Tromsø University Museum, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, has a five-year fixed term contract vacant at the post-doctoral level. The position is on the project “TerrACE – Terrace Archaeology and Culture in Europe”. Starting date 1st of October 2018.

The successful candidate will be the senior postdoctoral researchers on an ERC Advanced Grant funded project on Terrace Archaeology and Culture in Europe (TerrACE). This project will employ both new and traditional geoarchaeological techniques (aDNA, OSL, cosmogenics, phytoliths, soil C, soil micromorphology and remote sensing) on deep soil sequences from agricultural terraces and lynchets in Norway, Britain, Belgium, France, Italy and Greece. The aim is to develop a new integrated methodology for determining and the age and functions of terraces and lynchets with regard to their conservation and heritage value. This position will be responsible for 1) organising fieldwork and co-ordinating field soil sampling, 2) running a website and dissemination of the project with the PI, 3) aDNA lab work on soils, 4) Other relevant specialist analyses, such as micromorphology or other analytical methods, depending upon the successful applicants skills and interests.

At present no web materials are available for the project but interested candidates are encouraged to contact Prof Tony Brown for more details (abr105@post.uit.no or tony.brown@soton.ac.uk).

The position of Postdoctoral Fellow is a fixed-term position for a period of five years starting on October 1st 2018. The main objective of the appointment as a post-doctoral research fellow is to qualify for work in senior academic position. No one may be appointed to more than one fixed term-period as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the same institution.

Further information about the position is available by contacting Prof Tony Brown for more details (abr105@post.uit.no or tony.brown@soton.ac.uk).

The position’s affiliation

This position is attached to the Department of Natural Sciences, which is responsible for developing and maintaining scientific collections of objects (animals, plants, fossils and minerals) as well as public outreach, including the Tromsø Arctic Alpine Botanical Garden. The department has a permanent staff of 16, of which nine are in academic positions. At the moment, 4 PhD students and one researcher are connected to the department. The position is within the research group in taxonomy and biodiversity, which focuses on diversity, phylogeography and taxonomy of northern organisms using molecular as well as traditional methods. The department has laboratories for modern and ancient DNA analyses, and it is currently involved in two large projects: “Ancient DNA of Northwest Europe” and “Norwegian Barcode of Life”. The latter includes full genome sequencing of the entire Norwegian flora. For more information about the Department of Natural Sciences, visit this site. This project will also link with research by the Department of Cultural Studies at Tromsø University Museum.

The successful applicant is expected to spend most of the time in Tromsø, but there will also be extensive fieldwork, throughout Europe.

The TerrACE project is a collaboration among staff at the Tromsø University Museum, the Department of Archaeology at York UK (archaeology), the University of Paudua Italy (remote sensing), the University of Salzburg Austria (OSL), The Catholic University of Louvain Belgium (soil C) and the University of Barcelona (phytoliths) and the GeoData Institute University of Southampton, UK. Each of these institutions has research staff on the project which is coordinated from Tromsø.

Required qualifications

A Norwegian doctoral degree in the subject area or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree is required. Experience in gearchaeology is most relevant, and experience in pedology, palaeoecology, geochronology and bioinformatics/biostatistics are advantages. English language skills are required. Norwegian/Scandinavian, French, and Italian language skills are advantages. Personal fit to the team and teamwork skills are important. Average physical condition is sufficient for the fieldwork.

Working conditions

The working hours will be utilised for research, research-related activities and research administration. The position may include duties in support of the research group or the Tromsø University Museum of up 10 % of the position. The successful applicant must be willing to engage in the ongoing development of his/her discipline and the University as a whole.

The remuneration for this position is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted on top of tax.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants and the detailed description drawn up for the position. The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview will, among other things, provide the opportunity to discuss the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on www.jobbnorge.no and should include the following:

• Letter of application
• CV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work)
• Certified copies of diploma for completed degrees
• Documentation of English language proficiency (not needed for native English speakers, Scandinavians or people educated in EU/EFTA)
• Complete list of works containing 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
• Up to 10 works (published or unpublished) which the applicant wishes to be taken into consideration during the assessment. The doctoral thesis is regarded in this context as one work.
• List of referees with contact information.

All documentation that is to be evaluated must be certified and translated into English or a Scandinavian language and be submitted by the stipulated deadline.

Applicants should also refer to the Supplementary regulations for appointment to postdoktor (Postdoctoral Fellow), stipendiat (PhD) and vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) positions at UiT 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).(In Norwegian only)

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

UiT has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and it encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their age, gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background.

UiT is an IW (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise, and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

Personal data given in an application or CV will be processed in accordance with the Act relating to the processing of personal data (the Personal Data Act). In accordance with Section 25 subsection 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, the applicant may request not to be registered on the public list of applicants. However, the University may nevertheless decide that the name of the applicant will be made public. The applicant will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.

We are looking forward to receiving your application!

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