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 Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo is one of Norway’s largest museums of cultural history and, in addition to being a museum; it is a university department equal in status to UiO’s faculties. It houses Norway’s largest archaeological collection of artefacts from pre-history and the middle Ages, including the Viking ships at Bygdøy, a considerable collection of medieval ecclesiastical art, a collection of antiques from the Mediterranean region and an archive of runic inscriptions.
Furthermore, the museum possesses a comprehensive ethnographic collection of artefacts from all continents, as well as Norway’s by far largest collection of historic coinage.
Job description
The museum’s Department of Archaeology is seeking a qualified and highly motivated research talent for a position as PhD Fellow within the field of Nordic Archaeology. The fellowship period is 3 years.
The Museum of Cultural History is Norway’s leading research museum in the field of cultural history. We aim at strengthening connections between the management of cultural heritage and interdisciplinary research at high international level. See the museum’s research strategy and read about ongoing research.
The Department of Archaeology is managing Norway’s largest collections of Nordic antiquities, medieval art and runic inscriptions and is responsible for the management of cultural monuments and rock art in five counties in southeastern Norway, according to the Cultural Heritage Act. Each year, the Department carries out about 50 excavations. The Department of Archaeology has a staff of 70 archeaologists and expertise in most archaeological periods and subject matters and with a particularly large research environment in Mesolithic and Viking Age archaeology.
We seek a candidate with the potential to mobilize the museum’s collections and use material from management excavations in their research, while at the same time aiming at methodological and theoretical sophistication. The ability for a comprehensive and innovative academic scope will be accentuated in the evaluation of the candidates. The University of Oslo encourages international collaboration and we welcome projects with an international component.
The PhD fellow will be part of a larger group of research fellows and will have access to work space and have a supervisor at the museum.
More about the position
The fellowship period is 3 years.
The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.
The research fellow will be enrolled in the PhD programme of the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History at the University of Oslo and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period.
The applicants must fulfil the requirements for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo, and is responsible for applying for admission within the given deadlines.
A final plan for the researcher education program must be approved and agreed upon no later than three months after accession.
All PhD candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment, along with a written recommendation from their supervisor, within 3 years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered a 12-month completion grant.
Qualification requirements
- applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in Archaeology
- fluent oral and written communication skills in English and/or Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language)
The assessment of the application will emphasize the quality of the project description (see “How to apply”), including:
- the general approach and overall structure of the project
- scientific audacity and scientific innovativeness
- relevance for the museum’s research profile
- feasibility, progress plan and research allocation
- plan for dissemination of results
- national and international collaboration
- network resources
- ethical implications
Personal skills
The applicant’s academic and personal qualifications for undertaking the project will be taken into account.
We offer
- salary NOK 501 200 – 544 000 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
- a professionally stimulating working environment
- good pension schemes in the Government Pension Fund (Statens pensjonskasse)
- attractive welfare benefits
How to apply
The application must include
- cover letter statement of motivation and research interests
- CV (summarizing education, positions and relevant academic work)
- an outline of an independent PhD project in keeping with the research strategy of the Museum of Cultural History and ongoing research. The project description (maximum 14 000 characters excluding spaces or approx. five pages, excluding literature list) must include a presentation of the problem that will be explored, a detailed progress plan and a timetable for the project
- copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
- complete list of publications and academic works of relevance for the application
- list of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)
Master’s theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such work or further information later.
The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. 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.
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 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. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.
If there are qualified applicants with special needs, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview.
Contact information
Section Manager Anne Lene Melheim, mobile + 47 997 55 435, e-mail: a.l.melheim@khm.uio.no