PhD Studentship in Political Science (3-4 years) - 'Waging of War' Project

About the role

About the position We are offering one PhD position with specialisation in either comparative politics, political data science, or public administration. The successful applicant will be part of the research project "Waging of War" (WOW), which is funded by the European Research Council. The PhD fellowship period is three years and devoted to carrying out research and pursuing a PhD in the context of the WOW project. The position may also include other career-enhancing activities: depending on the candidate's competence and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended up to four years for qualification work consisting of e.g. teaching duties. The primary aims of WOW are to investigate how the organization of warring parties influences the conduct of war, and conversely, how the fighting impacts the organizational structure of the belligerents. WOW will theorize, identify, classify, and code the characteristics of state military organizations and non-state armed groups and collect data relating to the dynamics of warfare. We will answer questions such as: How are wars fought? How does the organization of a belligerent party affect the way they wage war? How do the dynamics of the war affect the organization of the fighting parties? More information about the project can be found here: https://www.sv.uio.no/isv/english/research/projects/wow/index.html The PhD Fellow is expected to develop a research project within the overarching thematic scope of the larger project, namely the organizational basis and conduct of warfare. While the PhD project should align with the framework of the main project, the candidate has significant flexibility to pursue their own approach and research agenda. The project proposal should above all include a tentative overall thematic and theoretical framework, along with at least three ideas for academic articles (see below). The successful candidate will be part of the Faculty's PhD programme. The work is expected to lead to a PhD in political science. To promote a strategic career path, all PhD fellows are expected to submit a career development plan, specifying career goals and the competencies that the PhD fellow should acquire, no later than one month after commencement of the fellowship period. The department is responsible for ensuring that the plan is followed up and that the PhD fellow has access to career guidance throughout the duration of the fellowship. Qualification requirements: Formal qualifications Education equivalent to five years at university level in Norway, with two years (120 credits) at Master's level in a relevant field. The MA thesis must be equivalent to at least half a year's workload, i.e. 30 ECTS. The Master's degree must include relevant education in research methods or game theory. Other qualifications Applicants must have a very good to excellent command of English (written and oral). Language skills in other widely spoken languages, such as Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili are an advantage, but not a requirement. Applicants are required to possess robust empirical research knowledge within the realm of conflict research, and they must be well-trained in conducting either quantitative analyses or game theoretic analysis. Experience with large language models, machine learning, and/or programming in R or equivalent programs is an advantage but not a requirement. The evaluation of applicants primarily hinges on their documented academic qualifications and the research proposal. During the initial screening phase, a strong emphasis is placed on formal qualifications and academic grades, where top-tier grades and a highly commendable MA thesis are generally prerequisites for shortlisting. In the subsequent phase, the importance of the research proposal increases significantly. Additionally, factors such as academic suitability, motivation, and alignment with the project team are considered. 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. The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds. If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identif

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