Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) at the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History

About the position / About the job

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) in the fields of the history of religion, legal history and/or medieval art history, is available at the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH), University of Oslo (UiO). 

The position is part of the project POLYCHROME ‒ The Survival of Damaged Medieval Polychromed Heritage in the Nordics, which is funded by the European Research Council (Grant Agreement number 101125383). More information about the project can be found here. 

More about the position

The appointed candidate will work within the overarching goals of the POLYCHROME project. The project investigates evolving attitudes to devotional images that have been selectively mutilated since the Reformations, and the influence of restorers on how this heritage is interpreted today

Candidates should propose a research project that examines, in one form or another, historical sources that shed light on changing attitudes to medieval objects after the Reformations in the Scandinavian countries.

Preference will be given to independent projects devoted to one or more of these possible themes:
 

• Pre- and post-Reformation theological positions on the offense of image-breaking.
• Idolatry, heresy and Catholic practices in the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Image-worship, image-acceptance, image-rejection and image-breaking in Scandinavian churches.
• How the neglect and crumbling state of medieval churches was approached by private owners, clergy and congregations. 
• Continued roles of martyr saints (Olav and Sunniva), despite proscription of saints as intercessors.
• The spectacle of punishment in post-Reformation Scandinavia. 
• Natural magic and Catholic practices in the post-Reformation period.
• The rationality and uses of Black Books (Svartebøker).
• Comparisons between documented iconoclastic acts in the Scandinavian countries and those in other locations, or at other historical moments.

Any of these topics might address issues of gender. Any might also include observations of similarities and differences between sources and attitudes in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Applicants are required to submit a project proposal (hf.uio.no), which sets out research questions, theoretical foundations, methodological approaches and a detailed progress plan. The project proposal should be 3 to 5 pages (maximum 14,000 characters). See Template for project proposal (hf.uio.no). 

Proposals will be evaluated based on their relevance to POLYCHROME, feasibility and application of theoretical and practical knowledge to better understand evolving attitudes to devotional images that have been selectively mutilated since the Reformations, and the influence of restorers on how this heritage is interpreted today.

Short-listed candidates will be invited to interview. The successful candidate is expected to start no later than 1 September 2026.

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary network, whose interconnected research will contribute to the candidate’s development. The candidate will be affiliated with organised research training at the Faculty of Humanities.

The academic work is to result in a doctoral dissertation that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. Read more about the Doctoral degree: PhD in the Humanities (hf.uio.no).

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. PhD candidates who, with a written recommendation from their supervisor, submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment within 3 years after the start of their PhD position will be offered a 12-month Completion Grant (hf.uio.no). Those who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment within 3 ½ years will be offer a 6-month completion grant.

 Qualifications

Mandatory qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in History of Religion, Early Modern History, History of Art or Social Anthropology. The applicant is required to demonstrate and document how their degree corresponds to the profile of the position. The MA 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.
• Reading proficiency in a Scandinavian language.
• Ability to work in an international and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Oslo, applicants must have completed a five-year course (BA and MA or equivalent), including an MA thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of 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 qualifications

• Hands-on experience of the primary sources for the proposed project.
• Working knowledge of Latin and German sources (primary and secondary).
• Interest in the afterlives of medieval objects in churches.
• Documented collaboration skills. 
• Documented success of working within deadlines.

In assessing the project proposal (hf.uio.no), special emphasis will be placed on:

• The applicant’s project and its academic merit.
• Relevance to the aims of the POLYCHROME project.
• The applicant's potential to complete the project within the 3-year timeframe.
• Potential to complete research training.
• Potential to contribute to a multi-disciplinary and international research network.

 

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,– to 595 800,-. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. 
• 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 development. 
• Exchange opportunities.
• Possibilities to apply for travel funding. 
   

How to apply

The application, written in English, must be submitted via the recruitment system, Jobbnorge, with the following documents and attachments:

• Application letter, describing qualifications and motivations for the position.
• Curriculum Vitae, with education, employment history, other qualifying activities, and a complete list of publications.
• Diploma(s) and transcript(s) of records, for BA and MA degrees. 
  • Applicants with education from a Norwegian higher educational institution can retrieve education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. 
  • Applicants whose results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, including those from a foreign university, should upload copies of diplomas, transcripts and grades. Those from a foreign university must be accompanied by an official explanation of the grading system.
  • All submitted documents must be translated into English or a Scandinavian language.
• Research-project proposal, including research questions, theoretical foundations, methodological approaches and a detailed progress plan for the project. The proposal should be 3 to 5 pages (maximum 14,000 characters). See Template for project proposal (hf.uio.no).
• The appointed applicant will be asked to document English-language skills prior to admission to the PhD programme. See English Language requirements (hf.uio.no).
• Further documentation might be requested to assess the application. However, do not submit other certificates, articles, master theses and the like unless specifically requested to do so. 

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.