PhD Fellow in Archaeology

About the position

At the Institutt for arkeologi, historie og religionsvitenskap (AHR), Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Education (HSL), a position is available as a PhD Fellow in archaeology.

The PhD fellowship is a training position with the goal of completing research training up to a doctoral degree. Admission to the doctoral program is a prerequisite for employment, and the study period begins upon commencement of the position.

The position is for a period of 3 years and full-time PhD studies with the possibility of an extension through a completion grant. If the doctoral thesis is submitted within the standard study period of 3 years or within 3.5 years, the fellow qualifies for a completion grant of 12 or 6 months, respectively. The completion grant shall be used for qualification-promoting measures, including university pedagogical courses, teaching, and other tasks at the faculty. More about the completion grant scheme can be found here.

The place of work is UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving an offer.

The institution and academic environment

Institutt for arkeologi, historie og religionsvitenskap consists of approximately 40 employees within the academic environments of religious studies, history, and archaeology. The institute engages in teaching, research, and dissemination, and aims to be a leader in the Arctic and the northern regions. The institute currently has 7 PhD fellows affiliated with various research groups/academic environments.

The institute's archaeology environment has 6 permanent employees and currently one PhD fellowship. The academic environment conducts research within a wide range of periods and themes related to the northern regions. Research on Saami past, theory and method, cultural heritage, and contemporary archaeology holds a central place here. Individual academic staff conduct research in several of these fields, and much of the research is linked to research projects. Extensive international research cooperation is conducted. The academic environment has a well-developed laboratory, which enables independent laboratory studies/analyses.

The position's research area

The position's project must be based on perspectives relevant to Northern Norway, but is otherwise completely open thematically and chronologically.

Empirically, it can be directed toward all periods from the Stone Age to the present day based on a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, including comparative perspectives and contemporary archaeology. There is also an opening for more theoretical tasks and/or themes related to cultural heritage management, museology, and dissemination.

Applicants must submit a project outline providing the academic basis for the doctoral project. The project outline must not exceed 5 pages, including literature references. It must contain a description of the theme, research questions, and a justification for the choices made. It should also describe which approaches will be utilized.

The final project outline will be developed in collaboration with a supervisor. It is important that the applicant has an appropriate background and is motivated to work on the project. A template for the project outline can be found here (Bokmål)/here (Nynorsk).

Contact

More information about the position can be obtained from professor Bjørnar Olsen,

• tel: +47 77644365,
• e-mail: bjornar.olsen@uit.no

and professor Charlotte Damm,

• telephone: +47 77644373
• e-mail: charlotte.damm@uit.no

and institute director Joakim Aalmen Markussen

• email: joakim.a.markussen@uit.no

Qualifications

Necessary qualifications:

• Master's degree in archaeology or another field relevant to the announcement with a minimum grade of B or equivalent.
• Good knowledge of English. Nordic applicants can document this with transcripts from upper secondary school.

It is strongly desirable that applicants who do not master Norwegian or another Scandinavian language develop competence in Norwegian during the fellowship period.

In the assessment, the quality of the project outline will be given the highest weight. Subsequently, the applicant's potential to complete research training based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific works. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral studies may be taken into account.

In the evaluation, we will also emphasize personal suitability and motivation for the position. We are looking for candidates who, among other things, have:

• Good collaborative skills and are prepared to receive and respond to supervision
• Abilities for good communication and interaction with colleagues
• Abilities and desire to contribute to a good working environment

As many as possible should be given the opportunity to undergo research training. If you have already obtained a doctoral degree or have equivalent competence, you are not eligible for employment in this position.

Admission to the PhD program

For employment as a PhD fellow, it is a prerequisite that you are admitted to the PhD program at the Fakultet for humaniora, samfunnsvitenskap og lærerutdanning and that you participate in organized doctoral studies during the employment period.

Admission normally requires that the applicant has:

• A Bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a Master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 30 ECTS or more if the applicant has a Master's degree of 120 ECTS.
• A Master's thesis with a scope equivalent to 20 ECTS or more if the applicant has an integrated Master's degree of 300 ECTS.

To be admitted, a grade point average equivalent to B or better in the Master's degree is required. The grade point average also applies to integrated 5-year Master's degree programs where all subjects are included in the calculation. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

If you meet the admission requirements and are employed in the position, you will simultaneously receive provisional admission to the PhD program. The application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after commencing the position.

