Centre for Welfare and Labour Research, Work Research Institute (AFI)

Oslo Metropolitan University is Norway's third largest university with almost 22,000 students and over 2,500 employees. We have campuses in central Oslo and at Romerike. OsloMet educates students and conducts research that contributes to the sustainability of the Norwegian welfare state and the metropolitan region.

Centre for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA) consists of Work Research Institute (AFI), Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), and Consumption Research Norway (SIFO).

Research - Knowledge - Action

- for a better working life

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship – Social Inclusion of Youth through Citizen Social Science

Work Research Institute - Center for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA) 

The Work Research Institute (AFI) is a social science research institute performing multidisciplinary action-oriented research to provide new systematic knowledge about trends in working life. AFI is part of the Centre for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA) at OsloMet, which consists of four research institutes: Work Research Institute (AFI), Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), and Consumption Research Norway (SIFO), involving nearly 250 researchers and 213 active research projects.  

Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship funding programme 

We hereby invite top-class researchers of any nationality, after having obtained a PhD degree and up to eight years of research experience, to apply for an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF-2021) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of two years.

Area of research 

In Europe, and globally, substantial numbers of young people are at risk of social exclusion and there is therefore a pressing need to develop more knowledge and innovation to create more inclusive and youth-friendly societies. Successful strategies for social inclusion require better knowledge of what young people see as crucial issues for increasing their social inclusion, more knowledge about their experiences of opportunities for social inclusion in their daily lives and how youths can be involved as ‘lived experts’ and ‘change-makers’ in innovation and policy-making. Citizen science (CS) – broadly defined as ‘voluntary participation of the public in the scientific process’  and currently launched by the European Commission (EC) as an open science priority– holds great potential for contributing to new knowledge and innovations by including youths as citizen scientists, and helping create more inclusive societies for young people by supporting science–society collaboration and the active engagement of citizens in research and innovation. Yet CS is less developed in the social sciences, and evidence of the actual outcomes of CS in social science research is still scant. Thus, there is a need to develop more knowledge of the conceptual and methodological framework for transformative citizen social science and providing a solid evaluation base of the actual implementation and outcomes of such research. This particularly apply for the knowledge of the outcomes regarding work inclusion and increased work opportunities by participating as co-researchers in local co- creative citizen social science projects (e.g. concerning social entrepreneurship and social innovation).    

Tasks and responsibilities 

The candidate will collaborate closely with an upcoming EU-funded project on citizen social science called YOUCOUNT but are invited to develop a separate research project. This project should aim to explore the transformative role of social science for society and address mechanisms and processes that foster or hamper positive outcomes of participating in citizen social science projects for young people. The proposal prioritises research focusing on work inclusion of youth through social entrepreneurship but may also include/examine other issues regarding social inclusion, social cohesion or citizenship. Cross-national, multilevel and comparative designs are particularly welcome.

The candidates may want to address questions such as: What is the actual individual, social and work life outcomes of participating as young citizen scientist in local citizen social science projects focusing on social entrepreneurship and social/policy innovation? What characterize the participatory research and which aspects of these processes influence outcomes for the youth? To which extent can training and participation as a co-researcher contribute to social inclusion of youth with disadvantages, empowerment and social equity? Based on the findings, to what extent and how can co- creative citizen social science contribute to increase the transformative role of social science in society and support science- society partnership? How can the innovative and transformative role of social science be strengthened by including important insights and methods from citizen social science?

Successful candidate will be supervised by Research Professor Reidun Norvoll. She has over twenty years of experience in social science research and participatory methods including disadvantaged/vulnerable populations.  For more information on Norvoll, see her profile at Reidun Norvoll - OsloMet.

The successful candidate will primarily work on the Marie Curie funded project, but will be integrated in the Work Research Institute research work in general, taking part in regular meetings and discussion groups; also the candidate will specifically be introduced to Norvoll’s local, national and international network of researchers on citizen social science and participatory /action-oriented research. In agreement with the candidate, he/she may also be included in other ongoing CS- projects and/or in proposal development processes.

Expected qualification of candidates 

Candidates must have a PhD in social science such as sociology, political science, anthropology, social geography or service-/product designer as the minimum requirement.  We are primarily looking for experienced researchers who wish to use this period as an opportunity to further develop their research, and to develop longer term research collaborations with OsloMet and other institutions conducting research in the field. The candidates must be eligible for a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (PhD successfully defended and a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research).

