Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the Department of Comparative Politics

• English

Through robust and close interaction with the world around us – globally, nationally and locally – we shall be instrumental in building a society based on knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Do you want to take part in shaping the future?

(Video unable to load from YouTube. Accept cookie and refresh page to watch video, or click here to open video)

The Department of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen is advertising a 4 years postdoctoral research fellow position within the project “Representing the Future in an Aging Europe: The Politics of Demographic Change” (funded by the Trond-Mohn-Foundation ).

The project addresses the impact of demographic change on representative democracy. The growing proportion of senior citizens across European populations increases their influence on elections and policy decisions. How does this affect the political representation of old, young, and future generations ́ interests? To assess the impact of demographic change on Generational Political Pluralism in Norway, Europe, and beyond, the project investigates generational cleavages in two integral parts of policymaking: public opinion and political representation. The empirical analyses draw on a combination of observational, behavioural, and experimental data and will use a range of innovative methods like survey experiments, text analysis, and social network analysis to make descriptive and causal inferences. Read more about the project here . A detailed project plan is available upon request .

The project consists of five team members and is led by Trond-Mohn-Fellow Jana Birke Belschner. The successful candidate will be based in Bergen. An ideal start-up date is during the Autumn semester and no later than 1.12.24. They will actively collaborate with other team members in implementing the project’s work packages and will participate in the department’s research group on citizens, opinion, representation, and elections (CORE).

Candidates are expected to propose and execute a research plan within the subfields of political behavior, political economy, and/or political representation that contributes to the project objectives. Specifically,  the Postdoctoral researcher will:

• Conduct high-quality research within the framework of the project, including the collection and analysis of text data;
• Write academic articles with other team members (including the PI, the PhDs, and other associated researchers at UiB and other institutions);
• Assist with administrative responsibilities related to the project, including organization of workshops, writing deliverables, data management, and dissemination of project findings in general audience venues;
• Co-support and mentor PhD students and junior researchers working on the project;
• Be affiliated with and take active part in the research environment at the Department of Comparative Politics at UiB;
• Be encouraged to teach in project-related courses in the Department's BA- and MA-programmes

• We welcome applicants with a PhD within Political Science, Economics, or a related discipline. Applicants must have submitted their doctoral thesis for assessment or be in the final stages of preparation for submission by the application deadline. It is a prerequisite for employment that the doctoral degree has been completed.
• Applicants will ideally have experience in the study of generational inequality, political representation, and/or political behavior; certified by journal publications and/or working papers within these subfields.
• Proven methodological skills in survey research, quantitative text analysis, and/or social network analysis are an advantage.
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner, as well as have the ability to cooperate with others.
• Applicants should be proficient in both written and oral English.

An expert committee will perform a review of the applicants. The evaluation will place emphasis on the candidate’s past performance, the quality of the submitted research plan, and future ambitions and potential. Based on the expert committee’s report, top ranked candidates may be invited to the department for an interview and might be asked to hold a trial lecture in a given topic.

The successful candidate is expected to live and work in Bergen and participate in common activities at the Department. Applicants are advised to familiarize themselves with the teaching and research profile at the Department, please see https://www.uib.no/en/sampol# .

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 years. 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 good and professionally challenging working environment.
• Gross annual salary as Postdoctoral research fellow, code 1352, of NOK 615700. Further increase in salary will depend on seniority. A higher salary may be considered for a particularly well qualified applicant.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund .
• Good welfare benefits

• A brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• The research proposal (4-5 pages)
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these should be the main advisor from the PhD programme.
• CV including a list of publications and working papers
• A maximum of five publications/working papers to be considered in the assessment
• Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted. Candidates who are close to submission need to deliver a letter from the main supervisor, confirming when the thesis will be submitted.

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

The closing date is May 3rd, 2024. The application has to be marked with: 2024/3484.

Applications sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.

Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:Jana Belschner ([email protected] )

Practical questions about the application process should be directed to: Gudrun Horvei ([email protected] )

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal.

We spesifically encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply. Successful women applicants will be invited to participate in the Department’s women’s network that offers seminars, activities, and workshops to boost women’s Academic careers.

It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. 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.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

Further information about our employment process can be found here .

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

There are seven departments at Faculty of Social Sciences. Read more about the faculty and departments . 

3rd May 2024

University of Bergen

Bergen

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Fixed Term

Loading...