Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Crime Control and Security Law-research group (CCSL)

The position

At the Faculty of Law, a position is available for a Postdoctoral research fellow in the Crime Control and Security Law Research Group (CCSL).

The Faculty of Law has about 950 law students, 25 PhD students, 35 members of the academic staff and 16 members of the administrative staff. The Faculty may award the degrees of Master and PhD in Law as well as the degrees of Master of Laws (LL.M.) in the Law of the Sea and Joint Nordic Master`s Programme in Environmental Law. For more information about the faculty, see our website The Faculty of Law.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of three years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. The applicant must be able to carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

The position will additionally be assigned to teaching and related work for UiT in an amount equivalent to a maximum 20 % of a full-time employment.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The position’s affiliation and field of research

The project – with the title “Monitoring and investigating large-scale maritime environmental and fishery crimes by the use of new technologies” to be undertaken by the postdoc (postdoctoral project) will be part of the Network for the Investigation and Prosecution of Crimes against Ecosystems (ECO-CRIM-NET) – an UIT-CCSL-project funded by the Norwegian Research Council, which is located at UIT Law faculty in Tromsø, Norway.

The starting point of the ECO-CRIM-NET is that environmental crimes in combination with large-scale corruption have a hugely destructive impact on ecosystems and the climate and undermine the rights of communities, local populations, and indigenous peoples. Crimes like illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing), illegal mining, waste trafficking, and climate and pollution crimes are causing great harm to the environment, the climate, and the people. New forms of criminality are getting increasingly complex by leaving the purely national nature and involve a network of different actors interconnected into a net of deviant behaviour. Maritime environmental and fishery crimes are considered a global problem with a serious impact on the global climate and for a healthy and sustainable development of one of mankind’s important sources of food. These crimes are committed by a plurality of national and international actors that overcome the current system of crime control by circumventing the system of control. In a plurality of cases those crimes are committed by networks of criminal groups with the assistant of new technologies.

One of the core presumptions of the CCSL research group is that it is important and necessary to also utilize the current technologies to combat the new threats and forms of criminality within the system of crimes control. A current development in numerous legal orders is witnessable: National but also international legal systems are using Artificial Intelligence technology with the goal of strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of crime control and criminal justice systems. In an era of multiple novel challenges in the fight against crime – such as fishery crimes – a plethora of AI applications has emerged in parallel to traditional enforcement and judicial practices, set to serve a variety of purposes: from predictive control, crime prevention, and crime detection to risk and recidivism assessment, the processing of evidence, and the determination of criminal and administrative sanctioning. But this development comes with a certain price to pay.

The Postdoc project shall examine and analyse the compatibility of the new technological surveillance and control solutions with fundamental human rights minimum standards. These mechanisms and tools introduced in the fight against large-scale maritime environmental and fishery crimes are emerging as remedies to combat criminal activities, but they might also come with impractical and negative side-effects and challenges. The concept and design of a surveillance system in lieu of current surveillance trends striking a delicate balance between privacy of legal actors while simultaneously capturing evidence-based footage, sensory data, and forensic proofs of illicit activities. Against this backdrop the project of the postdoc will be part the activities of the CCSL research group with a specific focus on new mechanisms for the creation and production of evidence and intelligence to combat largescale fishery crimes.

Furthermore, the postdoc project shall on the basis of these analyses, develop new models of environmental and fishery crime control mechanisms that are in accordance with international human rights minimum standards.

In general, the  postdoc project aims at analyzing not only the opportunities but also the challenges of incorporating AI and Satellite Technologies into the large scale maritime environmental and fishery crime control system in a way that is congruent with core human-rights standards and rule-of-law principles.

The outcome of the postdoc project will be part of the foundation of the aim of ECO-CRIM-NET: to develop novel approaches and mechanisms of large-scale maritime crime control by the usage of new technologies with a strong focus on Artificial Intelligence and Satellite systems to collect data, evidence, and intelligence.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Nandor Knust:

• phone: +47 92976535
• email: nandor.knust@uit.no

Qualifications

The applicant is required to hold a Norwegian doctoral degree in law, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

When applying for a Postdoctoral Fellowship, the applicant shall submit a project proposal for the qualifying work. The proposal shall include a progress plan. The applicant must complete the project during the period of appointment.

In addition, he/she must be able to document proficiency in English equivalent to Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification. The applicant must understand Norwegian or commit himself/herself to participate in the Norwegian Language Courses held by the University of Tromsø at the outset of the employment. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position.

As teaching duties or equivalent work is attached to the position, emphasis will also be attached to teaching experience and qualifications.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position.

At UiT 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).

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project
• Good career opportunities
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Project proposal
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• Hvis pliktarbeid: Documentation of teaching experience and qualifications, if applicable
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

Eallju – Developing the High North

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus comprehensive university at the international forefront. Our vision is to be a driving force for developing the High North. The Northern Sami notion eallju, which means eagerness to work, sets the tone for this motive power at UiT. Along with students, staff and the wider community, we aim to utilise our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio and interdisciplinary advantage to shape the future.

Our social mission is to provide research-based education of high quality, perform artistic development and carry out research of the highest international quality standards in the entire range from basic to applied. We will convey knowledge about disciplines and contribute to innovation. Our social mission unites UiT across various studies, research fields and large geographical distances. This demands good cooperation with trade and industry and civil society as well as with international partners. We will strengthen knowledge-based and sustainable development at a regional, national and international level.

Academic freedom and scientific and ethical principles form the basis for all UiT’s activities. Participation, co-determination, transparency and good processes will provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and far-sighted priorities. Our students and staff will have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on academic integrity, we will be courageous, committed and generous in close contact with disciplines, people and contemporary developments.

We will demonstrate adaptability and seek good and purposeful utilisation of resources, so we are ready to meet the expectations and opportunities of the future. We will strengthen the quality and impact of our disciplines and core tasks through the following three strategic priority areas.