A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) is available at the Department of Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH), University of Oslo.

The position is associated with the 5-year Starting Grant 101042034 “Before Copyright: Printing privileges and the politics of knowledge in early modern Europe” funded by the European Research Council and led by Principal Investigator Marius Buning, Associate Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Oslo.

“Before Copyright” examines the long-term history of printing privileges from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The intimate relationship between legal frameworks and the politics of knowledge is the primary focus of the project.

For this doctoral position, we are looking for someone who wishes to specialize in the history of printing privileges in the Holy Roman Empire, between ca. 1500 and 1800. Priority will be given to projects that focus on long-term historical developments, or that deal with the issue of forgeries, fakes, and authorship. One is encouraged to work with the archives of the Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv Wien, but the use of other archives, or a focus on different locations, is certainly possible.

Applicants are asked to clearly state in their project proposal (3 to 5 pages) why they have chosen a particular approach and case study. They are expected to contribute to the visualization and mapping of networks beyond national borders, and should therefore have experience with digital research methods, or at least the will to learn more about them.

The appointment is for a duration of 3 years. All PhD Candidates who submit their doctoral dissertation for assessment with a written recommendation from their supervisor within 3 years or 3 ½ years after the start of their PhD position, will be offered, respectively, a 12 or 6 month Completion Grant. The expected start date for the position is between February and May 2023.

We offer
- Salary NOK 501 200 - 544 400 per annum depending on qualifications
- A professionally stimulating working environment
- Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- Attractive welfare benefits

Qualification requirements
- A Master's degree or equivalent in history, law, art history, archival studies, or other disciplines relevant for the project. The Master's degree must have been obtained and the final evaluation must be available by the application deadline.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, see Language requirements, as well as reading knowledge of the sources languages relevant for the project.
- Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

To be eligible for admission to the doctoral programmes at the University of Oslo, applicants must, as a minimum, have completed a five-year graduation course (Master’s degree or equivalent), including a Master’s thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year Master course following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.
In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:
- The applicant's ability to complete research training.
- The project's scientific merit and relevance to the “Before Copyright” research group.
- The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame.
- Good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities.
Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

How to apply

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).
- Project description clearly outlining the research questions, sources, and timeline for achieving well-defined results. The project proposal should be 3 to 5 pages, maximum 14,000 characters. See Template for project descriptions). Prospective applicants should clearly specify the location of their sources as well as their level of reading skills of the source language(s).
- Transcript of records of your Bachelor’s and Master's degrees. Applicants with education from a foreign university must attach an explanation of their university's grading system.
- Documentation of Language requirements (if applicable).
- The master thesis (in any language, no summaries needed) or, alternatively, 2 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered.
- List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, jobbnorge.no.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.