Associate Professor in Knowledge Representation and Data Science within the Section for Programming at the Department of Informatics.
A full-time permanent position as associate professor is available in the research group for Analytical Solutions and Reasoning within the Section for Programming at the Department of Informatics. The department seeks a potential scientific leader with clear research visions, educational and administrative skills and abilities to establish and lead research projects, who will strengthen our research and education in knowledge representation and data science.
The position will be affiliated with the research group for Analytical Solutions and Reasoning (ASR). The core research themes of ASR are applied logic, semantic technology, data management, data integration, formal models and analysis, and explainable AI, with applications within Big Data related to industrial and the healthcare domains. The group’s course portfolio comprises courses within formal logic and logical methods, semantic technologies, database systems, and operating systems. ASR is a key participant in the Sirius Centre for Research-based Innovation on Scalable Data Access funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN), and also participates in a number of research projects funded by RCN, the European Commission, and others. In recent years, ASR has had increasing cooperation with researchers at the Department of Mathematics (working in particular in Bayesian statistics), where research at the intersection between symbolic/logical methods and connectionist/statistical models is of interest.
The group is also engaged in the University’s newly established dScience centre where the successful applicant will find a rapidly evolving cross-disciplinary hotbed of data science researchers»
For more information about ASR, see https://www.mn.uio.no/ifi/english/research/groups/asr/index.html.
To strengthen the Data Science profile of the Department as well as of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, ASR has cooperated with researchers at the Department of Mathematics on establishing a study programme in Data Science. For more information about this study program, see: https://www.uio.no/english/studies/programmes/datascience-master/index.html.
General information about the position:
Applicants must document scientific qualifications in his/her field, equivalent to an Associate Professor position. The successful applicant must be able to teach at all levels and to supervise Master and PhD students. The successful applicant may furthermore be required to take on other teaching duties and administrative tasks, by request from the Department or the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
Specific information about the position:
The successful applicant is expected to partake in and contribute to ASR’s research activities, with a particular focus on the connection between logical methods and semantic technologies and statistical methods and machine learning. The applicant is expected to strengthen the group’s involvement in the Data Science master program, with a particular responsibility for the course IN-STK5000 — Adaptive methods for data-based decision making, which is mandatory for all first-year Data Science MSc students. The applicant will actively participate in strengthening the communication and cooperation in teaching and research between the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Informatics in topics related to machine learning, statistics and Data Science.
Qualification requirements
Primary assessment criteria will be as follows:
- To qualify for appointment, the applicant must have completed a PhD in computer science or a related field and have a strong academic track record
- The applicant must document expertise within knowledge representation, logic, or semantic technologies, as well as statistics and/or machine learning of an extent and profundity that justifies the applicant’s abilities to contribute professionally to the teaching and development of the Data Science course portfolio, as well as the communication between the Mathematics and Informatics departments.
- In addition to this, the candidate’s research should be well-aligned with existing research in the ASR group, and this should be explained in the submitted research position paper. This could be, e.g., work in explainable AI, the development and application of semantic technologies in natural language processing, combinations of knowledge representation and machine learning for ontology-based information systems, applications on sensor data streams, knowledge of application areas like industrial asset management, geology, or medicine and healthcare, etc.
- The applicant’s research should be well-aligned with the strategy and research agenda of the Department and Faculty.
- Scientific qualifications will play a major role, and the main emphasis will be on the candidate’s scientific production from the last five years.
- Record of scholarly publications relevant to the area in leading international journals is required.
- Candidates should also be able to establish, lead, conduct and collaborate in research projects. A track record in academic leadership is an advantage, as well as participation in the acquisition of research grants.
- International network, outreach activities, collegiality, and the ability to create a good working environment will be part of the evaluation.
- Candidates should have teaching experience in courses relevant to this position and a commitment to engage in undergraduate and graduate education and in mentoring and advising master and doctoral students.
