About this role
About the position We are offering one PhD position with specialisation in either comparative politics, or political data science. The successful applicant(s) will be part of the research project “Authoritarian Threats to Scientific Knowledge” (AutoKnow), which is funded by the European Research Council. The PhD fellowship period is three years and devoted to carrying out research and pursuing a PhD in the context of the AutoKnow project. The position may also include other career-enhancing activities: depending on the candidate’s competence and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended up to four years for qualification work consisting of e.g. teaching duties. The primary aims of AutoKnow are to investigate how the production of scientific knowledge is affected by authoritarian regimes and politics. The project will look at how authoritarian rule affects the contents and research trajectories of scientific fields, and which fields are targeted for repression and co-optation by authoritarian rulers and movements. It will use computational text analysis to measure content-dimensions of published science and collect different data on attacks on academic freedom. It will study how authoritarian rule affects scientific progress, topic choice, political bias, idea novelty and other dimensions. It will answer questions such as: Which academic fields and institutions are repressed and which are supported by authoritarian leaders? How does authoritarian rule shape the contents and political profile of academic work in different fields? What is the impact of authoritarian rule on scientific progress? The PhD Fellow is expected to develop a research project within the overarching thematic scope of the larger project, namely authoritarian threats to science. While the PhD project should align with the framework of the main project, the candidate has significant flexibility to pursue their own approach and research agenda. The project proposal should above all include a tentative overall thematic and theoretical framework, along with at least three ideas for academic articles (see below). The Fellow will be expected to contribute to data collection and measurement, and data analysis. The successful candidate will be part of the Faculty’s PhD programme. The work is expected to lead to a PhD in political science. To promote a strategic career path, all PhD fellows are expected to submit a career development plan, specifying career goals and the competencies that the PhD fellow should acquire, no later than one month after commencement of the fellowship period. The department is responsible for ensuring that the plan is followed up and that the PhD fellow has access to career guidance throughout the duration of the fellowship. Qualification requirements Formal qualifications Education equivalent to five years at university level in Norway, with two years (120 credits) at Master’s level in a relevant field. The MA thesis must be equivalent to at least half a year’s workload, i.e. 30 ECTS. The Master’s degree must include relevant education in research methods or game theory. Other qualifications Applicants must have a very good to excellent command of English (written and oral). Applicants must be well-trained in conducting quantitative analyses. Experience with large language models, machine learning, and/or programming in R or equivalent programs is an advantage but not a requirement. The evaluation of applicants primarily hinges on their documented academic qualifications and the research proposal. During the initial screening phase, a strong emphasis is placed on formal qualifications and academic grades, where top-tier grades and a highly commendable MA thesis are generally prerequisites for shortlisting. In the subsequent phase, the importance of the research proposal increases significantly. Additionally, factors such as academic suitability, motivation, and alignment with the project team are considered. We need different perspectives in our work UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no . We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues — could you be the next one? We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures. The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds. If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian). The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. We offer Salary according to “SKO 1017 PhD fellow”, NOK 550 800 - 595 000 per year. Personal research funds that can be used for e.g. travel and research assistance (currently NOK 35 000 per year). A stimulating and international research environment with multiple research groups and seminar series. Involvement in a large research project that provides opportunities to build a network with scholars researching political elites around the world, including an annual workshop on the topic. A friendly and inclusive workplace allowing for a good work-life balance. Attractive