项目介绍

2026年6月4日

About the position

Applications are invited for a 3-year position as a Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) affiliated to the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies and the research project Epigraphic Centres of Medieval Scandinavia: Latinization and re-vernacularization of the linguistic landscape 1050–1550. The project is funded by the European Research Council within the Starting Grant scheme (ERC 2025-STG, EpiCentres, 101221245) and will run between 2026‒2030.

About the project

The project’s overarching aim is to study the development of the epigraphic written culture in medieval Scandinavia, investigating the introduction and spread of Latin and the Latin alphabet in Scandinavian inscriptions, and their relationship to the vernacular languages and to runes.

During the high and late Middle Ages, Scandinavian epigraphy was characterized by sustained coexistence and interaction between different languages and writing systems. The simultaneous presence of Latin and the Latin alphabet, and various vernacular languages and the runic script, resulted in a written culture shaped by three overlapping processes: 1) the initial spread of Latin alongside the runic tradition; 2) increased Latinization and decline of the runes; 3) ‘re-vernacularization’, the increasing use of the Scandinavian languages but written in the Latin alphabet. EpiCentres aims to investigate these processes through the study of an extensive corpus of Scandinavian inscriptions and graffiti in the Latin alphabet – largely overlooked as a source for these far-reaching cultural transformations – together with the contemporaneous runic inscriptions.

The EpiCentres team is led by Associate Professor Alessandro Palumbo and will be comprised of one PhD candidate (3 years), two postdoctoral fellows (3 years), and Professor Anna Blennow. The PhD candidate will be a full member of the team, working to achieve the project’s overall goals. The candidate will contribute in particular to work package 2 (WP 2).

WP 2 aims to investigate the intersections and interactions of epigraphic traditions in different languages and writing systems. Within WP 2, the candidate will contribute to examining the relationship between runic epigraphy and Latin epigraphy in medieval Scandinavia. Their research will examine differentiation, continuity, and mutual influence between inscriptions in runes and in the Latin alphabet, with regard to epigraphic practices including textual composition, orthography, palaeography, and text display. The PhD candidate will have access to the dataset of Latin-alphabet inscriptions already collected by the project and is expected to contribute to it through their own research and fieldwork.

Applicants are required to upload/attach a research proposal stating how a project should engage with relevant previous scholarship and be clear about the research questions, main sources, theories and methods of the investigation, as well as how it will contribute to EpiCentres’ aims in WP 2. The candidate should also be interested and open to develop their project further in collaboration with the project leader.

More about the position

The person appointed will be affiliated with the faculty’s organized research training. The academic work is to result in a doctoral thesis that will be defended at the faculty with a view to obtaining the degree of PhD. The doctoral thesis can consist of a monograph or of articles. The successful candidate is expected to join the existing research milieu or network and contribute to its development. Read more about the Doctoral degree: PhD in the Humanities. 

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.

Qualification requirements

Mandatory requirements

• A Master’s degree or equivalent in Old Norse philology, medieval studies or a related field (e.g. philology, history, archaeology). The Master’s degree must have been obtained and the final evaluation must be available by the application deadline. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English (see Language requirements)
• Good reading proficiency in a Scandinavian language 
• Relevant educational and/or research experience (e.g. through Master’s thesis) with runic inscriptions.
• Personal suitability, motivation for the position, and excellent collaborative skills.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.Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

Desired qualifications

• Educational or research experience with Latin, Latin epigraphy, or palaeography.In assessing the applications special emphasis will be placed on:
• The project’s quality and relevance to the overall aim of EpiCentres and its WP 2.
• Capacity to engage with relevant previous scholarship and to formulate clear and original research questions.
• Theoretical, methodological, and source-critical awareness.
• The applicant’s estimated academic and personal ability to carry out the project within the allotted time frame, to contribute to the main project, and to productively collaborate with the team members.
   

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 fulfill 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.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, 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. 

We offer

• Salary in position as Doctoral Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 – to 596 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. 
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours. 
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway’s best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Application

The application must include:

• Application letter: A motivation letter demonstrating how your interests and qualifications can contribute to the project 
• Curriculum Vitae (including educational background, and other qualifications relevant to the call)
• Diploma and transcript of records of your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. 
  • For applicants with education from a Norwegian higher educational institution: Please retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your Diploma and transcripts or grades. 
  • Applicants with education from a foreign university: Please upload copies of your diploma in addition to copies of your transcripts or grades. You must also attach an official explanation of your university’s grading system.
• Project proposal, including a detailed progress plan for the project (3 – 5 pages, maximum 14.000 characters. See Template for project proposal
• If applicable: Documentation of English Language requirements. The appointed applicant will be asked to document these skills prior to admission to the PhD programme.
• Names and contact details for two references, one of them the supervisor on your Master thesis (we do not need reference letters, only their contact details).Do not submit other certificates, articles, master theses and the like unless specifically requested. If further documentation is wanted for assessment, you will be asked to submit it later. Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language.Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge. Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.