Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economics

Job description

The Department of Economics invites applicants for a position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (SKO1352) in one of the following fields: Macroeconomics, Household Finance, or Family and Demographic Economics.

This is a full-time, four-year position, with 25% of working time devoted to teaching. The anticipated start date is between August 1 and October 1, 2027.

About the position 

The Department of Economics seeks a new colleague with the potential for outstanding research and high-quality teaching.

Candidates must provide evidence of excellence in research of the highest international caliber in macroeconomics, household finance, or family and demographic economics. This can be demonstrated by an innovative job market paper with a significant contribution to the literature, high-quality working papers, (forthcoming) publications in top-ranked and field-relevant journals, strong recommendations by referees who themselves have a record of excellence in research of the highest international caliber, the submitted research statement, presentations at significant conferences, and awards and accolades.

It is expected that the successful candidate contributes to a high standard of collegiality and the department’s working environment.

A postdoctoral position is intended for the employee to develop a research profile and competence that qualifies them to apply for an Associate Professor position. The position may also provide other competencies relevant to the postdoctoral fellow's future career.

A career plan shall be developed for the Postdoctoral Fellow, specifying the competencies the Postdoctoral Fellow should acquire. UiO is responsible for following up on the career plan and ensuring that the Postdoctoral Fellow has access to career guidance throughout the postdoctoral term.

If the Postdoctoral Fellow does not already have educational qualifications that meet the requirements for an associate professor position, UiO shall facilitate the acquisition of such competence during the employment period.

About the project

The postdoctoral position is financed by the research project HOWFER (Housing, Wealth, and Fertility in High-income Societies), led by Associate Professor Martin Blomhoff Holm. The project combines macroeconomics, household finance, and family economics to analyze how rising house prices and wealth concentration have contributed to falling fertility in high-income countries. Using Norwegian administrative data linking wealth, housing, and family formation for the entire population, the work will estimate the causal effect of house prices on fertility and build structural models to evaluate which policies most effectively affect fertility. The postdoctoral researcher will contribute both to the empirical and theoretical parts of the project, in collaboration with the core research team.

Candidates should articulate how they can contribute to and strengthen the project.

Requirements

• A PhD degree in Economics by the time of appointment, or shortly thereafter, and no later than September 30, 2027.
• A strong research profile in Macroeconomics, Household Finance, or Family and Demographic Economics that complements that of the department and the research project.
• Qualifications that are compatible with the department’s teaching obligations and study programmes.
• Candidates must have fluent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Residence in or close to Oslo is required, and presence on campus is expected.

We offer 

• Salary NOK 750 000 - 800 000 per annum, depending on qualifications, in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352).  From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
• A stimulating and international research environment with multiple research groups and seminar series.
• 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 kindergartens).
• Norway’s capital, with its rich cultural life and easy access to beautiful nature.
• Practical support for international staff moving to Norway (international staff may also benefit from tax cuts in their first years).
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.

Application

Your application should include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interests, and how the candidate can contribute to and strengthen the HOWFER project).
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity).
• Job market paper (clearly labeled).
• Other working papers or publications.
• Copies of PhD Diploma and educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
• Letters of Recommendation (optional).
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number). 

Your CV must be entered in Jobbnorge’s CV form and cannot be submitted only as an attachment. This requirement is intended to ensure correct documentation and record-keeping in accordance with the Public Administration Act, Section 15.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

An interview will be part of the hiring process.

Contact information

• Project leader: Associate Professor Martin Blomhoff Holm: m.b.holm@econ.uio.no 
• Head of Administration (Office manager): Brita Langeid: brita.langeid@econ.uio.no 

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 will provide appropriate accommodations should you need them. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

We especially encourage women to apply.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, 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.

General information

Please note that we are unable to add documentation after the application deadline. As the deadline applies equally to all applicants, this policy ensures equal treatment throughout the recruitment process. If you experience difficulties uploading documents in Jobbnorge, please contact their customer service: Phone: +47 75 54 22 20 or Email: support@grade.com 

The primary method of communication throughout the process will be e-mails and messages through the recruitment system Jobbnorge. When you receive a notification of a message in Jobbnorge, please log in to read it, as it may be important.

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) and Guidelines concerning appointment to recruitment positions at UiO. 

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees to secure the rights to all research results and related intellectual property.