Associate Professor in Hydrology

About the position

A full-time position as Associate Professor in hydrology is available at the section of Geography and
Hydrology (GeoHyd) at the Department of Geosciences.

About the Department and what they are looking for in this position

The Department of Geosciences (GEO) at the University of Oslo (UiO) is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MATNAT) and a leading research group in Europe. The department covers a wide breadth of topics: from mantle and lithosphere dynamics on the Earth and other planets, to surface processes in the boundary layers between the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere, to the dynamics and interactions in the Earth's crust, soils, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Our strategy focuses on four main topics that are transversal to the department: (i): Dynamics of the solid Earth and planets, (ii) Climate change and the coupled Earth system, (iii) Environmental geosciences, and (iv) Geoscience in the Arctic. The department also has significant
laboratory, field and computational infrastructure which are critical for our research.

The staff consists of 40 professors and associate professors, in addition to postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, researchers, technical- and administrative staff. The Department has today c. 200 employees, hosts one Centre of Excellence (PHAB) and seven European Research Council (ERC) grants, along with numerous other projects funded by grants from public and private institutions. The Department is organised in six sections: Physical geography and hydrology (GeoHyd), Meteorology and oceanography (MetOs), Environmental Geoscience, Basin studies, Crustal processes, and Centre of Planetary Habitability (PHAB). The department also has a small group working towards geodidactics.

The associate professor position will be associated with the Section of geography and hydrology, which focuses on i nterdisciplinary analyses of terrestrial systems across scales and impacts of global climate change. The section has around 40 employees, with nine permanent scientific and/or educational staff, five adjunct positions, three technical staff, nine researchers, and around 20 Postdocs and PhDs. The section has a strong portfolio within terrestrial cold-region processes and their interactions in the Earth system, with three related ERC projects.

Within hydrology, research, education and capacity development follow two main directions: i) process-based studies and modelling - from local scale water balance studies to continental water
resource assessments, and ii) statistically based regional and large-scale hydrological studies encompassing the detection, attribution and prediction of hydrological change. The process based studies focus on climate and hydrological exchange processes and encompass a wide range of advanced data sampling tools and developing technologies, including eddy covariance stations and drones for measuring fluxes of water, energy and greenhouse gasses, and a climate container for
experimental studies under controlled climatic conditions. The statistically based studies cover a wide range of spatial scales, from regional (national), continental (European) to global, and address the detection, drivers, prediction and impacts of hydrological extremes (floods and drought) using advance data science tools. The current research group consists of three permanent scientific staff (including one ERC Starting grant holder), two adjunct professors, two researchers and several Postdoctoral and PhD fellows. The hydrology group collaborates closely with other disciplines, both within the section (meteorology, cryosphere, hydrogeology) and outside (ecology, data science and
statistics), as well as with other public and private hydrological institutions and industry in Norway.

Your main tasks will be

We are looking for highly motivated candidates which will contribute to:

Hydrological research at a high international level and at the forefront of research within the
applicant’s field.
Develop a strong computational profile to benefit research, teaching and supervision within the
section (e.g., advanced statistics, ML, hydrological modelling, large sample hydrology or novel
observational technologies).
Take a leading role in managing and developing the hydrology group.
Contribute to teaching and supervision at all levels (Bachelor, Master and PhD) within the field of
hydrology, and to engage in joint supervision of interdisciplinary thesis topics.
Apply for and obtain external funding.
Strengthen collaborations within the department and with other hydrology communities in
Norway, both in research as well as resource management and civil protection

Research: We seek an active and engaged candidate who is able to contribute to the diverse research
portfolio in the department. The successful candidate will complement our research in hydrology, notably
in cold and temperate environments, global change studies, hydrological extremes, and in hydrological
analysis and modelling at different scales.

Education: The successful candidate will commit to delivering excellent teaching at the bachelor’s and
master's level. The candidate will take responsibility for two 10-credit courses at the Department of
Geosciences. A list of relevant courses at the bachelor level (study program Geophysics and Climate) and
master level (study program Water and Climate) can be found here:

More information about the position

Applicants must document academic qualifications in their field, equivalent to an Associate professor position. The successful applicant must be able to teach at all levels and to supervise Master and PhD students.

The successful applicant may furthermore be required to take on other teaching duties and administrative tasks, by request from the Department or the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

The position is closely linked to the Department’s strategy by contributing "research-based knowledge with societal relevance linked to climate, environment, energy, natural hazards and sustainable use of resources”. The position duties are related to research, teaching, supervision and communication within
hydrology, following standard employment rules in the Faculty for Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The applicant must demonstrate extensive experience and excellence in hydrology research at an international level, with a good process understanding of the hydrological cycle and of hydrological conditions relevant for a Nordic setting. Scientific qualifications will be a major focus, with an emphasis on science output, achievements and research impact in the past ten years.

The department collaborates with several external institutions (e.g. the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, NVE) and industry (e.g. hydropower companies), including formalised collaboration agreements, and it is expected the candidate will contribute to strengthening those.

The candidate will contribute to the further development of teaching and outreach in hydrology. The successful applicant may be required to take on other teaching duties and administrative tasks, by request from the Department or the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

What skills are important in this role?

Required qualifications:

The successful applicant must have completed a PhD in hydrology or a relevant field and have a
strong track record in hydrology.
Familiarity with hydrological studies at various scales - from local scales to catchment, regional
and large scale.
Documented experience in teaching and supervision in hydrology.
International peer recognition with a strong track record in hydrology and research experience
from northern and temperate climates.
Documented existing or potential for acquisition of external funding.
Teaching and supervision experience at all levels will be an important factor in the evaluation
process and must be well documented in a teaching portfolio. The applicant must describe her/his
qualifications in view of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) framework which
includes:
- Focus on student learning
- A clear development over time
- A researching approach
- A collegial attitude and practice
The successful candidate who at the time of appointment cannot document sufficient teaching
qualifications (the minimum formal requirement is 200 hours of pedagogical activity) will be
required to obtain such qualifications within a two-year period.
Mastery of English is required. If the successful candidate does not have sufficient mastery of a
Scandinavian language (B2 level), the candidate will be required to learn sufficient Norwegian
within three years of employment.

Desired qualifications:

Interdisciplinary collaboration skills, as hydrology at UiO works closely with other disciplines,
such as meteorology, glaciology, remote sensing, biology, ecology, chemistry, geomorphology,
natural hazards, and hydrogeology.
Good communication skills – written and oral – and the ability to engage a diverse audience also
outside the university (target groups and the public).
Knowledge of 'open-access' resources (data and methods).
Candidates should be able to establish, lead and conduct research projects, both as project lead
and collaborator.
An international network, contribution to the research community, and the ability to create a good
working environment will be part of the evaluation.

The successful candidate will be ranked with respect to the above criteria. The candidate will be selected
based on excellence and the suitability of the research profile of the position.

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

Ability to create and contribute to a well-functioning, inclusive and productive research environment
Networking skills, ability to collaborate and conduct scientific leadership
Ability to cooperate and communicate well with other members of staff

The successful candidate should have an international profile with respect to the above criteria. The candidate for this position will be selected based on excellence and fit with the section’s research profile.

We can offer you

Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
Committed colleagues in a good working environment.
Good welfare schemes .
Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours . A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse , which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
Salary in position as Associate Professor (position code 1011) in salary range NOK from 850 000 - to 950 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, two % is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

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 fulfil 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.

We especially encourage women to apply.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here .

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

How to apply

The application must include:

Application letter.
A research position paper (1–4 pages) describing the applicant’s vision and scientific ambitions
for the near future.
A detailed CV, including a complete list of education, positions, pedagogical experience,
administrative management, project acquisition and coordination experience, and other qualifying
activities.
Copies of educational certificates, PhD diploma, transcript of records.
Educational portfolio of 3–6 pages documenting educational competence and experience,
including a reflection note in which your own teaching practice and view of learning is anchored
in the SoTL framework (focus on student learning, development over time, a researching
approach and a collegial attitude and practice)
List of reference persons: 2–3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

A selection committee will invite a limited number of candidates (“short list”) to submit a portfolio of academic work (i.e. up to 10 publications) that are particularly relevant for the position. Academic texts should therefore not be enclosed with the application.

General information

As a general rule an interview will be used in the appointment process, usually supplemented with a trial teaching session. The basis for assessment will be the scientific production of the applicant, the teaching portfolio, pedagogical and educational qualifications, the applicant’s qualifications within leadership and administration, other qualifications as well as general personal suitability for the position. In ranking the competent applicants, the full range of qualifications will be considered and explicitly assessed.

Rules for appointments to associate professorships.

Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence for appointments to permanent academic posts which include teaching duties:

Guide for applicants for Professor and Associate professor positions - University of Oslo

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, see:

About the University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

The geosciences are the studies of the planet Earth and its comparative planetology; the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and cryosphere, the Earth's surface and its interior. The Department of Geosciences conducts research and teaching in most of the domains of geoscience; geology, geophysics, physical geography, geomatics, hydrology, meteorology and oceanography. The Department is the broadest geoscience research and education environment in Norway. We perform research at a high international standard and have five ERC (European Research Council) research projects ongoing.

The Department encompasses six scientific sections; Meteorology and Oceanography, Geography and Hydrology, Study of sedimentary basins, Environmental geosciences. and Crustal Processes. We host now a third in the line of three Centre of Excellences: PHAB – Centre for Planetary Habitability, and have a Norwegian Research School for PhD students (Research School for Dynamics and Evolution of Earth and Planets, DEEP).

The Department aims to contribute to the new and important UN Sustainability Development Goals, and are important contributors to IPCC (UN’s Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change). The staff consists of 40 professors and associate professors, in addition to postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, researchers, technical- and administrative staff. The Department has around 200 employees.