Job description

Applications are invited for two 40-months positions as Postdoctoral Fellow (SKO 1352) of Social Anthropology to be based at the Department of Social Anthropology. We are looking for candidates who have achieved a PhD degree no earlier than 2015. The positions will be part of the research project “PORTS". Ethnographic explorations of infrastructure, work, and place around leading container "ports”, led by associate professor Elisabeth Schober, and funded by the European Research Council. http://sv.uio.no/ports

The interface between sea and city, i.e. the port, lends itself to explorations of the changing nature of global capitalism today. Container ports have often been pushed to the edges of the urban spaces that they used to be centrally located in. “Ports” is a study on the city/sea-nexus, which will illuminate the dynamics behind the ways in which the center of our economic system is currently on the move east-wards. This is not a uni-linear shift from “the West” to “the Rest”, but rather, is brought into existence by the nature of the ever-changing interplay between local territorialization and global connectedness. “Ports” will therefore engage with local histories, unruly presents, and possible futures in four of the most important port-cities in the world: Singapore, Pusan (Korea), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Piraeus (Greece). Through comparative work at these sites, it will clarify the changing nature of work, the significance of “place” as a site of accumulation and resistance, and the role of infrastructure for the inner workings of ports.

Successful applicants will form part of a larger research environment focused on the maritime industry, comprising at least seven researchers (3 of whom work on the related project “Life-Cycle of Container Ships” – see uio.no/containerships). Each researcher will carry out fieldwork and analyse material collected in one port city, and will engage in a shorter research stay in another.

Postdoctoral Fellow 1 (Rotterdam)

Postdoctoral Fellow 1 will conduct 6-8 months of fieldwork in Rotterdam, with Piraeus as a secondary site to visit for app. 3 months. The remaining time should be spent in residence in Oslo, where the postdoc will also be involved in up to 1 semester of teaching and administrative work. The ideal candidate for the job will have a solid understanding of maritime anthropology and the anthropology of work, and will come with previous research experience working in this field. Additional language qualifications (e.g. knowledge of Dutch) are a benefit, enthusiasm for group-work a must.

Postdoctoral Fellow 2 (Singapore)

Postdoctoral Fellow 2 will conduct 6-8 months of fieldwork in Singapore, with Pusan as a secondary site to visit for app. 3 months. The remaining time should be spent in residence in Oslo, where the postdoc will also be involved in up to 1 semester of teaching and administrative work. The ideal candidate for the job will have a solid understanding of maritime anthropology and the anthropology of work, and will come with previous research experience working in this field. Additional language qualifications related to Singapore are a benefit, enthusiasm for group-work a must.

More about the position

The Department wishes to recruit candidates with excellent research qualifications within Social Anthropology. The applicants’ proposed research should relate to one of the proposed positions (see below). The successful candidate is expected to strengthen this research area within the Department, and to contribute to and participate in other research activities at the Department as well.

The appointments are fulltime positions for a period of 40 months, up to 10% of which can be devoted to administrative and teaching duties. The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Social Anthropology, or a closely related discipline (e.g. human geography or qualitative sociology). Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved. Applicants with a PhD earlier than 2015 will not be considered.

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English is a must, and preferably a good knowledge of a local language where fieldwork will be conducted can be documented.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the project description, as well as the applicant's academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. A good match between the candidate's proposal and the project’s planned activities and areas of focus is a main selection criterion, along with the quality of the proposal and the qualifications of the candidate.

We offer

• Salary NOK 523 200-605 500 per annum depending on qualifications
• Academically stimulating working environment
• Funds for research, travel, conference participation and dissemination, books and equipment
• Favourable pension benefits
• Attractive employee benefits

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• Project description, including progress plan (max. 4 pages, excluding references), outlining the work to be undertaken during the course of the term of appointment
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• A complete list of publications

Selected candidates will be asked to submit

• 3 pieces of academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone 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).

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 Elisabeth Schober (elisabeth.schober@sai.uio.no)
• Head of Department Rune Flikke (rune.flikke@sai.uio.no)
• Head of Administration Nina Rundgren (nina.rundgren@sai.uio.no)

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