UiO Postdoctoral fellow in Special Needs Education and Inclusive Practice

Applicants are invited for a 3-4-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Special Needs Education and Inclusive Practice at the Centre for Research on Special Needs Education and Inclusive Practice (SpedAims). The successful candidate will have their workplace at Department of Special Needs Education at the University of Oslo.

SpedAims is a collaboration between five Norwegian institutions and is led by the Department of Special Needs Education. SpedAims consists of seven work packages (WPs), and the postdoctoral fellowship will be part of WP 3, SpedAims Kohort. SpedAims Kohort is a longitudinal multisite study that will follow a cohort of 750 children in the last two years of kindergarten, through 10 years of compulsory education, and two years into upper secondary school. The participating children will be individually tested every year throughout the project period. Additionally, the project will gather extensive survey data from parents, kindergarten teachers, and teachers. The project will also have access to register data (e.g., national tests, exams, grades) for the participating children.

The project aims to examine the participants' development in three main areas: Language and literacy development, Numeracy and mathematical development, and Social and emotional development. The successful candidate is expected to define and pursue their research interests within the scope of the project and work package. Integrative data analysis across the main areas and data sources is highly valued. Therefore, both methodological and substantive ingenuity are highly regarded. The successful applicant is expected to work with the interdisciplinary team in SpedAims Kohort and contribute both as a first author and co-author for publications in high-quality journals.

More information about SpedAims can be found on the center's website.

The Department of Special Needs Education offers a bachelor’s degree in special needs education and five special education majors (speech and language therapy, hearing, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, psycho-social difficulties, and neuro developmental disabilities) at the master’s level, in addition to an international master’s program (Master in Special Needs Education). The department is currently building capacity to use registry data and other large-scale data in research.

More about the position

The appointment is a full-time position for a period of minimum three years. If the postdoctoral fellow is hired for three years, the position will include a 10% teaching component. If there is a good match between the candidate’s competence and the teaching needs at the Department of Special Needs Education, the position may be extended to four years, of which 25% is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities. Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency during their fellowship period within the duty component of 25%. 

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project during the period of employment. 

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in educational sciences, psychology, or other relevant fields. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date of application. The candidate should have successfully defended the doctoral dissertation before the start date of the postdoctoral fellowship. 
• Advanced quantitative research skills, and experience in analyzing large datasets using software such as Mplus, R, Python or Stata
• Knowledge of the substantive themes of the project (Language and literacy development, Numeracy and mathematical development, and Social and emotional development).
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

  The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Fluent oral and written communication skills in a Scandinavian language

• Experience in analyzing longitudinal data

Personal skills

• A genuine interest for the substantive themes of the project
• A cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented style of work
• Creativity and ability to work independently 
• Eagerness to develop quantitative research skills further  

We offer

• Salary NOK 584 500 - 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• A professionally stimulating working environment, with an interdisciplinary team of highly accomplished scholars.
• 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

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (maximum 1 page, including a statement of motivation)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, publications, and other relevant activities)
• Up to 5 publications/academic works the applicant wishes to be considered.
• Project description (approximately 3-4 pages, indicating research interests, theoretical and methodological approaches, ambitions for external grant applications and international research stays, progress plan) with relevance to the project.
• Copy of PhD Diploma or documentation of thesis submission. Applicants who have not yet defended their PhD dissertation need to include an advisor’s letter confirming specific expectations about when the degree will be received.
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• A complete list of publications
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references, including the PhD supervisor (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link: “Apply for this job”.

Incomplete applications will not be assessed. Please note that all documents must be in English (or a Scandinavian language). Foreign applicants must attach an explanation of their university’s grading system.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description, and the quality of the project as well as the candidates’ motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow 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 considered strengths. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will adjust 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 from each of these categories to an interview. 

Contact information

Professor Øistein Anmarkrud

Professor Monica Melby-Lervåg