For applicants with an international educational background, it will be assessed whether the education is equivalent to Norwegian higher education at the Master's level. The assessment follows national approval practices; see Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse. Applicants with education from certain countries must have more higher education to meet the admission requirements, for example, a 4-year Bachelor's and a 2-year Master's. UiT normally approves international higher education from countries that have ratified the Lisbon Convention.

Inclusive working life and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway has a personnel policy goal to be an employer that reflects the diversity of society and utilizes the potential in the population's collective competence. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength and want employees with different competencies, combinations of subjects, life experiences, and perspectives.

If you have a disability, gaps in your CV, or an immigrant background, we encourage you as an applicant to check these boxes in the job application portal. If there are qualified applicants, we call in at least one from each group for an interview, and if you get the job, we will make arrangements for you if you need them. Beyond selecting the right candidates, we do not use the checkboxes for anything other than anonymized statistics. Read more in the Employer Portal: arbeidsgiver.dfo.no/strategisk-hr/inkluderingsarbeid/bli-bedre-pa-rekruttering/hvordan-skrive-stillingsannonser-som-inkluderer/positiv-saerbehandling-nar-man-soker-jobb-i-staten

We offer

• You will become part of an exciting research project
• Good career opportunities
• A good working environment with dedicated colleagues
• Good welfare schemes
• Good pension, insurance, and loan schemes in Statens pensjonskasse
• PhD fellows normally receive 550,800 NOK in annual salary with a 3% increase per year
• Opportunity to apply for grants for a longer research stay abroad

The application

Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you attach all necessary documents that demonstrate your qualifications for the position.

Your application must include:

• A cover letter with a description of your research interests and motivation for the position
• CV
• Official transcripts for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official grade reports for Bachelor's and Master's degrees in the original language
• Official translation of transcripts and grade reports into English or a Scandinavian language, if applicable
• An explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English language proficiency (if available)
• Documentation of Norwegian language proficiency or another Scandinavian language (if available)
• 2-3 references with contact information
• The Master's thesis, and any other scientific works
• Project description (5 pages)

Documented completed Master's degree is a condition for commencing the position. You can still apply if you have not received your Master's degree certificate, but the Master's thesis must be submitted for assessment by the application deadline for the position. You must attach the Master's thesis and grade reports from the degree in the application.

All documentation to be assessed must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If documentation of English proficiency is missing at the time of application, it must be documented before commencement.

Expert assessment

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to conduct an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the application documents and the announcement text. All applicants will receive a copy of the expert committee's assessment.

Applicants who are assessed to be the most qualified will be called for an interview. The interview shall, among other things, clarify personal suitability and motivation for the position.

General information

Employment is carried out in accordance with the rules and terms that at any time apply to state employees, and guidelines at UiT. On our websites, you can find more information for applicants to positions at UiT.

A PhD fellowship position is remunerated according to the state's regulatory code 1017. From the salary, a 2% contribution is deducted to Statens pensjonskasse. You will become a member of Statens pensjonskasse, which provides you with many benefits in addition to lifelong old-age pension and AFP: you may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you are insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you receive good terms on home loans. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter employment period may be granted if the fellow has already completed parts of their research training program, or when the employment is based on previous employment in a training position, so that the total time for research training becomes three years.

Personal data provided is processed in accordance with the Act on the Processing of Personal Data. Applicants can request not to be listed on the public applicant list, but the university may nonetheless decide that the applicant's name shall be made public. The applicant will then be notified prior to publication.

About the employer:

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is an internationally leading comprehensive university. Our vision is to be a driving force in the North. The North Saami concept *eallju*, which means industriousness, sets the tone for the driving force in UiT. Together with students, employees, and society at large, we shall utilize our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our academic breadth, and our interdisciplinary advantages to shape the future.

UiT has approximately 18,000 students, more than 4,000 employees, and is established on four main campuses and seven other study locations in Northern Norway and on Svalbard. Our largest campuses are Tromsø, Alta, Narvik, and Harstad. UiT has seven faculties, 40 institutes and centers, and leading research environments within various disciplines. The university has 269 study programs and focuses on educational quality.

Academic freedom, scientific, and research ethics principles form the basis for all of UiT's activities. Participation, co-determination, openness, and good processes shall provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and forward-looking priorities. Our students and employees shall have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on scientific integrity, we shall be brave, engaged, and generous - close to the subject, the people, and contemporary developments.

Read more about UiT's strategy towards 2030