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.
SPS develops the study of professions as a multidisciplinary field of research, comprising research from a wide range of disciplines. SPS aims to be a leading centre for research and graduate study within the study of professions in the Nordic countries.
The Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS) has a vacancy for a three-year fixed-term position as a postdoctoral fellow associated with the project Automating Technologies and the Future of Meaningful Work (AUTOMA), funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The project is a collaboration between SPS and the Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at the Norwegian School of Management BI.
Automating Technologies and the Future of Meaningful Work
When artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies change the content of people’s work, will people lose the link to what makes their work meaningful or will it free them up to do more meaningful work? The main objective of the AUTOMA project is to explore how AI and related technologies affect work and the opportunities and/or challenges this entails with regard to meaningful work. The project aims to develop a deeper philosophical understanding of the factors that make work meaningful, while also collecting new empirical data on how the perception of meaningful work is affected when tasks and skills that were previously reserved for people are digitalised to a greater degree.
The AUTOMA project consists of two work packages: one aimed at a philosophical and normative analysis of ‘meaningful work’ and one aimed at an empirical examination of meaningful work in workplaces where AI and related technologies have been adopted.
In the first work package, the primary focus will be on the analysis and evaluation of existing philosophical and other theoretical literature on meaningful work, digitalisation and alienation with the aim of developing new theoretical and conceptual perspectives. The participants in this work package are Edmund Henden (SPS) and Hannah Altehenger (Universität Konstanz).
In the second work package, the primary focus will be on empirically examining how the perception of meaning in work is affected when tasks and skills are digitalised, and what psychological and sociological factors affect sense-making in these types of circumstances. Here, the goal will be to develop a precise metric for the digitalisation of work and a multidimensional metric for meaningful work. Questionnaire data will also be collected to explore variations in perceived meaningfulness. The participants in this work package are Håvard Helland (SPS) and Christina G.L. Nerstad (BI).
When drawing up the outline for your postdoctoral project, you are free to choose which of the two work packages you will primarily affiliate your project with.
You can request a complete copy of the project description for the RCN project by contacting the Project Manager Edmund Henden or Håvard Helland, who is leading the empirical work package.
Place of work
The postdoctoral position will be based at the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS). SPS is a leading research and organised research training environment for the study of professions and is, among other things, responsible for a PhD programme on the study of professions. Theoretically and methodologically, the Centre is characterised by diversity. The person appointed will work as part of an interdisciplinary environment in which researchers and candidates hail from backgrounds in sociology, education, history, philosophy, political science, social anthropology, health sciences, economics and psychology. We have also developed several quantitative databases, including register data from Statistics Norway.
Stays abroad are encouraged during the postdoctoral period. The position is funded by the RCN, and this also includes the opportunity to apply for a grant for a three-to-twelve-month research stay abroad, something which can allow for an extension of the postdoctoral period corresponding to the duration of the stay abroad and up to a maximum employment period of four years in total. For further information, see the Research Council of Norway’s website.
The preferred start date is August 2025.
Read more about the Centre for the Study of Professions.
Read more about our research groups.
Eligibility requirements
- Doctoral degree in relevant field of study/discipline. Candidates who are in the final stages of their thesis work must have submitted their thesis for assessment and obtained approval for public defence prior to the application deadline.
- submitted postdoctoral project outline of high quality, that builds on and contributes to the AUTOMA project.
- capacity for independent academic research, preferably documented through publications in international journals.
- good proficiency in English, both written and spoken
The general criteria for appointment to recruitment positions follow from the Regulations relating to employment terms for posts such as postdoctoral fellow, PhD candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate (FOR-2006-01-31-102), cf. the transitional rules set out in Section 13.2 of the regulations relating to the University and University College Act.
It would be advantageous for applicants to have
- research/publications of relevance to the AUTOMA project
- knowledge of AI or related technologies
- methodological skills of relevance to the AUTOMA project (e.g. within quantitative and/or qualitative analysis)
- good knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language
Personal characteristics
- organised and reliable working methods
- excellent collaboration skills
- intellectual orientation towards and the ability to collaborate within an interdisciplinary research environment
- strong interest in research
In assessing applicants, emphasis will be placed on the scientific quality of the project outline, as well as its contributions to the AUTOMA project and the applicant’s likelihood of completing the project within the duration of employment. Personal suitability will be emphasised.
At OsloMet, we welcome all qualified applicants. We are working actively to further develop as an inclusive workplace and will adapt the workplace as required. We also welcome applications from those who have had periods in which they were not in employment, education or training.
What we offer
- an exciting position at the third largest university in Norway
- access to further professional development in a creative academic and research environment
- a working environment in which we see and encourage each other
- excellent borrowing and pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- excellent welfare schemes
The post is remunerated in accordance with the Norwegian State Salary Scale and OsloMet’s salary policy under code 1352 with a salary range of NOK 584,500-745,000. A higher salary may be considered for particularly well-qualified applicants.
The application process and the expert committee
If you would like to apply for the position, you need to submit an electronic application using the “Apply for position” button. All applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. Prior to submitting the application documents to the expert committee, all applications will be reviewed by the Centre. Applications from ineligible applicants will not be submitted for assessment. If necessitated by the scope of applications, a sorting committee will make a first selection of applications for submission to the expert committee.
You must upload the following documents before the application deadline expires:
- project outline, written in English or a Scandinavian language (maximum 5 pages, including research questions, choice of methods, literature list and progress schedule, including any planned stays at a relevant university abroad – font size 12, 1½ line spacing and 3 cm margins).
- cover letter describing your motivation for applying for the post and providing an account of your background and research experience of relevance to the project.
- CV, copies of grade transcripts (all pages) and any letters of recommendation. If, at the time of application, you have not publicly defended your thesis, you need to enclose documentation showing that your thesis has been approved for public defence. Applicants with qualifications from abroad must hold a degree corresponding to a Norwegian doctoral degree (see the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills website for further information about academic recognition and documentation).
- a complete list of publications
- full-text versions of up to six scientific works, including your PhD thesis.
In the event that you are invited for an interview, you need to provide at least two references.
We only process applications submitted via our electronic recruitment system and all documents must be uploaded in order for your application to be processed. Documents must be submitted in English or a Scandinavian language. Any translations must be certified. You may be asked to present originals in the event that you are invited for an interview. OsloMet will carry out document control to ensure that candidates are subject to a proper evaluation and fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
An appointment will be made based on the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Servants Act (lovdata.no), as well as legislation governing the export of knowledge, technology and services. Background checks may be carried out in order to verify information provided in the CV and submitted documents. Background checks will not be carried out without the applicant’s consent and relevant applicants will receive further information about the process.
OsloMet has endorsed the principles set out in the DORA Declaration and the institution is committed to adhering to the recommendations therein.
Further information
If you would like further information about the position, please contact:
- Edmund Henden, Project Manager, edhen@oslomet.no, tel. +47 672 35 033
- Beate Elvebakk, Head of Centre, beateelv@oslomet.no, tel. +47 417 84 106
Application deadline: 24 February 2025
Ref: 25/00679
OsloMet is a Charter & Code certified institution by the EU Commission holding the right to use the logo HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R). OsloMet is a member of the EURAXESS network supporting a positive work environment for researchers in motion.
OsloMet has signed The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). DORA recognizes the need to improve the ways in which the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated.
The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who are seen to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter law will not be considered for the position.
