PhD Research Fellowship in Political Science

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28,000 students and 7,000 employees in a broad range of academic disciplines. UiO has shaped society for over 200 years. As a leading European university, it promotes independent and innovative research, and offers outstanding education.

The Department of Political Science is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. It is the largest political science department in Norway and covers all subfields of the discipline: international politics, public policy and administration, comparative politics, political theory and research methods. The department offers a vibrant academic environment with a good mix of permanent staff, postdoctoral and PhD fellows. Around 1,400 students are currently enrolled at BA, MA and PhD level. The department runs two large political science programmes at BA and MA level. In addition, the department hosts interdisciplinary study programmes in International Studies, Public Administration and Leadership, and Peace and Conflict Studies. The department has several research groups, including Comparative Institutions and Regimes, Policy, Bureaucracy and Organization, and Political Data Science. The Department also hosts the interdisciplinary Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX).

About the position

We are offering a PhD position with a specialization in public policy and public administration research. This position is part of the EU-funded Horizon Europe Consortium “Sustainable Public Administration in Modern Democracies (SUPA),” which includes various research institutions across Europe and beyond. The analytical starting point of the SUPA Consortium is the observation that democratic governments often produce more policies than they can effectively implement. The key aims are (1) to identify strategies that make policy growth more sustainable and (2) to develop approaches that enhance the resilience of public administrations against the threat of overburdening. Within this broader consortium, the UiO team is specifically tasked with investigating how new policies generate additional implementation loads and examining the distribution of these burdens across various public authorities. The expectation is that public authorities will encounter different types of chances and challenges depending on how the new implementation tasks are spread or concentrated among them. The empirical focus of this Consortium centers on climate, environmental and social implementation authorities in six European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands) and the European Union level. Additionally, UiO is the lead institution within the consortium, which means it is also tasked with coordination the individual members, crafting policy briefs, orchestrating workshops and webinars with policy-makers, administrators, and civil society actors, and organizing events with leading scholars.

The PhD Fellow is expected to develop a research project within the overarching thematic and geographical scope of the larger project. While the PhD project should align with the theoretical framework of the main project, the candidate has significant flexibility to pursue their own approach. We encourage the submission of a project proposal that includes a tentative overall thematic and theoretical framework, along with at least three ideas for academic articles. The Fellow will be expected to contribute to data collection and to analyze the relationship between policy growth and changes in public administration. The primary objective is to examine how the growing implementation tasks are distributed among various public authorities and to investigate whether workload management strategies differ based on the responsible administrative body. The theoretical expectation is that the implementation burden may be concentrated within a single agency, diffused across multiple agencies, or outsourced to the private sector, each presenting its own unique challenges for managing workload surges.

Depending on how the candidate’s competence fits in with the Department’s teaching portfolio, the person appointed may be given either a three-year appointment with no teaching requirement or a four-year appointment with a 25 percent teaching requirement. 

The successful candidate will be part of the Faculty’s PhD programme. The work is expected to lead to a PhD in political science.

Qualification requirements

Formal qualifications:

• Education equivalent to five years at university level in Norway, with two years (120 credits) at Master’s level in a relevant field. The MA thesis must be equivalent to at least half a year’s workload, i.e. 30 ECTS.
• The Master’s degree must include relevant education in research methods.

Other qualifications:

• English language skills (written and oral)
• Country-specific knowledge and language skills for one or more of the following countries is an advantage: Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands.
• Applicants are required to possess robust empirical research knowledge within the realm of political science. They should be proficient in conducting quantitative or qualitative analyses.

The evaluation of applicants is based on documented, academic qualifications and the research plan. Personal suitability, motivation, and compatibility with the rest of the project team are also considered. The most promising candidates are invited to an interview.

We offer

• We offer Salary according to “SKO 1017 PhD fellow”, NOK 540 500 - 575 400 per year.
• Personal research funds that can be used for e.g. travel and research assistance (currently NOK 35 000 per year)
• A stimulating and international research environment with multiple research groups and seminar series
• Involvement in a large research consortium that provides opportunities to build a network across Europe and to directly engage with practitioners and decision-makers.
• A friendly and inclusive workplace allowing for a good work-life balance
• Access to Norway’s excellent public services and welfare schemes, including generous parental leave provisions and affordable and accessible childcare (including the University’s kindergarten)
• Norway’s capital with its rich cultural life and easy access to beautiful nature
• Introduction course for PhD Fellows: Teaching as a PhD candidate

How to apply

The application with attachments must be submitted in our electronic recruiting system. Please follow the link “apply for this job”.

The online application must include the following items, which are to be submitted before the deadline (all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language):

• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages), including a statement of motivation
• A research proposal (maximum 3,000 words including references). The proposal should clarify the research theme, main research questions, how the research contributes to existing literature and the project, theoretical approach, methodology, and a timeline. A final research plan must be developed in cooperation with the project leader within three months of the start date.
• A CV summarizing education, positions, research and pedagogical experience, administrative experience, and other qualifying activities
• Copy of Master’s thesis
• 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 for the Master’s thesis.
• Official explanation of the grading and credit system at your university (foreign applicants)
• Names and contact details for 2-3 reference persons (name, relationship to candidate, e-mail, and phone number). Reference letters are not needed.

The application deadline is 4th February 2025. The screening and evaluation of candidates will begin immediately. We expect the whole evaluation process, from the application date to an offer being made, to take 5-8 weeks, depending on the number of applications. The expected start date is July 2025.

Formal regulations

Please see the regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of postdoctoral research fellow, research fellow, research assistant and resident - University of Oslo (uio.no).

Pursuant to section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act, information concerning the applicant may be disclosed to the public, even if the applicant has requested not to appear on the list of applicants.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for all employees, for the purpose of securing intellectual property rights to research results, etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

PI, Associate Professor Yves Steinebach; yves.steinebach@stv.uio.no 

Manager for the PhD Fellows at the department, Professor Robert Huseby; robert.huseby@stv.uio.no 

Questions about the electronic application should be directed to HR Adviser Christine Forø Tollefsen; c.f.tollefsen@sv.uio.no

Questions about the position

Yves Steinebach

Associate Professor

yves.steinebach@stv.uio.no