Application and Evaluation

Eligibility

To be eligible, an applicant may be of any age and nationality and comply with the following criteria:

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 relevant to the work described in their research project within Astrophysics, Biosciences, Chemistry, Geosciences, Informatics, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics, or Technology Systems.
• The applicant’s Doctoral dissertation must be submitted and successfully defended by the application deadline. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Requirements

Applicants must also fulfil the following MSCA eligibility criteria:

• The applicants must fulfil the transnational MSCA mobility rules of COFUND, MSCA: not have resided or carried out their main activity in Norway for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the application deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.
• The applicants must be able to carry out fulltime research during the fellowship period; part-time work due to professional, family, or other reasons may be requested and agreed by the supervisor, beneficiary (UiO) and granting authority upon prior approval.
• The applicants must be in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the co-funded programme's call, i.e., they have successfully defended their thesis. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered as postdoctoral researchers and are eligible to apply.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with interdisciplinary research projects.
• Experience with computational/statistical methods.

Personal Skills

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Independent thinking, creativity, leadership, and mentoring abilities.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.

How to apply

The application must be submitted through the JobbNorge application portal. For an application to be valid, the candidate must submit a complete set of documents via the portal. Templates can be downloaded from the DSTrain website.

1. Cover Letter

A statement of motivation summarizing the candidate's scientific work and research interests (maximum 1 page).

2. DSTrain Project Description

A description of the excellence, impact, and implementation of the applicant's project (maximum 8 pages excluding the abstract), using the DSTrain template. The project description must indicate the research theme under which the project falls, according to the list available on the DSTrain website.

3. CV

A summary of the candidate's education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, other qualifying activities, and career breaks if applicable (maximum 3 pages).

4. List of Publications

A list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee (maximum 2 pages).

5. DSTrain Place of Activity Form

Completed DSTrain form describing Place of activity and residence for the previous 3 years.

6. DSTrain Ethical Issues Form

Completed and signed DSTrain ethical issues form

7. Educational Certificates/Academic Transcript of Records

Copies of educational certificates/academic transcript of records. Include a copy of the PhD diploma or an official statement on the certified date of the successful defence (not award) of the PhD.

8. References

Names and contact details of 2-3 references, including their name, relation to the candidate, email address, and telephone number.

Please ensure that all attachments are saved and uploaded with the following file name structure, replacing "Surname" with your last name:

1_Surname_Cover letter
2_Surname_Project description
3_Surname_CV
4_Surname_Publications
5_Surname_Place of activity
6_Surname_Ethical issues form
7_Surname_PhD certificate, etc.
8_Surname_References
(Surname = Last name = family name)

Please note that only documents submitted through the portal will be considered.

The application portal "JobbNorge" has a field for “application text” and a standard “CV”. We ask you to not enter the application text in the portal (you may type your chosen thematic area to get to the next step), and to enter only your personal details at the CV stage in the portal. Your attached CV and other documents listed above will form the basis for the evaluation process.

Applicants can submit their application several times; new submissions will overwrite any older versions. It is also possible to save your application and return to JobbNorge later to finish and submit. You can submit the application at any date until the Call closes at 23:59, Central European Time, on the deadline date. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

The project description

DSTrain research projects are designed and proposed by the applicants, with a focus on the interaction between data science, computational science, natural sciences, and technology. The proposed projects should align with the interests and capabilities of the applicant as well as the participating research groups at UiO, enhancing the research capabilities of both. It is expected that the appointed fellows will be able to complete their projects during the three-year employment period.

The participating research groups at UiO are divided into the following areas: Astrophysics, Biosciences, Chemistry, Geosciences, Informatics, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics, and Technology Systems. Each area has defined a set of research themes, and the project description must correspond to one of these themes and specify which one. Please note that each applicant can only submit one research project in the same call, meaning that an applicant cannot apply to multiple themes. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the contact person(s) for the relevant research theme to explore scientific focus and cooperation possibilities.

Applicants must use the DSTrain Project Description Template and submit the proposal in JobbNorge alongside the other required documents. Maximum length for the project description is 8 pages.

Ethics

DSTrain places a strong emphasis on maintaining high ethical standards. All research projects within the program must comply with EU and national/local ethics regulations.

Every application must include a completed DSTrain Ethics Form, which identifies and evaluates potential research ethical issues. The Project Description, as outlined in the proposal template, should also include a brief description and summary of ethical considerations, where relevant.

Evaluation and selection process

During the assessment of applications, special emphasis will be placed on the following criteria: i) documented academic qualifications, ii) project description, iii) quality of the project, and iv) the candidate's motivation and personal suitability. Interviews will be conducted with the most qualified candidates.

After the deadline of the call, evaluation and selection of candidates follow these steps:
 

1. Acknowledgement of receipt: After submitting their application, applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of the application and an outline of the next step and timeline of the selection process
2. Eligibility check: The DSTrain Programme Management Office (PMO) will perform the admissibility and eligibility check for all submitted applications. All eligible and non-eligible candidates will be notified of their status.
3. Evaluation of research proposals: The PMO will assign at least three external independent expert reviewers to each eligible application. The evaluation will be based on the main criteria Excellence, Impact, Implementation, and Applicant qualifications. After the independent expert evaluation, each evaluation panel will convene, discuss the applications and determine the scores for each candidate. An Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) consisting of a short, written statement and the consensus score will thereafter be made. The selected and non-selected candidates will be notified of their status.
4. Interview: The top ranked candidates will be invited for an interview. The interviews will follow the structure and scoring described in "Selection criteria – Interview".
5. Final ranking and selection of successful candidates: The candidates’ scores from the written (60% weight) and oral (40% weight) evaluations will form the basis for the final ranking. The final ranking will be made by the Selection Committee.
6. Information/offers to candidates: The PMO will inform all candidates of the outcome of the selection process via email, which may include placement on a ranked shortlist, placement on a waiting list, or rejection. Successful candidates will be offered a fellowship, and a formal offer will be sent confirming the granting of the fellowship. If a candidate declines or fails to respond to the offer, the position will be offered to the next qualified candidate on the ranked list. Successful candidates must begin their positions no later than October 1st, 2024.

Selection criteria, scoring and interviews

Submitted applications will be evaluated for excellence, impact, implementation, and application qualifications:

Scoring will follow standard MSCA scoring with 0-5 points being awarded for each sub-criterion:

The applicant interviews will involve of a set of questions concerning the application in relation to the criteria listed below. These interviews will be conducted digitally and will last approximately 45 minutes. For each criterion, a score ranging from 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest) will be assigned based on the scoring chart. The final interview score will be the average of these three scores. All candidates will have the opportunity to ask questions during the interview.

To progress to the next stage, a minimum score of 3 for each criterion is required. In the event of a tie, the following priorities will be applied: i) Scientific presentation, ii) CV presentation, and iii) Teamwork. In case of a tie between candidates with the same scores, female applicants will be given priority.