PhD Research Fellow at the Faculty of Law

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About the position

The Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, offers a PhD-position affiliated to the Research Group for Climate, Energy and Environmental Law. The position is connected to the project ‘The North Sea Carbon Basin: Governance for transporting, storing, and building Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure in the Climate Transition’ (NorthCarb). The project is funded by Akademiaavtalen.

NorthCarb is an interdisciplinary project developing new expertise in law and comparative politics on cross-border and climate policy interactions of CCS in the North Sea. 

The position is a fixed-term contract. The term of employment for the position is 3 years, which can be extended to 4 years if the applicant is qualified to teach in compulsory courses in the master's program at the Faculty of Law.

The preferred starting date is 01.03.2025 or later upon agreement.

About the project

NorthCarb will concentrate on North Sea governance and regulation of carbon transport, carbon storage, and regional and cross-border CCS projects. NorthCarb’s main objective is to help scale up CCS and minimize regulatory obstacles in the North Sea by generating interdisciplinary legal and comparative political knowledge regarding cross-border implications and CCS-climate governance interaction. This will be achieved by analyzing rules, policies, and stakeholder political positions on large cross-border CCS projects in the North Sea from an EU/EEA and climate perspective.

This PhD position will focus on legal research related to infrastructure projects (for storage and transport) involving two or more countries in the North Sea, including Norway. 

Applicants for this position must develop a project proposal 3-5 pages maximum outlining research ideas related to at least two of the following NorthCarb’s research tasks:

• Cross-border deposits of CO2: In this task, the PhD researcher is expected to compare the management and regulation of offshore transboundary oil and gas deposits with future joint development storage sites for CCS operations. 
• Cross-border transport of CO2: In this task, the PhD researcher is expected to: i) analyze the regulation of cross-border CO2 transport by pipelines and/or ships through a doctrinal legal study of the applicable regime in the North Sea based on the interaction between the London Convention, its 2009 Protocol and the 2024 Memorandums of Understanding entered into by Norway and other European states; ii) research on the implication and interactions of EU/EEA rules concerning the construction and operation of cross-border transport infrastructure for CCS projects.
• Cross-border CCS projects and liability regimes: In this task, the PhD researcher is expected to study liability regimes connected to the leakage of CO2 (and other instances of damages related to CCS projects) in general but more particularly for transboundary CCS projects for both states and CCS infrastructure operators.

When developing your research proposal, take these tasks as a starting point. Rather than “solving them,” we ask you to show what you consider interesting research aspects that you will work on during the PhD period. You are also encouraged to point out new issues or questions that are linked to these matters and have a cross-border CCS element.

Please contact project coordinator Ingrid Birce Müftüoglu for access to the NorthCarb project description. 

Qualifications

• The candidate must hold a Norwegian Master in Law or an equivalent Law degree from a different jurisdiction. Applicants must have submitted their thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the degree has been awarded.
• Expertise in energy law, law of the sea, public international law and/or climate law is an asset.
• An interest in interdisciplinary and international collaborative work and eagerness to develop an academic career or aspiration.
• A high academic level, demonstrated in the thesis and, if relevant, through other written work.
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and to collaborate with others. 
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English and have good knowledge of a Scandinavian language, as the position will deal with aspects of Norwegian law and it will require engagement with legal texts written in Norwegian.

Work tasks and expectations 

• Work on a doctoral thesis (either a monograph or article-based) to be delivered at the end of the PhD period. 
• Publish shorter pieces oriented to the dissemination of research results among wider audiences and present your research in international settings.
• Participate in the PhD program at the Faculty of Law (read more here).
• Actively contribute to the activities conducted by the Research Group for Climate, Energy and Environmental Law and help organize activities related to NorthCarb.
• Consider conducting a research stay in another country and research institution to expand your knowledge on the topic.

Your application must include:

• A cover letter with a brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position and how this agenda fits with the aims of NorthCarb.
• A project proposal for the planned research (3-5 pages) with relevance for the NorthCarb-project. The proposal shall include a short description of the postdoctoral project’s overall topic, objectives, and method. 
• Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts of grades.  
• CV (using the template in the application portal).  
• List of scientific work (publication list) if relevant. 
• The names and contact information of two referees. One of these should preferably be the main supervisor of the thesis.   

The application can be written in English, Norwegian, or another Scandinavian language. The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be sent electronically via the link «Apply for position» on this page. 

The position as a PhD fellow is a fixed-term position that has a doctorate as its goal. As a PhD fellow, you must participate in the faculty’s research training program and must meet the conditions for admission  to this program within 3 months after appointment. 

Applicants whose education is from another country than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. They are also advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system. 

Applicants must also attach NOKUT's general approval that the education corresponds to a Norwegian master`s degree. See Foreign education | HK-dir for more information on general approval of higher education.

Applications that do not include all mandatory attachments will not be considered.

We can offer:

• An excellent opportunity for exciting career development in a professionally challenging working environment at the Faculty of Law.
• Salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 540 500, - NOK 575 400,- (equivalent to pay grade 55-59) per year. For particularly highly qualified applicants, a higher salary may be considered.
• Opportunity to apply for a mobility grant to institutions abroad as part of the position.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Generous welfare benefits.

Read more about what UiB can offer its employees at What can the University of Bergen Offer its Employees? | Division of Human Resources | UiB

General information:

The assessment will emphasize the quality of the project description and its relevance and importance towards the project, as well as the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites for carrying out the project and contributing to the research community at the Faculty.Relevant applicants will be called in for an interview. 

Further information about the employment process at the University of Bergen can be found here. 

Information about the position can be obtained by contacting Knut Høivik: knut.hoivik@uib.no. Information about the recruitment process and employment conditions can be obtained by contacting HR at the faculty: hrjur@uib.no.

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. 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 sucessful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.