Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the Department of Government University of Bergen

The Department of Government at the University of Bergen is recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow. The successful candidate will be part of Norway’s national coordinator team of the European Social Survey (ESS), which is funded by the Research Council of Norway on a project basis. ESS is an academically driven cross-national survey that has been conducted across Europe since its establishment in 2001.

The position is for a fixed-term period of 4 years, of which 75% will be dedicated to research within the project and 25% will be dedicated to teaching and administrative tasks. We are looking for a candidate with (1) expertise in surveys, and (2) strong quantitative methods skills, and who is motivated to make use of the opportunity to collect survey and experimental data.

The Department of Government covers political science, studies of public policy, public administration, democracy and participation, and political institutions and organisation. The Department offers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in political science/public administration and is one of the seven departments at the Faculty of the Social Sciences.

About the project/work tasks:

Every two years, face-to-face interviews have been conducted with newly selected, cross-sectional samples. In the near future, the ESS will transition to self-completion interview mode, where the coming Round 12 will be in hybrid format. This offers a great opportunity to conduct survey methodological research on mode effects or other methodological investigations. The candidate will be a part of the excellent survey research community at the Digital Social Science Core Facility (DIGSSCORE) at UiB, and will be invited to join one of the thematic research units that use DIGSSCORE’s online survey research infrastructure, The Norwegian Citizen Panel, https://www.uib.no/en/digsscore/122183/thematic-research-units. The postdoc will contribute to every aspects of the fielding of the survey in Norway, including but not limited to

• Coordination with a) ESS's central management in London, b) survey agencies conducting fieldwork, and c) national coordinators in other member countries,
• Translation and quality assurance of Norwegian questionnaires,
• Fieldwork monitoring,
• Data analysis and dissemination of results.

Teaching and the abovementioned tasks constitute 25% of the work load, while 75% will be dedicated to conduct and publish high-quality research within the broader scope of the project. The position thus provides ample opportunities to advance the candidate’s own research agenda and develop project management skills.

The selected candidate is expected to live and work in the Bergen region and contribute actively to joint activities at the department.

Starting date: preferably September/October 2024

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• The applicant must hold a PhD or an equivalent degree within political science or another relevant discipline, or must have submitted his/her doctoral thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
• Experience from survey research
• Excellent publication record in highly ranked international journals or demonstrated proof thereof
• Excellent data science skills
• Ability and willingness to work independently as well as in a larger team
• Work independently and in a structured manner, as well as have the ability to cooperate with others.
• Proficiency in both written and oral English.
• Proficiency in the Norwegian language is an advantage.

Potential candidates may be invited to the department for an interview, and might be asked to hold a trial lecture in a given topic.

Applicants are advised to familiarize themselves with the teaching and research profile at the Department, please see https://www.uib.no/en/gov.

About the position of postdoctoral research fellow:

The position of postdoctoral research fellow is a fixed-term appointment with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. The fixed-term period for this position is 4 year(s). Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution.

A research proposal of 4-5 pages must accompany the application. The proposal should contain a progress plan for the different parts of the research work, as well as a plan regarding publishing.  It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the period of employment.

A budget must be set up for operating expenses.  

We can offer:

• A good and professionally challenging working environment.
• Gross salary per year NOK 615 700,- equivalent to pay grade 63 on the government salary scale upon appointment (code 1352). Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position. A higher salary may be considered for a particularly well qualified applicant.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• A research proposal of 4-5 pages
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main advisor from the PhD programme.
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted.
• Relevant certificates/references.
• List of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
• Any publications in your name.

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.

Applications sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.

General information:

Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting professor Sveinung Arnesen, e-mail: Sveinung.Arnesen@uib.no.  

Practical questions about the application process should be directed to HR adviser Bodil Hægland, e-mail: bodil.hagland@uib.no.  

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

Further information about our employment process can be found here.