network.

The Centre is part of the Faculty of Law, which has about 950 law students, 25 PhD students, 35 members of the academic staff and 15 members of the administrative staff. The Faculty may award the degrees of Master and PhD in Law as well as the degree of Master of Laws (LL.M.) in the Law of the Sea.

More information on the Centre, see our website: www.uit.no/lawofthesea

The position’s field of research

The aim of the Centre is to assess whether and to which extent the current framework of ocean law and governance can foster resilient and sustainable oceans. This will be done through mapping of the fundamental elements of the legal order of the oceans and the systemic challenges it faces, by investigating and assessing the functioning of the legal order of the oceans within the wider oceans governance context, and in particular its resilience. That is, whether and to which extent it withstands/adapts to the pressures imposed on it by systemic challenges such as environmental change, geopolitics etc. Further, the Centre may have to redefine or altogether rethink the existing logic, concepts and categories in order to ensure resilient and sustainable framework for future ocean law and governance.

The Centre calls for applications within the following thematic areas:

• Interaction between law of the sea and other legal regimes

• Balancing sovereignty and common interests

• The legal status of ocean commons

• Equity and fairness in law of the sea

Qualifications

The successful applicants must fulfil the requirements for admission to the faculty’s PhD programme, cf. Regulation for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. In addition, he/she must be able to document proficiency in English equivalent to Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification, see also PhD regulations at UiT. The applicants must understand Norwegian or commit himself/herself to participate in the Norwegian Language Courses held by the UiT at the outset of the employment.

Further, the applicants must have a five years Master’s degree in Law or cand. jur. with good grades. The Faculty may accept equivalent education in law from foreign universities.

The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 10 pages, references included. It shall include a description of the theme, research question(s) and a reasoning of the choices. It shall also indicate the methodologies to be used. The applicant may be asked to supplement the description.

Emphasis is attached to personal suitability.

Working conditions

The normal period of employment is four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year, distributed as 25 % of each year, shall be used for teaching or other duties for the university cf. Guidelines for the research fellow’s duties.

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the research fellow has already completed parts of his/her research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position (PhD Candidate, research assistant, or the like) in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Candidate is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017 (or code 1378) (or both codes depending on qualifications). A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

More information about moving to Tromsø: uit.no/mobility

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on www.jobbnorge.no.

The application must include:

• Letter of application
• Proposal for project description
• CV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work)
• Certified copies of:
  • diploma and transcript from your Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
  • diploma and transcript from your Master’s degree or equivalent
  • diploma supplement for completed degrees
  • documentation of English language proficiency
  • project description
• List of works and description of these (see below). The list of works shall contain the following information:
  • author(s), the work’s title
  • for articles: the journal’s name and volume, the first and last page of the article, year of publication
  • for publications: publisher, printer, year of publication, number of pages
• The works (published or unpublished) which the applicant wishes to be taken into consideration during the assessment process must be submitted
• List of references with contact information.

All documentation that is to be evaluated must be certified and translated into English or a Scandinavian language.

Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During this assessment process, emphasis will be attached to the applicant’s potential for research as shown by:

• Grades
• Master’s thesis or equivalent
• Other academic works, and
• Project description

In addition, consideration may be given to work experience or other activities of significance for the implementation of the PhD studies, and to any teaching qualifications. This includes teaching education, teaching experience, experience from popularization and experience/education from other types of dissemination. Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.

The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things aim to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.

Applicants shall also refer to the Supplementary regulations for appointment to postdoktor (Postdoctoral Fellow), stipendiat (PhD) and vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) positions at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and to the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for posts of postdoktor (Postdoctoral Fellow), stipendiat (PhD), vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) and spesialistkandidat (Resident).

Other information

UiT’s HR policy objectives emphasises diversity, and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background. UiT is an will make the necessary adaptations in order to facilitate for employees with reduced functional ability.

Questions concerning the organisation of the working environment, such as the physical state of the place of employment, health service, possibility for flexible working hours, part time, etc. as well as questions about the PhD programme may be directed to the telephone reference in this announcement

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act. You may request to not be registered on the public list of applicants, but the University may decide that your name will be made public. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.

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