Adjunct Professor in Mathematical Geophysics

About the position

A 20 % position as Adjunct Professor is available at the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems (CENSSS) at the Department of Technology Systems (ITS).

Starting date is as soon as possible.

The appointment is for a 20 % position for a period of three years.

About the Department

CENSSS is a Centre for Research-based Innovation (SFI), funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and UiO for up to eight years, starting in November 2020. CENSSS has three research partners and nine user partners. CENSSS is located at Kjeller, Norway, where there is a long history of space science and technology dating back to the 1960s.

CENSSS addresses challenges and opportunities in science, technology and business related to “New-Space” satellites and systems for Earth Observation, as well as Space Exploration, by focusing on novel sensors, systems and services. CENSSS is operating the RIMFAX ground penetrating radar on the NASA Perseverance Mars rover.

What they are looking for in this position?

The Adjunct Professor fellow will be part of the RIMFAX team on the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission, as well as future instruments and missions within CENSSS. RIMFAX is a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and one of seven scientific instruments aboard the Perseverance rover. The RIMFAX Science team is an international team with participants from institutions in both US and Europe, see: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance/science-instruments/#sensors

The main goal of the RIMFAX experiment is to study the environmental and geological history of Mars at the Perseverance landing site in Jezero crater. 

The data collected by RIMFAX (as well as by other sensors at CENSSS) cannot be directly interpreted; an inversion procedure is required to extract relevant geological information. Forward simulation methods and signal processing  techniques are also required for modeling and parameter extraction from the data.

Your main tasks will be

The Adjunct Professor research work will include the following topics and tasks:

• Develop algorithms and theory for inversion of data collected by RIMFAX and other CENSSS instruments. 
• Contribute to modelling, inversion and implementation of numerical methods for future sensors and measurement techniques at CENSSS. 
• Supervise PhD students, particularly in inverse problems, geophysics, scientific computing, signal processing, fast algorithms, and optimization. 
• Process, interpret, and visualize RIMFAX GPR data from Mars, and present results to the Mars 2020 Science Team. 
• Publish scientific results at conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.

More information about the position

Applicants must document academic qualifications in their field, equivalent to a professor position. The successful applicant must be able to teach at all levels and to supervise Master and PhD students. 

The successful applicant may furthermore be required to take on other teaching duties and administrative tasks, by request from the Department or the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. 

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• The successful applicant must have completed a PhD in Physics or Mathematics and have a strong scientific track record within the area of Mathematical Geophysics. 
• Scientific qualifications will play a major role, with emphasis on the candidate’s demonstrated scientific contributions in all of the following topics: inverse problems, mathematics, geophysics, scientific computing, signal processing, and space science.
• Documented potential for acquisition of external funding
• Pedagogical qualifications and teaching and supervision experience at all levels will be an important factor in the evaluation process and should be well documented in a teaching portfolio. The applicant should describe her/his qualifications in view of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) framework which includes:
  • Focus on student learning
  • A clear development over time
  • A researching approach
  • A collegial attitude and practice
• The successful candidate who at the time of appointment cannot document sufficient teaching qualifications (minimum formal requirement is a 200 hours pedagogical programme) will be required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.
• The successful candidate must demonstrate mastery of both English and one of the Scandinavian languages as working languages, in order to be able to teach and otherwise be able to participate in all functions the position may involve. 

Desired qualifications:

• Candidates should be able to establish, lead and conduct research projects, also as a collaborator. A track record in scientific and administrative leadership is an advantage, as well as participation in the acquisition of research grants.
• International network, outreach activities, collegiality, and the ability to create a good working environment will be part of the evaluation.
• The person appointed will be requested to take on some administrative duties. Hence such experience will be an advantage.
• It is desirable that the candidate has worked and applied his research with large scale data geophysical data sets
•  It is desirable that the candidate has worked with space related data.
   

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?

Personal skills:

• Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive and productive research environment
• Networking skills, ability to collaborate and conduct scientific leadership
• Ability to cooperate and communicate well with other members of staff

The successful candidate should have an international profile with respect to the above criteria. The candidate for this position will be selected based on excellence and fit with the section’s research profile.

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.
• 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 as Adjunct Professor (position code 1013) in salary range NOK from 850 000 - to 1 050 000 depending on competence and experience. From the salary, two % is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. 

Inclusive work life and diversity at UiO

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

We hope that you will apply for the position.

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

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application letter
• A research position paper (1–4 pages) describing the applicant’s vision and scientific ambitions for the nearest future
• A detailed CV, including a complete list of education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative management, project acquisition and coordination experience, and other qualifying activities
• Copies of educational certificates, PhD diploma, transcript of records and letters of recommendation
• A complete list of publications and academic merits and awards (if not included in the CV)
• Full text of up to 10 selected scientific publications the applicant wishes to include in the evaluation
• A document discussing the importance, interrelation, and relevance of the selected papers for this position
• Educational portfolio of 3–6 pages documenting educational competence and experience, including a reflection note in which your own teaching practice and view of learning is anchored in the SoTL framework (focus on student learning, development over time, a researching approach and a collegial attitude and practice) 
• List of reference persons: 2–3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

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

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

As a general rule an interview will be used in the appointment process, usually supplemented with a trial teaching session. The basis for assessment will be the scientific production of the applicant, the teaching portfolio, pedagogical and educational qualifications, the applicant’s qualifications within leadership and administration, other qualifications as well as general personal suitability for the position. In ranking the competent applicants, the full range of qualifications will be considered and explicitly assessed.

Rules for appointments to associate professorships. 
https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-appointment-professor.html

Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence for appointments to permanent academic posts which include teaching duties: 
https://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/rules-basic-pedagogical-competence.html

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova), information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results, see: http://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/employment/work-results/