Doctoral Research Fellowship in Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Geochemistry

About the position

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) is available in Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Geochemistry at the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH), University of Oslo. 

The position is part of the project Ecological Archaeologies of the Afrotropics (EcoArch), funded by the European Research Council (ERC Synergy Grant 101224871). More information about the project can be found here. 

More about the position

The appointed candidate will work within the overarching goal of the project EcoArch to disentangle the drivers of landscape and climate change in the Afrotropics since the introduction of domesticated food economies. 

Candidates should propose a research project that provides, in one form or another, an examination of landscape transformation in the Afrotropics since the advent of agriculture using faecal, fire and vegetation biomarkers and stable isotopes from sediments recovered from lakes or swamps as well as archaeological sites. The candidate will apply state-of-the-art laboratory analyses of biomarkers and substance-specific isotopes from dated lake and swamp cores from Africa and Arabia. 

Applicants are required to upload/attach a research proposal (hf.uio.no) stating how they intend to address the central research questions and offer theoretical and methodological approaches to attend to the project’s objectives. Preference will be given to independent projects devoted to addressing one or more of these following possible themes: 
 

• The roles humans have had over the last 6000 years in shaping ecological baselines. 
• Landscape changes across the Afrotropics following the introduction of pastoralism and plant cultivation.
• Potential roles of fire, land clearance, grazing, plant selection and climate variability in shaping landscape complexion.
• Use of organic biomarkers and stable isotopes to shape our understandings of ecosystem functionality over different time scales.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their relevance to EcoArch, feasibility and application of theoretical and practical knowledge to better understand how humans have changed ecological systems over the last 6000 years. 

IAKH’s archaeometry research group and laboratory provides the context for the fellowship, which houses a Büchi E-914 SpeedExtractor for extracting samples. Column separations, derivitization and mass spectrometry (GC-MS, LC-MS) is performed at the SciCult facility located at the Historical Museum, University of Oslo. In addition, the successful candidate is expected to travel to Africa and will join the team in sampling from archaeological sites as well as coring in the regions and analysing sediments from these projects toward completion of their PhD. 

The person appointed will be affiliated with the faculty´s organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the faculty with a view of obtaining the degree PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu and to contribute to its development. Read more about the Doctoral degree: PhD in the Humanities (hf.uio.no).

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisors within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively a 12 or 6 months Completion Grant (hf.uio.no). 

Qualifications

Mandatory requirements

• A master’s degree or equivalent in archaeology, geoarchaeology, geography, geology, geochemistry, chemistry, biology or related degree. The applicant is required to demonstrate/document how that the degree corresponds to the profile of the announcement. The master’s degree must have been obtained, and the final evaluation must be available by the application deadline. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English (see Language requirements (hf.uio.no) 
• The candidate must have relevant knowledge in biomarker geochemistry either in laboratory or theoretical settings. 
  The candidate must be able to work in laboratories as well as in hot and adverse conditions in the field. Note that the position requires fieldwork in remote locations with basic amenities. Manual labour, non-standard working hours and camping are requirements of this aspect of the project.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programme at the University of Oslo, applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a five-year graduation course (master’s degree or equivalent), including a master’s thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In special cases, the Faculty of Humanities may grant admission based on a one-year Master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

Desired competence

• Laboratory experience in the analysis of biomarkers or other organic molecules in environmental samples using gas chromatography or liquid chromatography would be highly beneficial for this position. The candidate should be able to adapt and further develop biomarker methods to suit the samples and research questions; this also includes substance-specific isotope analyses.
• Demonstration of international experience in personal, work or academic settings related to doing fieldwork in the Afrotropics. 
• Knowledge of African and/or Arabian prehistory, particularly related to the introduction of agriculture.
• Interest and motivation to publish results in international, peer-reviewed journals.

Personal skills 

• We seek candidates willing to work in a highly interdisciplinary environment who can collaborate on a multicultural research project. 
• The successful candidate must have and be able to demonstrate excellent communication and time management skills.
• The successful candidate must be self-motivated and be able to adapt to a changing work situation in the event that initial results are not successful.
• The successful candidate must demonstrate good critical thinking skills and be able to contribute to a positive working environment both on the EcoArch project and to the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History at the University of Oslo. 

We need different perspectives in our work 

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

 

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.

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

We hope you will apply for the position with us. 

We offer

• Salary in position as Doctoral Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 - 595 800, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. 
• Participation in a pioneering research project that will map a new way forward to understand human-climate interactions over long time periods. 
• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organisation with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• A professionally stimulating working environment.
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (spk.no), which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Attractive welfare benefits (uio.no)
• Career mentoring by four PIs and numerous international partners.
• Paid travel to fieldwork and conferences as part of your studies.
   

Application

• Application letter describing your qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae with a list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications (if applicable).
• Diploma and transcript of records of your bachelor’s and master's degrees. 
  • For applicants with education from a Norwegian higher educational institution: Please retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your Diploma and transcripts or grades. 
  • Applicants with education from a foreign university: Please upload copies of your diploma in addition to copies of your transcripts or grades. You must also attach an official explanation of your university's grading system.
• Project proposal, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3 - 5 pages, maximum 14.000 characters. See Template for project proposal (hf.uio.no)
• If applicable: Documentation of English Language requirements (hf.uio.no). The appointed applicant will be asked to document these skills prior to admission to the PhD programmme.
• Do not submit other certificates, articles, master theses and the like unless specifically requested. If further documentation is wanted for assessment, you will be asked to submit it later. 

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge. 

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

General information

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 cannot, you will hear from us.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian),  Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the 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.