PhD Research Fellowship in Economics, Oslo, Norway

Deadline: 7 November 2012
Open to: Candidates with an academic background in economics or econometrics who have a completed MSc degree (or equivalent) of excellent quality
Fellowship: Salary in the range between NOK 416 600 – 468 400 (55 800 – 62 700 Eur) per year,  depending on qualifications

Project description

The successful candidate will work in a research team that analyzes the feedbacks between climatic, social and ecological forces with the aim to strengthen the adaptive capacity of institutions that govern marine ecosystems, focusing on the Barents Sea ecosystem. Typical issues to be studied are

• how informal institutions, such as social norms and cultural identity, influence behavior of individual fishermen
• how formal institutions, such as government regulatory agencies, respond to environmental change and its effect on resource users
• how biological complexity, such as the risk of a resource collapse induced by climate change, should be reflected in management plans

The applicant has the possibility to visit the Fisheries Centre of the University of British Columbia for one semester to work with leading experts on global and regional effects of climate change on marine biodiversity and fisheries. The Centre has a unique database comprising distribution maps, as well as ecosystem and catch data for more than 1,000 species. Additional shorter stays abroad with other partners to acquire complementary knowledge are also possible.

Qualification

We search for a candidate with an academic background in economics or econometrics who has a completed MSc degree (or equivalent) of excellent quality. Candidates must have strong quantitative skills and rigorous training in statistics or econometrics. Experience with STATA or other statistics software is a prerequisite. Further assets are strong analytical skills in the field of microeconomics, especially game theory, or familiarity with computational methods. Prior experience with environmental and resource economics or fisheries is an advantage, but we also welcome applicants from other economic fields. The applicant should have a keen interest to work in an interdisciplinary environment with scientists from different disciplines.
We also emphasize that we are looking for a candidate with good communication skills across different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, as well as good collaborative and organizational skills. A good command of English is required, because this is the working language at our institute.

Admission to the PhD program

The purpose for the fellowship is research training leading to a successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the research training program at the University of Oslo. Due to the interdisciplinary character of this project, the candidate may either enroll in the PhD Program in Economics or in the PhD Program for the Natural Sciences (this is to be decided by the selected candidate in agreement with the project leader).

• More information about the PhD program in Economics can be found here
• More information about the PhD program in the Natural Sciences can be found here

Fellowship

The University of Oslo offers:

• A research project at the frontier of economic science
• A highly stimulating and interdisciplinary research environment
• Salary in the range between NOK 416 600 – 468 400 per year,  depending on qualifications (Pay grade 50-57)
• Favorable pension and welfare arrangements (e.g. maternity leave)
• The possibility to work with our network of partners and benefit from their expertise during stays at their institutes

Application procedure

The application must include:

• Application letter including a statement of interest, briefly summarizing your scientific work and interests and describing how you fit the description of the person we seek
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic experience)
• Copies of educational certificates (bachelor and master), and transcript of records
• A maximum of 2 letters of recommendation, or names and contact details of references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• Up to 3 academic work (e.g. publications, theses, or essays) may be included to be considered by the evaluation committee

The online application form can be found here. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University grading system. Please remember that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language. Please note the deadline for application is 7 November 2012!
The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results. The University of Oslo has a goal of recruiting more women in academic positions. Women are encouraged to apply. The University of Oslo also has a goal of recruiting ethnic minorities to Norway in academic positions. Ethnic minorities are encouraged to apply.
For further information, please visit the official webpage.