Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

31st December 2023
Languages
English

• English

English
Dynamics of word learning in children with developmental language disorders
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
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Job description

Applications are invited for a 3-4 year full time position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Research on Equality in Education (CREATE) and the Department of Special Needs Education (ISP), University of Oslo, Norway. The intended startup time is March or April 2024. The position is part of the research project “Neurocognitive dynamics of word learning in developmental language disorder” funded by the Research Council of Norway. The postdoctoral fellow will have office in the premises of CREATE, but will also carry out work at ISP and in the Oslo SPeLL EEG lab.

The project’s main aims are 1) to identify treatment parameters that maximize language treatment effects for children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and 2) identify which stages of the language processing that are potentially affected by these treatments. The language training will be carried out using an adapted multiplayer version of the existing app Kaptein Morf ( https://kapteinmorf.uio.no ). Experimental studies testing different types of multiplayer functionality with children with DLD and children with typical development will be part of the project. The project will also involve electrophysiological (EEG) studies, in order to determine what stages of the information processing stream are affected by different training conditions. 

The project is a collaboration between between researchers at the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen, the University of Arizona, and the University of Oxford. Further information about the project can be obtained by contacting Janne von Koss Torkildsen ([email protected]).

CREATE is a Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway with the objective to generate novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education (https://www.uv.uio.no/create/english/) . The interdisciplinary centre integrates researchers with substantive expertise from education, psychology, sociology, economics, and genetics, and methodological expertise from educational measurement, psychometrics, econometrics, statistics, and biostatistics. 
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 developmental disabilities) 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 lab includes state of the art EEG equipment.

UiO/ Anders Lien via Unsplash UiO/ Anders Lien
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, which will include a 25% teaching component, devoted to teaching, supervision and other work in the Oslo SPeLL EEG lab.  

The postdoctoral fellow is expected to work with the project team on testing and adapting the digital platform, recruitment, data collection (language assessment and EEG recordings), supervision of master’s students, data analysis (behavioral and EEG data) and write-up of scientific articles. The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in top academic positions, and an important task will therefore be to contribute with first- and co-authorships for publications in high-quality journals. The  postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to define and pursue their own research interests within the scope of the project’s research aims.  

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in speech-language therapy, special needs education, psychology, education, language sciences or another relevant field. 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 knowledge in the fields of language development and/or language disorders
• Quantitative research skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in a Scandinavian language and English 

The following qualifications are not required but considered an advantage:

• Experience with language assessment and/or language interventions for children
• Experience with electrophysiological (EEG) methods 
• Experience with digital educational tools, such as learning apps or digital assessments

Personal skills

• A cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented style of work 
• Creativity and ability to work independently
• Motivation for the position, including an interest in electrophysiological research methods
• An eagerness to develop quantitative research skills further
• Motivation for working within an interdisciplinary team 

We offer

• Salary NOK 584 500 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• An interdisciplinary and international work environment, 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

Please provide in the application:

• 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 should 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.

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

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 and 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 make adjustments 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 Janne von Koss Torkildsen 

Shane Colvin/UiO via Unsplash Shane Colvin/UiO
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 7500 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Department of Special Needs Education is one of the three departments at The Faculty of Educational Sciences. The department focuses on basic and applied research and education of bachelor-, master- and doctoral level candidates within the field of special needs education in Norway, including the areas of language and speech pathology.

 

The department employs over 50 scientific staff in addition to about 20 administrative employees. The department has approximately 800 students distributed between bachelor- and master's degree studies in special needs education as well as PhD-studies.

 

Apply for this job
Deadline

31st December 2023

Employer

University of Oslo

Municipality

Oslo

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Sem Sælands vei 7, 0371 Oslo

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