PhD Research Fellows in Electronic Music and Music Technology

The University of Agder, Faculty of Fine Arts, invites applications for up to 3 full-time positions as PhD Research Fellow in Electronic Music and Music Technology at the Department of Popular Music for a period of three years. At present, the positions are located at Campus Kristiansand. Starting date by appointment.

The Faculty of Fine Arts is comprised of 3 departments; The Department of Popular Music, The Department of Classical Music and Music Education, and The Department of Visual Arts and Drama. The Faculty has approximately 550 students and 90 members of staff employed in academic positions. See Faculty of Fine Arts

The Faculty offers several master’s- and bachelor’s programmes within fine arts, among them a Master’s programme in Electronic Music. The PhD programme has two specialisations, one within Popular Music Performance and one within “Art in context”.

The Department of Popular Music has highly qualified faculty with musicology supervision skills specialised within Popular music/popular music research. Also, the Department offers strong artistic competency within the field of Popular Music Performance and members of staff with a vast domestic and international network. These will offer the PhD Research Fellow support in the academic field/working environment and as possible supervisors.

The Department of Popular Music has established the laptop as a separate principal instrument, and it has over the last 25 years developed a strong academic environment within music technology. The Faculty of Fine Arts has invested considerably in recording studios of a high international standard.

The PhD research fellowship will be connected to the Department of Popular Music’s focus on electronic music and music technology. It is important that the Research Fellows work with digital media in their musical practice. Key issues are related to performance practices, musical and technological research, and the relation between the musically performative and the musically and artistically creative.

Please note that the PhD - programme allows for two types of theses:

1.    A combined artistic-scientific thesis including both a written and a performing part

2.    A more traditional scientific study with the thesis consisting of either a text-based monography or articles, with the focus being on the performing part of popular music practices and performances

It is a prerequisite for taking up the position that the Research Fellow is admitted to the university’s PhD - programme at the Faculty of Fine Arts, specialisation in Popular Music Performance. For more information: https://www.uia.no/en/studies2/phd-programmes/specialization-in-popular-music-performance

It is required that the appointee joins, and contributes to, one of the research groups at the Department of Popular Music and the Popular Music Research Unit (PMRU). Popular Music Research Unit is a research unit at the Department of Popular Music at the Faculty of Fine Arts that is established to organise the research groups and promote research activity in Popular music both domestically and internationally. Further information on the research groups and the Popular Music Research Unit is available here: https://www.uia.no/pmru

Further provisions relating to the position as PhD Research Fellow can be found in the Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.

Applicants must hold a master’s degree/second degree level or the equivalent in relevant master’s studies. For details on education requirements and prerequisite knowledge of Popular music, see the supplementary regulations for the PhD programme at the Faculty of Fine Arts https://www.uia.no/en/research/phd-programmes/regulations-related-to-phd-at-uia

This year’s candidates/candidates who are in the closing stages of their master’s degree can also apply. 

The working language at the University of Agder is Norwegian. In this position, Norwegian language skills are not required, but knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is an advantage. A high level of proficiency in both oral and written English is required. Regarding English skills, please check here  to see if an English test is required. Possible categories of applicants from particular countries may be exempted. Please note that the English test requirement applies to applicants from most countries according to the list mentioned above. No other tests will be approved, and certifications/statements cannot replace a test. Applicants from some countries must document their English proficiency through one of the following tests with the stated results or better:

• TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language with a minimum score of 550 on the Paper-based Test (PBT), or 80 on the Internet based Test (iBT)
• IELTS - International English Language Testing System, with a result of at least 6.0.

Additional evaluation of English language skills may be done during an interview

In the assessment process, considerable emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s project description. In addition, emphasis will be placed on examination results, the relevance of the academic background, and possible published works and documented development work.

The position requires that the appointee has the ability to work in a goal-oriented, organised, focused and independent manner. In the expert assessment, personal suitability and good teamwork skills will also be emphasised.

More about working at UiA.

The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.515, code 1017 PhD Research Fellow, NOK 491 200 gross salary per year. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.

UiA is an open and inclusive university. We believe that diversity enriches the workplace and makes us better. We, therefore, encourage qualified candidates to apply for the position independent of gender, age, cultural background, disability or periods of being unemployed.

The Faculty of Fine Arts aspires to engage more women in top artistic-/scientific positions, and from a long-term perspective, women are encouraged to apply for the position.

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions. For employees in PhD Fellowship positions at the Faculty of Fine Arts, there is a duty of residence during the period of employment in accordance with regulations concerning academic positions in the state sector.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for interviews. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will conduct a reference check. Read more about the employment process.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right. 

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.

A digital seminar will be arranged for potential applicants with the opportunity to ask questions: Friday 26 November at 10 AM (GMT +1) https://uiano.zoom.us/j/6944781445

The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link "Apply for this job".

The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:

• Project description with a maximum scope of 5 pages, including the reference list. The outline should present and discuss possible research questions, theory perspectives, methods, material, and a progress plan with stipulated expenses within the given framework of NOK 60 000 in total.
• Curriculum Vitae (use the “standard CV” in the electronic application)
• Certificates with grades for all education exceeding upper secondary level
• Certificate from graduate studies, including a list of courses completed
• For education from institutions outside of Norway, please include the official description of the grade system of the institution
• Master’s thesis
• Letters of reference
• A full list of Academic work and/or Artistic development work
• Academic work and/or Artistic development work (maximum 5)

The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or English. Translated material must be attested.

Application deadline: 15.01.22

For questions about the position:

For questions about the application process: