Postdoctoral Fellow in Special Needs Education

Job description

Applicants are invited for a three to four-year position as a Postdoctoral Fellow emphasizing research on special needs education for students with neurodevelopmental disorders. The position is to be based at the Department of Special Needs Education , Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo.

In 2024, Norway implemented a change to the Education Act , adjusting the criteria used to allocate extra resources for children with special needs. This project will evaluate the impact of this legislative change on children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), focusing specifically on their transition from kindergarten to formal schooling, and their subsequent academic outcomes.

To capture both pre- and post-reform conditions, the project will combine secondary and primary data. For the pre-reform period, the applicant will draw primarily on existing Norwegian data sources such as cohort studies and/or relevant national registries, which can be linked as appropriate to the research questions. The applicant will be responsible for identifying the most suitable data source(s) for the pre-reform period and applying for the necessary data access and approvals. The applicant will then collect new primary data to capture the post-reform period.

Within this structure, the applicant has flexibility in developing the proposal to include the specific data source(s) and academic outcomes to be examined, in line with their own research interests. The significance and rationale for the selected data source(s) and outcomes should be well detailed and justified within the project description. The applicant is expected to outline plans for data collection, as well as the methodological and analytical approaches envisioned. The fellow will also be expected to apply for relevant ethical approvals, collect primary data, conduct data analysis, plan the scientific publications that are part of the fellowship, as well as be first-author on the agreed upon publications.

More about the position

The appointment is a full-time position for a period of three years, with 10 % of which is devoted to required duties. Other career-promoting work will consist of presentation of project data at national and international conferences, authorship on scientific publications, potential supervision of Master and PhD candidates, and the possibilities of completing certification in Higher Education Pedagogy. Given that the position includes own data collection, the candidate is expected to be located in Oslo.

Depending on the candidate’s competence and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended up to four years, with 25 % of which is devoted to required duties. Other career-promoting work will in this case for example consist of various teaching tasks and obligations.

The main purpose of the fellowship is to build a research profile and competence that qualifies the postdoctoral fellow to apply for a position as associate professor within their disciplines. The position may also provide other competence with relevance for the postdoctoral fellow's further career.

If the Postdoctoral Fellow does not already have educational qualifications that meet the requirements for an associate professor position, UiO shall facilitate the acquisition of such competence during the employment period.

A career plan shall be developed for the Postdoctoral Fellow, specifying the competencies the Postdoctoral Fellow should acquire. UiO is responsible for following up on the career plan and ensuring that the Postdoctoral Fellow has access to career guidance throughout the postdoctoral term.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Special Needs Education, Psychology, or other relevant fields. The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation by the application deadline. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved

• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• Demonstrated knowledge about neurodevelopmental disabilities
• Demonstrated knowledge in quantitative statistical analyses and data management. More specifically, strong quantitative skills and experience in applying quasi-experimental methods (e.g., difference-in-difference, regression discontinuity, interrupted time series) to evaluate policy or intervention effects
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with one of the following statistical programming softwares (Stata, R, Mplus or similar) is required
• Strong scientific writing skills and a track record of peer-reviewed publication is required

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Experience with longitudinal quantitative methods will be considered a strength and emphasized
• Demonstrated knowledge in empirical data collection will be considered an advantage and emphasized
• Experience with large datasets will be considered an advantage and emphasized
• Previous research experience, especially related to neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, special education, or developmental psychology is considered an advantage and emphasized
• Mastery of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is considered an advantage

Personal skills

• Ability to work independently and take initiative
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Execution capability
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Good attention to detail and rigour

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no .

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here .

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

We offer

• Salary NOK 595 000 – NOK 670 000 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352). From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
• A professionally stimulating work environment
• Attractive welfare benefits
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse , which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes

How to apply

The application must include:

1. Cover letter of maximum one page (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
2. A three-page project description including background/theoretical relevance, research aims, and planned methodological and analytical approaches, in addition to a one-page progress plan. The relevance of the PhD to the project should also be documented. The reference list is not included in the page limit
3. CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
4. Copy of PhD Diploma or documentation of thesis submission. Applicants who have not yet defended their PhD dissertation need to include an advisor’s letter confirming specific expectations about when the degree will be received
5. Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
6. A complete list of publications
7. Up to three peer-reviewed academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered
8. List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system Jobbnorge. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description, and the quality of the project as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project during the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian) and the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Oslo .

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.