We are looking for applicants who have 

  • Knowledge of social inclusion (particularly young people), participatory research and quantitative or qualitative data methods.
  • An excellent track record in research and publications, necessary for being able to develop a competitive Marie Curie Fellowship application
  • An open and cooperation-oriented nature, with strong abilities for independent academic work.

Application process 

With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite postdoctoral researchers to apply; they must submit their CV, including publications list and a one-page description of the research project idea, that together with a virtual interview will be the basis for assessing and selecting two candidates with whom we will collaborate for developing competitive MSCA-PF grant applications.  

If you would like to apply for the position you must do so electronically through our recruitment system. 

Assessment and selection of candidates 

Candidates will be pre-selected based on an internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. A maximum of five candidates will be invited for a virtual interview and a maximum of two candidates will be invited to submit a proposal to the EU funded MSCA-PF programme. Candidates will be informed of the results of the pre-selection to apply by 25 March 2021. The deadline for submitting the MSCA-FP proposal is 15 September 2021. 

Selected candidates will be invited and must participate in the MSCA-FP masterclass, a two-day online workshop organized by OsloMet on the first week of May 2021, exact date to be confirmed. In this first phase, the cooperation will be carried out remotely, with regular communication via email and online meeting platforms. If applicants are successful in their MSCA grant application, the place of work will be in the Work Research Institute, OsloMet main campus, located in the center of Oslo.

The postdoctoral position 

Successful applicants who obtain a MSCA-PF grant will be offered a position at OsloMet to be hired as postdoc researchers in conditions as explained below.   

Starting Date 

The EU informs the evaluation results on the MSCA-PF-2021 applications in February 2022. Successful applicants who receive the MSCA-PF grant are expected to be available to start in their postdoctoral position at OsloMet within the following two months of the evaluation results and no later than summer of 2022 

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods where you have not been in work, under education or in training, you are also welcome to apply.  

We offer 

Initially, we offer assistance in developing competitive Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals. Then, to successful applicants to the Marie Curie program, we offer: 

  • An exciting opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university 
  • Participation in a dynamic professional environment and unique academic community 
  • Flexible working conditions 
  • An inclusive and friendly work environment 
  • Unique academic network the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals under the auspices of Research Professor Reidun Norvoll
  • Beneficial welfare schemes and a wide range of sports and cultural offers
  • Free Norwegian language classes to employees and their partners/spouses
  • Work-place in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers 
  • On-boarding assistance and other services 

OsloMet has implemented the Charter & Code for researchers and been granted the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4) by the EU Commission and is part of the EU network for mobility of Researchers EURAXESS. Practical information about relocation to OsloMet to at EURAXESS Norway. 

Remuneration and employment 

The competitive fellowship opportunities are 100% funded and include living and mobility allowances.  

  • Type of employment: Temporary position 
  • Contract type: Full time 
  • Annual Salary: Approx. EUR 60,000 
  • Starting day of employment: Expected starting date 1 April 2022 
  • Number of positions: 2 
  • Working hours: 37.5 hours/week 

Other information 

For more information about the position, feel free to contact:    

  • Karoline Aursland, R&D and External Funding Support, Karoline.Aursland@oslomet.no
  • Florissa Abreu, R&D and External Funding Support, Florissa.Abreu@Oslomet.no
  • Reidun Norvoll, Research Professor, Reidun.Norvoll@oslomet.no

We only process applications sent via our electronic recruitment system and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be processed. The documents must be in English. Translations must be authorised. OsloMet performs document checks in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition.  

OsloMet has adhered to the principles in the DORA declaration and obliged the institution to follow the recommendations in this declaration. 

   

Deadline for application:       January 31, 2021

Ref.:      20/12044

  

  

  

  

  

 

Type of employment Temporary position (shorter than 10 days)
Contract type Full time
First day of employment Expected starting date 1 April 2022
Salary Annual Salary: Approx. EUR 60,000
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Oslo
County Oslo
Country Norway
Reference number 20/12044
Published 21.Dec.2020
Last application date 31.Jan.2021 11:59 PM CET

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