- Pedagogical qualifications and teaching and supervision experience at all levels will be an important factor in the evaluation process and should be well documented in a teaching portfolio. The applicant should describe her/his qualifications in view of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) framework which includes:
- Focus on student learning
- A clear development over time
- A researching approach
- A collegial attitude and practice
- A minimum requirement for the position is a 200 hrs pedagogical programme. If the candidate cannot document such qualifications, he/she will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.
- The person appointed will be requested to take on some administrative duties. Hence such experience will be an advantage.
- The person appointed must have fluent oral and written communication skills in English. Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language will be expected over time. If an appointee is not fluent in a Scandinavian language, the appointee will be required within a two-year period to learn sufficient Norwegian to be able to participate actively in all functions of the position.
Personal skills
- Ability to create an attractive, inclusive and competitive research environment
- Networking skills, ability to collaborate and conduct scientific leadership
- Ability to cooperate and communicate well with other members of the staff
The successful candidate should have an international profile with respect to the above criteria. The candidate for this position will be selected based on excellence and fit with the research group’s research profile.
We offer
- Salary from NOK 702 100 to 873 400 per year depending on competencies, in the position of Associate Professor (position code 1011)
- 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.
- The opportunity to apply for promotion to a position to full Professorship at a later stage.
How to apply
The application must include:
- Application letter
- A research position paper (1–4 pages) describing the applicant’s vision and scientific ambitions for the nearest future, with special emphasis on contact points to the research specializations in the group as indicated above.
- A note describing the applicant’s view on what are the most important notions of Computer Science that must be part of a mandatory Computer Science course for master students of our (mathematically very ambitious) Data Science programme. Students are expected to have basic Computer Science skills from their bachelor studies.
- A detailed CV, including complete list of education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, project acquisition and coordination experience, funding and awards, and other qualifying activities.
- Copies of educational certificates, PhD diploma, transcript of records and letters of recommendation
- A complete list of publications and academic merits and awards (if not included in the CV).
- Full text of up to five selected publications the applicant wishes to include in the evaluation.
- A document discussing the importance, interrelation, and relevance of the selected papers for this position.
- Description of dissemination activities beyond scientific publications.
- A teaching portfolio of 3–6 pages documenting educational competence and experience, including a reflection note in which your own practice and learning vision is anchored in the SoTL framework. The teaching portfolio is expected to include
- Listing of teaching experience as well as work on developing/revising/renewing study plans and the design of courses.
- Documentation of teaching qualifications and supervision of Master and PhD students.
- List of three reference persons (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).
The application with attachments must be submitted in our electronic recruitment system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Please note that all documentation must be in English (or a Scandinavian language) and must be submitted as PDF-files (maximum 2 MB/file).
In the evaluation of the qualified candidates the full range of these criteria will be explicitly addressed and assessed.
Relevant candidates will be called for interviews and requested to hold a trial teaching session. References may be consulted.
Formal regulations
The successful candidate who at the time of appointment cannot document basic teaching qualifications (minimum requirement is a 200 hrs pedagogical programme) will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.
The successful candidate must demonstrate mastery of English as working language. If an appointee is not fluent in a Scandinavian language, the appointee will be required within a two-year period to learn sufficient Norwegian to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.
The basis for assessment will be the scholarly production of the applicant, pedagogical and educational qualifications, other qualifications, the applicant’s qualifications within leadership and administration, as well as the general personal suitability. In ranking of the competent applicants the full range of qualifications will be considered and explicitly assessed.
Please see the rules for appointments to associate professorships: http://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-appointment-professor.html
Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence for appointments to permanent academic posts which include teaching duties: https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-basic-pedagogical-competence.html
According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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, http://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/employment/work-results/
The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds. Women are encouraged to apply.
In addition, the University of Oslo aims for its employees to reflect the diversity of the population to the greatest degree possible. We therefore encourage qualified applicants with disabilities or gaps in their CV to apply for the position. The University of Oslo will adapt the workplace to suit employees with disabilities. Applicants who indicate that they have disabilities or gaps in their CV are made aware that this information may be used for statistical purposes.
Contact information
Professor Martin Giese, phone: +47 22852737, e-mail: martingi@ifi.uio
For technical questions about the recruitment system, HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no
About the University of Oslo
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.
The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.
The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors.