Postdoctoral Fellow in Risk Management and Societal Safety

Job description

The University of Stavanger invites applicants for a position as Postdoctoral Fellow in Risk Management and Societal Safety related to hydrogen at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Safety, Economics and Planning.

The starting date for this position is no later than June 1st, 2024.

The objective of the position is to strengthen research, and to give researchers/scholars holding a doctoral degree the opportunity for further qualification toward top academic positions.

Postdoctoral Fellow is employed for a period of 3 years.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will be affiliated with a project at the Environment-friendly Energy Research center – HyValue hosted by NORCE.

The position is funded by the Research Council of Norway.

The qualifying project will be carried out at the University of Stavanger. It is assumed that the appointee will work full time on the project and that she/he will participate in the academic community.

Research Topic

The position will be affiliated with the Environment-friendly Energy Research center – HyValue. The center is hosted by NORCE, and will develop knowledge, methodology, and innovative solutions for hydrogen energy carriers. HyValue has a broad coverage, covering the entire hydrogen value-chain with a holistic approach. Risk and safety is one of the main focus areas in the center.

The University of Stavanger has a lead on the work package on risk and safety that the candidate will be working on, and there will be a close collaboration with research and industry partners in the work package and in the project. The candidate will specifically be working on prevention and safe design of hydrogen systems. This is a separate task in the project, where, among other things, there will be a focus on challenges related to novel activities, system limitations, functional requirements (constraints) and regulations, collection of reliability data, calculation of reliability, uncertainty and learning. An important part of the work will be to contribute to a framework for informed decisions in the hydrogen value-chain, in collaboration with others in the project. The work can be seen as a contribution to sustainable hydrogen solutions in the future.

For more information about the project, see: https://hyvalue.no/ 

Project proposal

You must submit a description of a research project within the subject area and plan for its completion. The project proposal must show how you will proceed to carry out the research work, what the key issues and hypotheses will be, what theories and methods you will apply, publication channels and a schedule for carrying out the work. It must be clear from the application in what way the project will add your competence. The project proposal should not exceed two pages, and will be included in the competence assessment.

The final project description and progress plan are drawn up in consultation with the supervisor (s) during the first three months of the employment period. It is a prerequisite that you complete the project during the employment period.

Qualification requirements

You must have a PhD within Risk Management and Societal Safety. The PhD thesis must have been submitted for evaluation within the application deadline for the position and approved before accession.

You should preferably have a background in science and technology that provides a basis for understanding and analyzing hydrogen systems.

The following will also be considered an advantage:

• knowledge of risk management and analysis of risk
• knowledge of systems thinking
• experience with hydrogen safety and its use as an energy carrier
• experience with technical safety systems and the underlying design premises and analyses
• analytical abilities regarding safety related issues
• ability to critically reflect upon concepts and models applied in safety assessments.

You must have a good command of both oral and written English.

In the assessment the following criteria will be emphasised:

• relevance, quality and feasibility of the project
• submitted scientific work and your personal skills for completing the project within the time frame
• international experience and network
• qualifications within the areas of creativity, innovation and commercialisation of research
• good teamwork, communication skills and ability to participate in research communities across organisational units
• ability to work independently in a structured manner
• motivation, sense of responsibility and accountability, work capacity and enthusiasm for research

We offer

• varied duties in a large, exciting and socially important organisation
• an ambitious work community which is developing rapidly. We strive to include employees at all levels in strategic decisions and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure
• colleague-based guidance programme (NyTi) if teaching is part of your position
• salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, l.pl 17.510, code 1352, NOK 550.000 – 650.000 gross per year. A higher salary may be considered in special cases. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• automatic membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which provides favourable insurance and retirement benefits
• favourable membership terms at a gym and at the university sports club, SiS sports club at campus
• employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation which is committed to reducing sick leave, increasing the proportion of employees with reduced working capacity, and increasing the number of professionally active seniors
• Hjem-jobb-hjem, discounted public transport to and from work
• as an employee in Norway, you will have access to an optimal health service, as well as good pensions, generous maternity/paternity leave, and a competitive salary. Nursery places are guaranteed and reasonably priced.
• relocation programme
• language courses: On this page you can see which language courses you may be entitled to (look up “language courses” under employment conditions)

Diversity

We consider diversity as a resource in our work and learning environment, and we are committed to respecting

Universal design characterises physical and digital learning environments, and we strive to provide reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities.

You are encouraged to apply regardless of gender, cultural background, disability, or if you have been without employment for a period of time.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in their CV, or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these groups for an interview. If you fall into any of these categories, feel free to indicate it when applying for the position.

Learn more about the criteria for being considered an applicant in these specific groups here.

The university aims to recruit more women within the subject area. If several applicants are considered to have equal qualifications, female applicants will be given priority.

Contact information

More information on the position or the project can be obtained from Head of Department Tore Markeset, phone: +47 51 83 21 91, email: tore.markeset@uis.no or Professor Jon Tømmerås Selvik, phone: +47 51833599, email: jon.t.selvik@uis.no.

Information about the appointment procedures can be obtained from Senior HR-advisor Margot A. Treen, phone: +47 51 83 14 19, email: rekruttering@uis.no.

Application

To apply for this position please follow the link «Apply for this job». Your application letter, relevant education and work experience as well as language skills must be registered here. In the application letter, you must state your research interests and motivation for the position.

The following documents must be uploaded as attachments to your application:

• project proposal
• CV with a full summary of your education and experience
• documentation of approved PhD If you have not completed the PhD, you may enclose a confirmation from the institution on the expected date of obtaining the doctoral degree.
• complete list of academic publications with information on where they are published. You may also upload up to 5 publications, including your PhD thesis or published monograph based upon the thesis.
• transcripts and certificates, and other documentation that you consider relevant

Applications are evaluated based on the information available in Jobbnorge on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.

The documentation must be available in either a Scandinavian language or in English. If the total size of the attachments exceeds 30 MB, they must be compressed before upload.

Please note that information on applicants may be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the official list of applicants – see Section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act. If your request is not granted, you will be notified.

UiS only considers applications and attachments registered in Jobbnorge.

General information

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. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation and if it is considered that you will not be able to start in the position within the date stated above, your application will be rejected without further assessment

Employment as Postdoctoral Fellow is regulated in «Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of post-doctoral research fellow and research fellow, research assistant and resident».

We put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Your qualifications for the position, based on documentation registered in Jobbnorge, will be assessed by an internal expert committee.

Based on the committee’s statement, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview before any recommendations are made. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates. More about the hiring process on our website.

UiS has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

It is a prerequisite that you have a residence which enables you to be present at/available to the academic community during ordinary working hours.

The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.

UiS – challenge the well-known and explore the unknown

The University of Stavanger (UiS) has about 12,000 students and 2,200 employees. The university has high ambitions. We strive to have an innovative and international profile, and be a driving force in knowledge development and in the process of societal change. Our common direction is driven by consideration for green and sustainable change and equitable social development, through new ways of managing natural resources and facilitating better cities and local communities. Energy, health and welfare, learning for life are our focus areas.

In constant collaboration and dialogue with our surroundings, regionally, nationally and internationally, we enjoy an open and creative climate for education, research, innovation, dissemination and museum activities. Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organised into six faculties comprising various departments/schools and National Research Centres, as well as the Museum of Archaeology. We are a member of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The university is located in the most attractive region in the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants. The Stavanger region has a dynamic labour market and exciting cultural and leisure activities.

Together with our staff and students we will challenge the well-known and explore the unknown.

The Faculty of Science and Technology offers study programs at bachelor, master and doctoral level. The faculty has established close cooperation on research with NORCE (Norwegian Research Centre AS) and the regional industry. A number of master’s and doctoral theses are made in collaboration with the industry. The faculty has established research collaborations with universities in the US and Europe, and has developed several academic environments that are at the forefront internationally.The faculty has about 2,800 students and approximately 500 employees at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Structural Engineering and Materials Science, Department of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, Department of Energy Resources and the Department of Safety, Economics and Planning.

The Department of Safety, Economics and Planning has one of Norway’s most active research environments within Risk Management, Societal Safety, Industrial Economics and Urban Planning. The environment is internationally recognised with many externally funded projects and extensive networks. The department has approximately 100 employees with backgrounds in, among other things, engineering, economics, science, sociology and social sciences, and is characterised by extensive interdisciplinary collaboration. More than 900 students are associated with study programs at Bachelor, Master’s and PhD level in the disciplines of Societal Safety, Industrial Economics, Urban Planning, Risk Analysis (the last two are international Master’s programs), as well as in Customs and border management. In addition, an experience-based master’s degree in Risk Management and Safety Management  is offered in the continuing education program.