A position as doctoral research fellow in the EMPOWER Project is available at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law, Department of Private Law.

A position as doctoral research fellow in the EMPOWER Project is available at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law, Department of Private Law.

The fellowship is a full-time position to undertake research as part of the EMPOWER project.  The period of appointment runs for three years without teaching duties, or four years with teaching duties constituting 25% of the overall workload. A four-year fellowship requires that the candidate can contribute to the current teaching needs of the Faculty of Law.

The EMPOWER project is funded by UiO:Energy.

More about the position

The project EMPOWER: Sustainable Batteries in Mobility – (Em)powering a Net-zero Energy Transition has been recently funded by UiO:Energy Convergence Environments and will run in the period 2022-2027. EMPOWER takes interdisciplinary research and education perspective to investigate the role of electric vehicle batteries (EV) in enabling a sustainable net-zero energy transition in Norway.  

The project is recruiting three doctoral and three postdoctoral research fellows to conduct research with the different faculties involved in the project. 

EMPOWER offers early career scientists an inspiring interdisciplinary research and education environment. You will be a part of a fantastic team at the University of Oslo, composed of eight senior researchers/professors and six early career researchers across four faculties and six departments, as well as a wide range of industry and international partners.

The main supervisor(s) are named under each job advert, and you will be co-supervised by at least one core member from another discipline.  

We are looking for people who are motivated to work towards a sustainable transition and are excited to work with researchers from other disciplines.  

Both the EU’s Green Deal and the EU Circular Economy Action Plan mention the centrality of batteries to sustainable futures. In Norway, transport is the highest greenhouse gas-emitting sector. To reach the vision of a Norwegian net-zero energy system by 2050, the decarbonisation of all transport segments is crucial. While batteries represent a central technology for zero-carbon transportation, they also pose complex socio-ecological problems.  

A holistic analysis of the battery role for sustainable transport in a net-zero energy system is still missing. EMPOWER will address this knowledge gap, proposing an interdisciplinary approach to study the diversity of challenges (social, environmental, material, market, legal) found in the design, production, use, re-use, and recycling of batteries.

Using Norway as a case study, EMPOWER will focus on investigation of electric vehicle/micromobility batteries to:

i) develop a common definition of sustainable batteries for mobility across industry and involved disciplines;

ii) explore representations of this sustainability concept in EV production and utilization, including the energy system perspective;

iii) determine how the inclusion of this interdisciplinary set of criteria, for the sustainability of EV/micromobility batteries, impacts the design of net-zero energy systems; and iv) co-design educational offer for young people and early career researchers to facilitate their interdisciplinary understanding of battery-cantered research.

The PhD candidate project will be positioned within the contribution of the Research Group Companies, Markets and Sustainability, Faculty of Law, to the project as a whole.

The Research Group’s contribution includes an analysis of the regulatory frameworks currently governing EV batteries in various transportation segments in Norway, the EU and internationally.

The objective is to explore how EV battery ownership is regulated, as well as to identify and discuss the barriers battery producers, consumers and recyclers face, and what policy strategy can contribute to making EV batteries an integral part of the transition to a sustainable circular economy and improving social and environmental standards throughout their life cycle.

Qualification requirements and personal skills

•  Applicants must hold a 5-year Norwegian master’s degree or a degree equivalent to the Master’s degree in Law, Political and Governance Studies, Sustainable Development, Ecological Economics, Environmental and Development Studies or other relevant disciplines. The candidate must be qualified to work theoretically and empirically in the described project.
• Applicants should normally have grades that place them among the top 10-15 percent of graduates. This requirement also applies to the master’s thesis.
• Qualitative research skills and experience are strongly desirable.
• The applicants should have an excellent command of the English language, written and spoken.
• A good command of a Scandinavian language, alternatively willingness to learn during the fellowship period, is an advantage for working at the Faculty in Oslo, but is not a condition for this position. Candidates that do not master a Scandinavian language should take this into account when developing their project description.
• Applicants must have excellent collaboration skills and the ability, willingness and commitment to contribute in a multidisciplinary team.
• Applicants must be able to work in an independent and structured manner.
• Applicants must be ambitious and ready to take an active role in the project and conduct high-quality research.  
• Applicants must be passionate about working towards more sustainable futures.
• The general requirements for admission to the PhD program can be found here.

Evaluation of the applicant

In the evaluation of candidates, emphasis will be placed on the candidate’s academic achievements, the project description, previous relevant publications, and the applicant’s professional and personal qualifications, particularly in relation to their ability to perform the proposed project within the allotted time.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview with the University of Oslo, personally or through electronic means.

The candidates are evaluated by a Selection Board, which ranks the candidates based on the criteria indicated above and conducts interviews with short-listed candidates. In a few cases a dedicated interview committee will be formed.

The Appointments Committee of the Faculty of Law will take a final decision about the hiring of the candidate.

We offer

• A salary of between NOK 491 200,- – 534 400,- 
• An international, inspiring and friendly working environment
• Pension plan in the state pension fund
• Attractive welfare arrangement

How to apply

The application must include

• A cover letter (1-2 pages) describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position.
•  A project description (5-10 pages). For the successful candidate, the doctoral project will be further shaped through discussions with EMPOWER leadership.
• Curriculum Vitae (complete overview of education, positions, teaching experience and academic work and publications, including conference presentations, administrative experience and other qualifying activities). 
• Certified copies of diplomas with all grades included in the degree and certificates (if the original language of diplomas/certificates is not English or a Scandinavian language, an English language translation must be provided in addition to a copy of the original). Foreign diplomas must include an official documentation about the grading system together with the official grading scale.
• If available: A complete publication list.
• Names and contact details of at least two references (name, relation to you, e-mail and telephone number).

Please remember that the application and the project description must be in English, and all other documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. 

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship 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 appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

 For questions about the positon, please contact Dr. Eléonore Maitre-Ekern

For questions about the recruitment system- and process: HR officer Gro Tømmereek

About the University of Oslo 

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

The Department of Private Law (IFP) was established in 1955 and is one of the five departments that together comprise the Faculty of Law. The department is the largest Norwegian academic milieu working directly with private law subjects.Apply for this job