A position as Doctoral (PhD) Research Fellow in Law is available at the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL) at the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo, tentatively starting January 2023. 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 successful Doctoral Research Fellow will participate in an interdisciplinary research collaboration between Oslo University Hospital and three faculties at the University of Oslo on the research project Responsible Explainable Machine Learning for Sleep-related Respiratory Disorders (RESPIRE). The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway.
More about the position
The objective of the overarching project is to address the opportunities and risks that arise in the social-technological context of using Machine Learning (ML) in the health domain.
With novel low-cost health monitoring solutions and explainable ML (xML) the project aims to:
(1) improve the diagnostic process of sleep-related respiratory disorders,
(2) enable long-term monitoring of patients, and
(3) gain new knowledge concerning these disorders and personalized treatment.
Part of the project will elaborate and establish ethical, legal, and technological guidelines and an explainability framework to enable the systematic development and evaluation of responsible xML for sleep-related disorders.
The tasks of the successful Doctoral Research Fellow in Law will be to map the substantial challenges raised by mHealth services in general and sleep-related breathing disorders in particular, with a primary focus on EU data protection law and a secondary focus on health legislation, by:
- Analyzing how health data can be lawfully processed for the purpose of mHealth services in general and sleep apnea monitoring in particular, and by whom.
- Analyzing the data flow from the perspectives of the data subject, the mHealth company, and the health care provider to allow for alignment of conflicting interests and optimal, efficient, privacy preserving and socially acceptable data flow.
- Examining the information obligation toward data subjects, both where personal data is collected from the data subject and where the personal data has not been obtained directly from the data subject.
- Examining the ethical and legal aspects of explainability (for whom, how, and in what domain), including implications for autonomy and informed consent.
- Examining when and to what degree the GDPR and health legislation requires explanation of ML-based diagnostics and decision making in mHealth services, and when and to what degree the law ought to require such explanation.
- Examining the right of access by the data subject to personal data and information regarding the data processing.
- Examining the impact of Article 22 GDPR on xML-based decision making in mHealth services.
- Examining shifts in legal responsibility for decisions and implications.
- Examining the relationship between legal and ethical aspects, in particular to which extent GDPR and other relevant legislation leave spaces for discretion and ethical considerations.
- This will be achieved by the following approaches:
- Legal dogmatic analysis de lege lata: How does the existing law (e.g., GDPR) regulate mHealth data, as highlighted by the case study.
- Interdisciplinary case study, taking due account of technical, medical and ethical aspects that can be relevant for legal analysis.
- Legal analysis de lege ferenda: In light of technical, medical, ethical and legal concerns with the existing law, how ought the law regulate mHealth data, as highlighted by the case study.
To address these issues, we invite applicants with a knowledge in data protection law. The NRCCL welcomes applications demonstrating the candidate’s suitability to address issues highlighted in the above-mentioned description.
The Doctoral Research Fellow must take part in the University’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.
Contingent on funding, the Doctoral Research Fellow will also be offered the opportunity to have a research stay in California.
Qualification requirements
- The successful Doctoral Research Fellow must have a five year Norwegian Master’s degree in law, or equivalent university education.
- Knowledge of EU/EEA data protection law is a requirement.
- Knowledge of health law, including domestic Norwegian health law is an advantage.
- Excellent knowledge of everyday and academic English is a requirement.
- Fluency in Norwegian is an advantage.
In the assessment of applications, emphasis will be placed on:
The application’s compliance with the main objectives of the RESPIRE project.
The applicant’s personal suitability and motivation for being involved in the research project, and to form part of a cross-disciplinary academic consortium working closely with researchers in informatics, medicine, and ethics.
A prerequisite for the employment is admission to the Faculty’s PhD program, and applicants must therefore satisfy the requirements for admission to the Faculty’s PhD program. This includes:
Grades that place them among the top 10-15 % of graduates in the subject (minimum B on the ECTS grading scale or equivalent). Written works, including a Master’s thesis of a high standard, and independent design of the project outline will also be important factors in the evaluation for admission. The applicant’s progress may to some extent compensate for the grade requirement.
Education taken abroad must be documented.
We offer
- Salary NOK 501 200 – 544 400 per annum (position code 1017)
- An inspiring, challenging, and high-paced working environment, with flexible working hours and possibility for some remote work
- A position in an inclusive working life enterprise
- Pension plan in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- Attractive welfare arrangements
How to apply
The application must include:
- Letter of application, describing the applicant’s motivation and suitability for the position.
- CV that also includes an overview of any previously published academic/scientific works by the applicant.
- A 5-10 page project outline, explaining how the applicant envisages approaching the research topic
- 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.
- Applicants from countries outside the Nordics who are not native English speakers must document their proficiency in English, unless they have a diploma from a university in an English-speaking country.
- List of referees, minimum 2 persons, with contact information; email and telephone numbers.
The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”.
Incomplete applications will in normal circumstances not be assessed.
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.
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 regarding content, please contact: Researcher Heidi Beate Bentzen
For questions regarding administrativ issues, recruitment system- and process, please contact : 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.
The Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law is one of the world’s leading academic institutions in the field of technology law and privacy.