Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Sustainable AI and Ecophilosophy

About the position

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position, available at the Department of Informatics.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2026.

The fellowship period is three years. Depending on the candidate and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended either for compulsory work consisting of e.g., teaching and supervision duties and research assistance up top four years.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fel-lowship at the University of Oslo.

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

Place of work is the Department of Informatics at Blindern, Oslo.

Project description

Our age is defined by the dual challenges of environmental degradation and the rapid emergence of increasingly life-like advanced AI systems. In this situation, it is crucial that we simultaneously develop and improve theories and approaches that help us gain and maintain social and democratic control over developments that are often perceived and presented as deterministic and inevitable.

The candidate will contribute to ongoing projects aiming to explore and utilize Arne Næss’s Deep Ecology as a normative foundation for evaluating technology. A key component of these efforts is to translate influential ecosophies/ecophilosophies to our current era of vast digital infrastructures and the emergence of AI. Deep Ecology – in various guises – could help move “shallow” analyses of and the addressing of symptoms, and help guide us towards essential frameworks for fundamentally questioning the role and value of technology, how technology relates to social and environmental factors, and why we should question whether technological development is always “progress”. While seemingly a critical approach, it also clearly allow for the appreciation of how technology is conducive to reaching our fundamental goals if developed and deployed appropriately.

In line with the ambitions of the research group Technology and Sustainable Futures, the candidate will help the field move beyond "shallow" green IT (focused on various efficiency metrics) toward a Deep Eco-Technosophy, as the candidate, partly in collaboration with other researchers, foregrounds how informatics is not just about code, but about the material basis of technology and its role in both human and non-human flourishing.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a doctoral degree equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in the ethics and philosophy of technology or in technology and sustainability
• Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the clos-ing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defense are eligible for appointment
• A strong philosophical foundation, through an education or extensive experience in general philosophy, environmental ethics, the philosophy and ethics of technology, political philosophy, or STS
• A good grasp of the nature of AI and it’s socio-technical basis
• Proven experience with AI or robot ethics and/or sustainable AI or robotic
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

• Experience with sustainability studies
• Experience with futures studies
• Experience with design
• Teaching experience and the ability to communicate complex concepts and topics effectively to different audiences

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

What are we looking for in you?

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work precise in a structured manner and swiftly adapts to new tasks
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Positive attitude and the ability to handle hectic periods
• You are a person who prefer being present at work and actively contribute to the professional and social environment you are a part of

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.

We can offer you

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
• Committed colleagues in a good working environment
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.  
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities
• Postdoctoral development programmes.
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
• Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund

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.

How to apply

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• A concept note (maximum 1500 words) describing a tentative agenda for the applicant’s postdoc project as it relates to the topics described in the announcement. The proposal should convey the candidate’s tentative thoughts on relevant topics, methods, and approaches. The proposal will be evaluated on its academic promise and on the alignment with the supervisor and research group’s research and interests
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity) 
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

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.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoctoral fellow financed with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).

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 can't, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.