PhD Fellow in Media and Communication

Job description

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Media and Communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Media and Social Sciences. The position is vacant from August 1, 2021.

This is a trainee position that will give promising researchers an opportunity for academic development leading to a doctoral degree.

The appointment is for three years with research duties exclusively, or four years with both research and 25% compulsory duties. This will be clarified in the recruitment process.

The PhD student will be affiliated with the following project “The datafication of communicative power: Towards an indepentent media policy for Norway’s digital infrastructures”.

The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

About the project

This project investigates how the digital media infrastructure impacts the distribution of communicative power in Norwegian society. It aims to uncover how actors, networks and value streams shape this infrastructure, how data influence decisions in the public interest, and how the platform ecology informs the media system that carries the information and debate that support democracy. We welcome applications by research fellows with a project proposal focusing around one (or more) of the following topics:

  • Data infrastructures and network mappings.
  • Comparative digital communication systems analysis.
  • Relationships between the players in control of communications backbone, access, platforms and content.
  • Regulatory frameworks for data infrastructure.
  • Strategic stakeholders, value streams and data governance.
  • Data markets and policies.

Project proposal

As an applicant, you must prepare a preliminary project proposal for a doctoral project within the subject area, which explains the problem, relevance, theoretical and methodological approach. Your preliminary project proposal will be included in the application assessment. During the first three months of the employment period, the project proposal will be further developed in cooperation with your supervisors and completed for the final project description. A project proposal template can be found here.

Qualification requirements

We are looking for applicants with a strong academic background who have completed a five-year master degree (3+2) within Media and Communication Studies, preferably acquired recently; or possess corresponding qualifications that could provide a basis for successfully completing a doctorate.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Stavanger both the grade for your master’s thesis and the weighted average grade of your master’s degree must individually be equivalent to or better than a B grade. If you finish your education (masters degree) in the spring of 2021 you are also welcome to apply.

Applicants with an education from an institution with a different grade scale than A-F should attach a confirmed conversion scale that shows how the grades can be compared with the Norwegian A-F scale. You can use these conversion scales  to calculate your points for admission.

Emphasis is also placed on your:

  • adherence to the project’s objectives
  • motivation and potential for research within the field
  • your professional and personal skills for completing the doctoral degree within the timeframe
  • ability to work independently and in a team, be innovative and creative
  • ability to work structured and handle a heavy workload
  • having a good command of both oral and written English

We offer

  • varied duties in a large, exciting and socially important organisation
  • an ambitious work community which is developing rapidly. We strive to include employees at all levels in strategic decisions and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure.
  • colleague-based guidance programme (NyTi) if teaching is a part of your PhD
  • salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, l.pl 17.515, code 1017, NOK 482 200 gross per year with salary development according to seniority in the position. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
  • automatic membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which provides favourable insurance- and retirement benefits
  • favourable membership terms at a gym and at the SIS sports club at campus
  • employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation which is committed to reducing sick leave, increasing the proportion of employees with reduced working capacity, and increasing the number of professionally active seniors
  • “Hjem-jobb-hjem” discounted public transport to and from work
  • as an employee in Norway, you will have access to an optimal health service, as well as good pensions, generous maternity/paternity leave, and a competitive salary. Nursery places are guaranteed and reasonably priced
  • relocation programme
  • language courses: On this page you can see which language courses you may be entitled to (look up “language courses” under employment conditions)

Diversity

Being independent, involving and innovative are the university’s values. We consider diversity to be a resource in our working and learning environment, and respect one another’s differences and backgrounds. Universal design must characterise of physical and digital learning environment, and the workplace will, if necessary, be facilitated for employees with disabilities.

If you find the position to be interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, disability, cultural background or any periods of unemployment.

Contact information

More information on the position can be obtained from Head of department Oluf Langhelle, tel: +47 51 83 15 08, e-mail: oluf.langhelle@uis.no or Helle Sjøvaag, tel: +47 98 44 19 89, e-mail: helle.sjovaa@uis.no.

Information about the appointment procedure can be obtained from HR-consultant Annette Falch Lohte, tel: +47 51 83 13 61, e-mail: annette.f.loth@uis.no.

Application

To apply for this position please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In your application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.

The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:

  • project proposal 
  • CV with a full summary of your education and experience
  • one-page summary of your master’s thesis
  • publications or other relevant research work
  • references, certificates/diplomas and other documentation that you consider relevant

Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge at the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 30 MB, they must be compressed before upload.

Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants – see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act.

UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.

General information

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to UiS. 

Employment as Ph.D Fellow is regulated in “Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of post-doctoral research fellow and research fellow, research assistant and resident“.

Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee. Based on the committee’s statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.

The appointee will be based at the University of Stavanger, with the exception of a stay abroad at a relevant centre of research.

It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.

The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.