Applications Invited for PhD Research Fellowship in Political Science 2021

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The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With their broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

PhD Research Fellowship in Political Science (peace and conflict research)

The Department of Political Science hereby announces two vacant positions for PhD Research Fellowships (SKO 1017). The successful applicants will work as PhD Fellows on the project "ResilienceBuilding: Social Resilience, Gendered Dynamics, and Local Peace in Protracted Conflicts", funded by the European Research Council. Candidates will be part of the Faculty's PhD programme, and the work performed will be expected to lead to a PhD in Political Science.

The ResilienceBuilding project investigates the causes and consequences of social resilience in protracted armed conflicts, with a focus on Nigeria, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Kenya. It asks how civilians and communities develop social resilience and adapt to conflict dynamics in ways that prevent or mitigate violence, how they maintain resilience and prevent renewed vulnerability to conflict re-escalation, and how social resilience impacts peacebuilding and development.

The project further focuses on interlinking national and local dynamics of communal conflict and civil war to study the potential and limitations of international and local peacebuilding efforts and barriers to sustainable peace. The research into social resilience and multi-level conflict dynamics integrates a gender perspective. This means that research examines gendered coping mechanisms, variation in gender relations across areas differently affected by conflict, and women’s movements and peacebuilding agency on the national and local level.

Qualification requirements

Essential

• A Master’s degree in political science or closely related discipline. To be appointed to the position, the prior education must be equivalent of five years at the university level in Norway in a relevant field, with two years (120 credits) at the master's level. In case of completion of a shorter MA degree, extra course work on the graduate level and other research training and experience may be taken into consideration. Successful candidates must document top grades and an MA Thesis of high quality.
• Excellent oral and written English language skills. The PhD thesis will be written in English.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team, and willingness to contribute to administrative and organizational project tasks, such as the organization of workshops, conferences, and other research and outreach collaborations.
• Applicants must submit a doctoral research plan of up to 3000 words outlining one or more of the topics studied in ResilienceBuilding in relation to one or more of the country case studies (Nigeria, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Kenya). The research plan should specify the problems to be studied, motivation and relevance, the research methods to be used, and - if relevant - prior related research experience. Successful applicants should expect to further develop their research plan with inputs from the project leader and the research team.

Desired

• In addition, candidates with some of the following qualifications will be at an advantage: (1) Knowledge of politics or research experience in one of the project’s country cases and willingness to conduct fieldwork in at least one of them; (2) language skills relevant for conducting research in one of the four countries (e.g. French for the Central African Republic) (3) methodological competencies and training in qualitative and quantitative research methods (particularly interviewing, survey research, statistics), and (4) personal suitability and motivation for working within the project.
• In evaluating applications, academic and personal qualifications and the PhD research outline will be given more weight than other disciplinary and general qualifications. The intention is to recruit the candidate who has the best prospects for developing into an excellent researcher and for contributing to the project’s research agenda and outputs over the coming 4-year period.

They offer:

• Salary NOK 482 200 – 526 000 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
• A pleasant, stimulating and international working environment
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for cultural and outdoor activities
• A travel and research budget for field research and participation in conferences and workshops
• A good work-life balance and access to Norway's excellent public services and welfare schemes, including generous parental leave provisions and affordale and accessible childcare
• PhD Fellows may acquire pedagogical competency

How to apply

The application must include

• A cover letter statement of motivation and research interests, explaining why the candidate is well prepared for pursuing this PhD project
• A PhD research plan (max.3000 words)
• A CV (summarizing education, previous positions, academic and other relevant work)
• A Copy of the Master’s dissertation
• Copies of transcripts: All applicants must submit their Master’s degree diploma and transcript(s), preferably together with a class distribution of grades. The transcript must specify the grade achieved on the Master’s thesis.
• An official explanation of the grading and credit system at your university translated into ECTS-credits
• Names and contact details for two reference persons (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number)

Deadline: 5 January 2021

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