Vacant Position: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship – “Airborne: Pollution, Climate Change, and Visions of Sustainability in China”

Oslo, Norway

Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages

Deadline: 25th Sep 2014

A position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow is available at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages within the research project “Airborne: Pollution, Climate Change, and Visions of Sustainability in China”.

Airborne is an interdisciplinary and international research projectthat studies how people’s experiences and imaginaries of the impact of air pollution transform into new visions of sustainability and creative forms of action in China. Airborne will help answer the question of how, and to which extent, communist authorities, scientists, rural/urban inhabitants, and environmental organizations interact in responding to the inseparable risks of air pollution in China and global climate change. In three interdisciplinary case studies we integrate issues of gender, class, and rural-urban distinctions into the study of air pollution: Case 1: The Interface between Air Pollution Science and People; Case 2: Central PM Pollution Policy Goes Local; Case 3: The Class and Gender of Individual Air Pollution Exposure (see project site for more information: http://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/english/research/projects/air-china/index.html).

The postdoctoral research fellow will join the Airborne research team, preferably working within Case 2. The aim of this case is to compare local implementations of central PM policies in Hangzhou and Tangshan with a focus on local interactions between policy makers, residents, industry, media, and NGOs. The applicant should have an academic background from political science, sociology, media science or anthropology, and experience from doing fieldwork in China.

The applicant is expected to develop a research focus, and an individual plan for fieldwork and other forms of data collection. The project description must clarify how the applicant will approach the suggested post-doctoral research theme methodologically and theoretically, and render evidence that the project will be completed within the 2-year period. The candidate is required to publish (or co-publish with other Airborne researchers) at least two articles at a high international level by the end of the project period, and to help establish electronic channels for public dissemination of Airborne research. The applicant must have a good command of Chinese and English, and the ability to work in a research team.

The position is available for a 2-year period starting January 2015.

The main purpose of postdoctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

 Requirements:

    PhD with a specialization relevant to Airborne’s research
    Experience of doing fieldwork in China, and working with Chinese sources

    Personal suitability and motivation for the position

The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation before the application deadline.

In the evaluation of the applications, emphasis will be placed on:

    the project’s scientific merit, research-related relevance and innovation
    the applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to carry out the project within 2 years and to contribute to the main project
    good co-operative skills, and the ability to successfully join in academic collaboration within and across disciplines

 We offer

    Salary level 57-65 (482 800-559 600 NOK per year, depending on qualifications)
    A professionally stimulating working environment
    Attractive welfare benefits

Submissions

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application form, preferably in pdf format:

    Application letter
    Curriculum Vitae with grades listed
    List of published and unpublished works
    Project description (5-10 pages). The project description must present a feasible progress plan.

Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

The short-listed candidates will be invited to an interview at the University of Oslo or we will arrange for an interview on Skype.

See also Regulations concerning Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships.

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

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, 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.

    Region: Oslo

    Job type: Contract

    Working hours: Full-time

    Working days: Day

    Application deadline:
    25 September 2014

    Expected Start Date:
    January 2015

    Location:
    Oslo

    Reference number:
    2014/6399

    Home page:
    http://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/

    Contacts:
    Head of Research Rune Svarverud
    Telephone: +47 22856982
    Mobile: +47 92063660
    Professor Mette Halskov Hansen (modern Chinese society and politics)
    Senior Executive Officer Evian Nordstrand

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