Researcher 

Job description

Applicants are invited for a two-year, full time position as Researcher (position code 1108) in the project “Mapping of Longitudinal data of Inequalities in Education” (MapIE) to be based at the Centre for Educational Measurement (CEMO), Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo. The appointment is funded by a European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation grant. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with partners in several other European countries (Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Hungary). The project is coordinated by Tampere University in Finland.

The MapIE project aims to identify mechanisms causing educational inequalities and policies or interventions compensating for them. The project has several interrelated work packages: (1) to conduct a systematic review of how educational inequalities have been studied internationally using longitudinal designs; (2) to map existing longitudinal data and describe this pool of data in a publicly available metadata database; (3) to analyse the identified data to describe the mechanisms of inequalities with the aim to identify effective policies and interventions in different local contexts; (4) to establish a public framework for studying educational inequalities longitudinally in future studies, acknowledging the role of local contexts but aiming for comparability at the European level. The project focuses on the contextual differences between the Nordic and Central European countries that have structurally different education systems. Within national contexts and using comparative research designs, the aim is to describe and account for how features at system-, regional- and school-level (policies, practices, and individual-level factors) are associated with the development of educational inequalities and the successful prevention of achievement gaps.

The researcher will be involved in all the work packages in the project. However, a main responsibility is attached to work packages to (a) plan, conduct, and report longitudinal analyses of national and international large-scale assessments in education; (b) review, describe, and map longitudinal data sets on educational equality in Europe; (c) identify, report, and illustrate interventions to close educational gaps; and (d) support the design of a technical manual for implementation of future longitudinal studies. These are vital steps in the project, and the researcher will gradually over the first months be expected to take leadership over these work activities.

Please find more information about the project here .

More about the position

The successful candidate will participate in an interdisciplinary and international research. It is also expected that the candidate hired for the position will contribute to high-quality scientific publications and to help achieve that the project develops a strong and good practice for open science. We are mainly searching for a researcher holding at least a master’s degree for a position as researcher, position code 1108.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to define and pursue own research interests within the scope of the project and the work packages. Some time (>5%) should be devoted to duties related to project management and research support.

The successful applicant will be affiliated with the Centre for Research on Equality in Education (CREATE), Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo. CREATE is a Centre of Excellence funded for 10 years by the Research Council of Norway. It brings together experts in education, psychology, sociology, economics, genetics, measurement, statistics, and psychometrics, to advance research on educational equality by identifying barriers, evaluating interventions, and developing innovative methodological approaches to examine equality in education.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian master’s degree in educational sciences, psychology, economics, sociology, or other relevant fields
• Applicants must have documented experience with and skills to plan, conduct, and report quantitative analyses of national and/or international large-scale assessment data, including the analysis of longitudinal data
• Applicants must have documented advanced knowledge of educational inequalities
• Applicants must have a background with skills in psychometrics or statistics
• Applicant must have familiarity and experience with academic publishing
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English is required

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Experience with design or implementation of national studies in education
• Mastery of a Scandinavian language

Personal skills

In the assessment of applicants, emphasis will be put on:

• Self-motivated, creative, and good interpersonal skills
• Cooperative, friendly, and team-oriented style of work
• Advanced knowledge of the substantive themes of the project
• Positive attitude towards developing best practices for open science

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 NOK 590.000 – 640.000 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Researcher (position code 1108). From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• An interdisciplinary team of highly accomplished scholars
• Attractive welfare benefits
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• A document of maximum 2 pages where the applicant describes the analytical potential of national and international large-scale assessments for mapping educational inequalities over time. The full project proposal is available upon request (see contact information below)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, administrative experience, and other qualifying activity)
• Master thesis
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• A complete list of publications
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number)

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system Jobbnorge.

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.

Foreign applicants must attach an explanation of their university’s grading system.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications as well as the candidates’ motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see Rules for the use of research posts at UiO and Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian)

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.

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