Postdoctoral Fellow on the ERC Project “Contested Frontiers of Settler States” (ConFront) at University of Bergen

There is a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the Department of Comparative Politics, University of Bergen. The position is for a period of 4 years where 75% will be devoted to research and dissemination as an integral member of the ERC project and 25% may involve teaching, supervision, and administrative tasks at the department.

About the project/work tasks:

The project combines political theory, constitutional law, and comparative politics to understand competition – usually between Indigenous peoples and settlers/states – to (re)constitute frontier jurisdictions, especially in the North American Arctic, Fennoscandic north, U.S. Pacific, and Australian tropics. ConFront consists of five team members led by the department’s associate professor of Arctic governance, Aaron Spitzer.

The successful candidate will be based in Bergen, ideally beginning autumn 2024. They will actively collaborate with other team members, will help conduct fieldwork and research dissemination in frontier regions, and will participate in the department’s Indigenous Peoples and Governance in the Arctic research group. Candidates are expected to propose and execute a research plan contributing to ConFront’s objectives. A general overview of ConFront can be found here. More specific project details are available from the project leader. The successful candidate will further be expected to teach and supervise at the bachelor and master levels, and to engage in other tasks at the Department.

Qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a PhD or an equivalent degree in Political Science, Comparative Politics, Political Philosophy, Constitutional Law, or a related discipline relevant to the project, or must have submitted their doctoral thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and demonstrate good collaborative skills.
• Applicants must be proficient in both written and oral English.
• Applicants will ideally have experience in – and commitment to – the study of Indigenous, Arctic, or related issues and challenges.
• Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

The successful candidate is expected to live and work in Bergen and participate in common activities at the Department.

Applicants are advised to familiarize themselves with the teaching and research profile at the Department.

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• Research proposal (4-5 pages)
• The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main advisor from the PhD programme.
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted.
• Relevant certificates/references.
• List of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
• Any publications in your name. 

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.

The closing date is February 7th, 2024. The application has to be marked with: 23/17259.

Applications sent by e-mail will not be evaluated.

For more information about the project, please click the ‘Apply’ button for the complete advertisement or contact Associate Professor Aaron Spitzer; aaron.spitzer@uib.no. For practical questions, please contact HR Advisor Gudrun Horvei; gudrun.horvei@uib.no.