Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Statistics

About the position

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at the Department of Mathematics, Section for Statistics and Data Science.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2024.

The appointment is a fulltime position and is for a period of two years.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Knowledge development in a changing world - Science and technology towards 2030.

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Job description / Project description / Development plan:

The position is attached to the Section for Statistics and Data Science (https://www.mn.uio.no/math/english/research/groups/statistics-data-science/index.html) at the Department of Mathematics, University of Oslo (UiO). This section consists of eight full time academic positions, nine adjunct positions and many PhD-students and postdocs, making up a group of more than 30. Statistics at UiO is internationally recognized and is a major part of a recently funded centre-of-excellence (INTEGREAT). INTEGREAT, which has a focus on knowledge driven machine-learning, is funded from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) for ten years, and will include a large number of PhDs and postdocs.

The successful applicant will join the new interdisciplinary research project "PLUMBIN’: Developing solvents for unclogging the calculational bottleneck in high-energy physics" (https://www.mn.uio.no/fysikk/english/research/projects/plumbin/index.html), which was recently financed by the RCN (2022-2029). This project is a collaboration between members of the Section for Statistics and Data Science, and the Section for Theoretical Physics at the Department of Physics, and aims at making powerful computational tools for exploring the fundamental constituents of the Universe.

The announced postdoctoral fellowship position will focus on investigating the properties of classical and higher-order asymptotic inferential tools in the non-regular settings related to the search for new physics in the high-energy physics framework. Specifically, issues related to the Neyman-Scott problem, to the estimation of parameters on the boundaries of the parameter space, and to the dependence of the support of the distribution on the parameter of interest, will be studied. The effect of model misspecification will also be analysed.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Qualification requirements:

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Statistics. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• A solid background in scientific computing, with programming skills in R or Python.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with the study of pseudo-likelihoods and composite likelihoods.
• Familiarity with the asymptotic theory framework.
• An interest in the application of statistics to high-energy physics problems.

Personal skills:

• Good communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently and in an interdisciplinary research environment.

We offer:

• Salary NOK 575 400 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Professionally stimulating working environment
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Postdoctoral development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations:

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoctoral fellow financed with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).

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.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact persons:

For further information about the position please contact: Riccardo De Bin, phone: +47 228 55859, e-mail: debin@math.uio.no,

or Are Raklev, phone: +47 41452597, e-mail: ahye@fys.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Ole Rustad, e-mail: ole.rustad@mn.uio.no