PhD Position in Information Science

At the Department of Information and Media Studies, University of Bergen, there is a vacancy for a doctoral candidate in information science. The appointment is for four years of which 25% of the total appointment time is a duty to be performed at the department, typically as a teaching assistant.

The candidate will be linked to the research group Logic and Artificial Intelligence https://www.uib.no/en/rg/lai

About the project/work tasks:

The candidate will work in the research front in artificial intelligence, preferably with a project in machine ethics, autonomous agents and multi-agent systems, explainability, fairness, automated audit of accountability, or ethical impact of automated decision-making processes.

The candidate will be linked to the Logic and Artificial Intelligence research group (https://www.uib.no/en/rg/lai), and must submit a relevant project proposal together with a proposed supervisor together with their application. It is strongly advised that the proposed supervisor is contacted in advance.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

  • The applicant must hold a master’s degree in information science, informatics, cognitive science, logic, or equivalent.
  • Applicants who finish their master’s degree by 15 July can apply. The degree has to be obtained before employment.
  • The requirements are generally a grade B or better on the Master thesis and for the master’s degree in total.
  • As an applicant you should be able to work independently, have a considerable work capacity as well as an enthusiasm for research.
  • Good knowledge of English, both written and oral is a prerequisite.
  • Required is a documented background in one or (preferred) more of the areas:
    – formal methods
    – logical programming
    – formal argumentation
    – deontic / normative reasoning
    – decision- and/or game theory
    – formal verification
    – moral philosophy
    – differential privacy
    – machine learning

A course the candidate has taken or a project the candidate has completed counts as documented background. Experience from scientific work is an advantage.

The ideal candidate has a great motivation for research, interest in the topics of the project, and insight into relevant theories and methods. They are able to work independently and have good collaboration skills.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the department for an interview.

About the PhD position:

About the PhD position: The duration of the PhD position is 4 years, of which 25 per cent of the time comprises obligatory duties associated with research, teaching and dissemination of results. The employment period for the successful candidate may be reduced if he or she previously has been employed in a PhD position.

About the PhD training: As a PhD research fellow, you will take part in the PhD programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences, UiB. The programme corresponds to a period of three years and leads to the PhD degree. To be eligible for admission you must normally have an educational background corresponding to a master’s degree with a scope of 120 ECTS credits, which builds on a bachelor’s degree with a scope of 180 ECTS credits (normally 2 + 3 years), or an integrated master’s degree with a scope of 300 ECTS credits (5 years). Master’s degrees must normally include an independent work of a minimum of 30 ECTS credits. It is expected that the topic of the master’s degree is connected to the academic field to which you are seeking admission.

Project proposal: A research proposal of 5-8 pages must accompany the application. The proposal should present the topic, the research problem(s), choice of theory and methods, and the name of the proposed main supervisor. The proposal should also include a progress plan for the different parts of the project. Admittance to the PhD programme will be based on the research proposal.

We can offer:

  • Salary at pay grade 54 upon appointment (Code 1017) on the government salary scale (equivalent to NOK 482 200 per year). Further promotions are made according to length of service in the position
  • A good and professionally challenging working environment
  • Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
  • Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

  • A cover letter including a brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position
  • The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of them must be the main advisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis
  • Project proposal
  • CV
  • Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
  • Relevant certificates/references
  • A list of academic publications
  • Academic publications that you want to submit for assessment (including your master’s thesis or equivalent)
  • If you have a master’s degree from an institution outside of the Nordic countries, or a 2-year discipline- based master’s degree (or the equivalent) in a subject area other than the one associated with the application, you may later in the application process be asked to submit an overview of the syllabus for the degree you have completed

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge following the link on this page marked “Apply for this job”.

Applications submitted without a project description or applications sent as e-mails will not be considered. Only submitted documents will be subjected to an expert assessment.

General information:

Additional information about the position is obtainable by contacting Head of department Leif Ove Larsen, e-mail: leif.larsen@uib.no, or tel.: +47 55 58 41 16.

Practical questions regarding the application procedures should be directed to Adviser – HR, Bodil Hægland, e-mail: bodil.hagland@uib.no.

Appointed research fellows will be admitted to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Questions about the programme may be directed to Adviser-PhD: Hanne.Gravermoen@uib.no.

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.