Doktorgradsstipendiat

Doctoral Research Fellowship - AI Democracy

Job Description

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) in Media and Communication is available at the Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo.

The PhD candidate will be associated with the interdisciplinary research group AI Democracy - How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) change political participation and democracy? (uio.no)The research group is funded by the initiative UIO:Democracy and will commence in the fall of 2024. We desire the PhD candidate to utilize knowledge, methods, and perspectives from social sciences and humanities to better understand how Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially generative AI and large AI models such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, and Dalle, can influence and alter the foundations of political engagement and democratic participation. Applicants are requested to develop a project description related to the AI-Democracy theme, describing theory, research questions, and methodology. For a template of the project description, see “The application must include”.

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Petter Bae Brandtzæg (Department of Media and Communication) and Jonas Kunst (Department of Psychology).

More about the position

The person appointed will be affiliated with the Faculty's organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the Faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research environment/network of the department and contribute to its development. Read more about the doctoral degree (uio.no) .

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant (uio.no) .

Qualification requirements

• Master's degree in Media and Communication or equivalent education. The Master’s degree must have been obtained, and results must be available by the application deadline. The Master's degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English, see Language requirements . Proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is also advantageous.
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Oslo, applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a five-year graduation course (Master’s degree or equivalent). In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year Master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.

When assessing applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

• The project's scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation
• The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
• The applicant's ability to complete research training
• Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

• Salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 per annum depending on qualifications
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (spk.no)

The application must include

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (with an overview of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience, and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of published and unpublished works)
• Transcripts of records of your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Applicants with education from a foreign university must attach an explanation of their university's grading system
• Documentation of Language requirements (uio.no) , if applicable
• Project description, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3 - 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions (uio.no)) . It is important that this relates to the AI Democracy initiative
• Please note that all documents must be in either English or a Scandinavian language.

Educational certificates, master’s theses, and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Applications with attachments must be submitted through our electronic recruitment system, jobbnorge.no.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.

Formal regulations

See also regulations as well as guidelines for the application assessment process and appointments to research fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights

Agreement for the purpose of securing rights tointellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

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.

Kontaktinformasjon

For questions regarding the position:
Professor Petter Bae Brandtzæg (uio.no)

For questions regarding how to apply:
HR Adviser  Karoline Farbrot (uio.no)

About the University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

The Department of Media and Communication's (IMK) main purpose is to conduct research, education and dissemination on the modern media, their importance for society and for people. IMK has approximately 50 employees, of which among half are permanent scientific staff and 16-18 PhD Fellowships and Postdoctoral Research Fellows. There are around 500 active students on different levels. The department offers one-year study program on the Bachelor's level and a Bachelor's degree in media and communication, in addition to Master's degrees in Media and communication, Political Communication and Screen Cultures. IMK is a multidisciplinary department, based on the academic traditions of the humanities and social sciences.