PhD Research Fellow – CREATE

Social Sciences/Economics

PhD Research Fellow – CREATE

In the fields of special needs education, educational psychology, education and psychology

Job description

Applicants are invited for 1-2 three to four year fulltime positions as PhD Research Fellow at the University of Oslo, Norway. The intended starting date is May 1, 2024.

The positions have a double affiliation with the Centre for Research on Equality in Education (CREATE) and either the Department of Special Needs Education or The Department of Education.

CREATE is an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway (2023-2033) with the objective to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education, see web site. The interdisciplinary centre integrates researchers with substantive expertise from education, psychology, sociology, economics, genetics and methodological expertise from educational measurement, psychometrics, econometrics, statistics and biostatistics. The PhD Research Fellows are associated with CREATE’s research strand 2: “Intervening on the barriers to equality in education”. 

The Department of Special Needs Education offers a Bachelor’s degree in special needs education and five special education majors (among them speech and language therapy and specific learning difficulties) at the Master’s level, in addition to an international Master’s program (Master in Special Needs Education). The department’s lab, Oslo Special Education and Learning Lab (Oslo SPeLL) offers an excellent possibility to incorporate research, innovation and student activities into a clinical context.

The Department of Education offers a Bachelor’s degree in education and four education majors (among them educational psychology) at the Master’s level, in addition to an international Master’s program (Master in Education) and two majors. 

More about the position

The PhD fellow is expected to pursue quantitative research in line with the aims of CREATE’s research strand 2: 1) to develop and examine effects from reliable, durable, and educationally meaningful interventions addressing the barriers to equality in skill development, and 2) to design theoretically oriented experiments to examine the causal mechanisms that operate in interventions. CREATE focuses on oral language, literacy (reading and writing), and mathematics as fundamental skills critical to educational success. The current positions are tied to a planned randomized controlled trial that will test the effects of two interventions for upper primary school children (5th -7th grade). Children will be randomized to receive either an intervention targeting language/literacy (e.g. writing skills), or an intervention targeting mathematical skills.

As part of the work on these intervention studies, the PhD fellow is expected to contribute to the administration and implementation, including the development of assessment tools and intervention materials and the coordination of research assistants and data collection.  

The PhD fellow is expected to work with the interdisciplinary team CREATE’s strand 2, and will have the opportunity to define and pursue their own research interests within the scope of CREATE’s research aims and the planned intervention studies.  

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three years. If there is a good match between the candidate’s competence and the teaching needs at the Department of Special Needs Education or at the Department of Education, the position may be extended to four years, 25 percent of which are devoted to teaching, supervision, and research assistance.

The research fellow must take part in the faculty’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.
For more information, please see our web site.

Further information about the position/s and CREATE’s research program can be obtained from CREATE director Prof. Arne Lervåg, a.o.lervag@iped.uio.no or Prof. Janne von Koss Torkildsen (Strand 2 leader), j.von.k.torkildsen@isp.uio.no.

Qualification requirements

  •  A Master’s degree (120 ECTS) with a minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent in a field relevant for the research project (e.g., special needs education, education, psychology, cognitive science, language sciences or a related field). 
  • The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS, with a minimum grade B
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in both Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) and English
  • Experience with quantitative data and assessment of children’s language, literacy and/or mathematical skills and/or cognitive skills.
  • A strong interest in the fields of language development, writing development and/or mathematical development
  • The candidate must live in the Oslo area in order to carry out all the tasks relevant to the position 
  • Additional desirable skills (or motivation to acquire them) include knowledge of statistical methods and tools, data management and open science procedures, experimental methods, and/or psychometrics

In the assessment of applications, emphasis will be placed on:

  • The project description as a proof of the candidate’s mastery of idea development and scientific writing, the description of the research topic’s relevance to strand 2 of CREATE’s research program, the specific problems to be studied, the choice of scientific theory and method, and the proposed implementation plan for the study
  • The applicant’s experience, personal suitability and motivation for the post, including their ability to collaborate and to form part of a cross-disciplinary academic community
  • The applicant’s academic attitude and motivation with regard to completing the research training program

Personal skills

  • A collaborative, friendly and team-oriented work style
  • Ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities
  • Ability to focus and work independently
  • Ability to work with children and educators

We offer

  • Salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 per annum depending on qualifications in position as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
  • An interdisciplinary and international working enviroment, nationally recognized as a Centre of Excellence
  • 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 (1 page, including a statement of motivation)
  • Project description (5-7 sides, including a short summary of research gaps, research questions the candidate regards relevant to pursue, theoretical and methodological approaches, and a progress plan for the PhD). As the candidate will carry out research in CREATE’s planned intervention studies, the project description is regarded more as a proof of the candidate’s ability to develop research ideas and scientific writing skills than a concrete plan for the research that will be carried out during the PhD period
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, publications and other relevant academic work)
  • A copy of the Master´s thesis
  • Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
  • Documentation of English proficiency (for information on required documentation, see information on this webpage)
  • List of reference persons: 2-3 references , incl. the Master thesis supervisor (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

Incomplete applications will not be assessed. 

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).

When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the project description and the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to PhD 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

CREATE director Prof. Arne Ola Lervåg

Professor Janne von Koss Torkildsen (Strand 2 Leader)

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.

CREATE (Centre of Research on Equality in Education) is an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway and the Faculty of Educational Sciences. CREATE’s objective is to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education.
 

Deadline: 2024-03-15 at 23:59
Unit: Social Sciences/Economics

Read the job description at the university homepage or apply.