Job description

Applications are invited for a four-year position as Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO), University of Oslo. CEMO is primarily a research unit but offers also its own Master program in Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation. The Centre comprises about 25 employees from 10 countries, thus providing ample opportunities to develop joint research projects on an international scale.

More about the position

The available position is fulltime and with a duration of four years (25 % of which is devoted to teaching). Preferred starting date is fall 2020.

The position is related to CEMO’s research strand focusing on international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) of educational outcomes. CEMO is part of an EU Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD school around ILSAs in education with 12 international partners. We would like to strengthen our portfolio of basic and applied ILSA research. In particular, we welcome research plans addressing both methodological challenges of ILSAs and substantive research questions by utilizing the rich data coming out of ILSAs.

Candidates will have opportunities to work on other themes as well as long as these are related to CEMO’s profile.

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years will have 75% of their working time reserved for research. The remaining 25% is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities.

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 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 (PhD) in education/psychology/social sciences with a thesis applying advanced quantitative methods or PhD in quantitative methods/psychometrics/statistics. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Publication record of high quality (how recent the PhD has been finished will be taken into account)
• Plans for high-quality research in the area outlined above
• Teaching experience (incl. supervision of Master students) and plans related to one or more courses in CEMO’s Master program
• Experience with organizing academic activities (e.g., conference symposia, training workshops), committee work or outreach
• Success with a scholarship, grant or award
• Personal suitability and willingness to collaborate with other team members at CEMO

In the evaluation of the qualified candidates the full range of these criteria will be assessed. A research profile related to the field of education is an advantage. However, applicants with another relevant research profile are also welcome to apply.

Only those applications that satisfy the formal requirements will be evaluated.

We offer

• Salary NOK 523.200 – 605.500 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• 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

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• A complete list of publications
• 3 page description of research plans related to ILSAs (linked to CEMO’s research profile and potential collaborators at CEMO)
• 1 or 2 selected publications best suited to demonstrate the applicant’s fit to the position announced
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• 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).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the description and quality of the research plans, 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

• CEMO Director: professor Sigrid Blömeke

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