Associate Professor in Science & Technology Studies

Job description

The TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture invites applications to a temporary position as Associate Professor in Science & Technology Studies (SKO 1011) with an expected starting date in autumn 2025, and end date 31 December 2027. The position will substitute teaching and supervision duties of one of our professors who is currently director of TIK. 

The successful candidate will be expected to initiate and pursue research within Science and Technology Studies (STS), to supervise Ph.D.  MA and possibly also BA candidates, to coordinate and participate in teaching, exam work and evaluation at all levels, to carry out administrative work in accordance with the needs of the Centre, as well as contribute to the on-going work of building, sustaining and leading the Centre’s research and teaching environment. 

The associate professor will be expected to contribute to the Centre´s STS-research group “Science, Technology and Culture”. The successful candidate will be expected to teach and contribute to the centre’s teaching portfolio in STS and participate in research and other activities that are relevant to the research group’s scientific profile in STS. 

Qualification requirements

The successful candidate must have the following qualifications: 

• Ph.D. within STS or related fields 
• In-depth theoretical knowledge of and strong empirically based work within STS; strong documented research competence within this field, particularly within the past five years 
• Documented experience and skills in teaching, academic leadership and administration included documented pedagogical skills. 
• Leadership skills, personal suitability and motivation for the position 
• Good oral and written skills in English are required and the successful candidate must be able to teach courses in one of the Scandinavian languages from the outset of the employment period.

The following qualifications will be given particular weight in the assessment: 

• Strong academic qualifications and academic contributions to STS where originality and innovative thinking in developing analytically and methodologically driven empirical research will be emphasized 
• Documented research competence and interests in areas that are relevant to the Centre’s core scientific profile in STS.  
• Pedagogical qualifications on Ph.D. and master levels and teaching experience. 
• Collaborative skills and documented experience with initiating joint research projects; collaboration across established academic disciplines, as well as an ability to build international networks
• Ability to contribute to the long-term development of the interdisciplinary academic and research environment at the Centre 
• Communication skills, interpersonal skills and documented experience with public outreach activities

Assessment 

In the assessment of the qualified candidates, all criteria listed above will be explicitly addressed and assessed. Applicants will be evaluated based on their documented academic qualifications as well as qualifications in teaching, management and administration. 

The department’s overall needs will be part of the considerations made in the hiring process. The successful candidate for this temporary position will be teaching and supervising as part of TIKs Master’s program and participate actively in all the functions that the position entails, including administrative tasks. Residency in or close to Oslo is expected. 

Interviews will be part of the appointment process, along with a trial lecture. 

We offer 

• Salary in position as Associate Professor, position code 1011 in salary range NOK from 750 000 to 870 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
• Academically stimulating working environment
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities. 
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes.

Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO

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.

We hope that you will apply for the position. 

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application letter and research plan: The letter should include a short description of the applicant’s academic profile, how the applicant views his/her academic orientation in relation to the core areas of the TIK Centre and its STS-research group and how the applicant will contribute to the development of TIK. The application must also contain a research plan which outlines what the applicant aims to achieve in the position. 
• CV (complete list of education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, project acquisition and coordination experience, and other qualifying activities) 
• A complete list of publications. The applicant is requested to indicate (but not send, see below) up to five academic publications for particular consideration during the assessment process. Copies of these works must be made available on request. 
• Educational portfolio documenting educational competence and experience 
• References (list of 2-3 persons with name, title, email and phone number) 

A screening committee will invite a limited number of candidates (“short list”) to submit a portfolio of academic work (i.e. up to five publications) that are particularly relevant for the position. Academic texts shall therefore not be enclosed with the application. In relation to larger volumes (monographs), the selected applicants should specify particular parts of the publication for review. After first assessing the candidates’ formal documented competence in STS, the screening committee will assess candidates for the short list based on documented track record in publishing as well as in teaching and supervision. An expert committee will then assess and rank the short-listed candidates as the basis for an appointment decision by the Social Science Faculty. 

Application with attachments must be submitted via our online recruitment system. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. 

General information

Interviews and trial lecture will be used in the selection process. The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

Please refer to the Rules for Appointments to Professorships and Associate Professorships at the University of Oslo, Rules for practicing the requirement for basic pedagogical competence at the University of Oslo and Guide for applicants for Professor and Associate professor positions - University of Oslo. 

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.

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.

TIK Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture is a cross disciplinary unit at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo. TIK is home to 40 staff members working in research, education and research communication in innovation and science and technology studies (STS). A major part of TIK’s activity is externally funded research. TIK also offers postgraduate education; a PhD-programme and two Master programmes. The Centre also hosts OSIRIS - Oslo Institute for Research on the Impact of Science.

Questions about the position

Kristin Asdal

Director

kristin.asdal@tik.uio.no 

Inger-Johanne Ullern

Head of Administration

+47 22854915

i.j.ullern@tik.uio.no