Candidates are required to demonstrate outstanding results in academic production, public dissemination, research leadership, and teaching. In addition, the candidate must contribute in a positive way to the working environment in the Department.
The contract of employment specifies these requirements, while also detailing the steps in the evaluation processes, and the Department’s obligations in supporting the candidate in fulfilling these requirements.
This contract of employment follows the Regulations on appointments to tenure-track positions, with supplementary provisions for UiO.
Research
In order to be considered eligible for a tenured position, the candidate must, by the end of the sixth year in the postdoctoral position, satisfy the following minimum requirements for publications:
The candidate is expected to:
1. Demonstrate a publication record equivalent to five single-authored articles relevant to China studies in leading academic journals. Most of these publications should be derived from the postdoctoral project outlined in the tenure track application.
Examples of how this criterion may be fulfilled:
- Five single-authored articles in top-tier academic journals
- Two single-authored articles and two co-authored articles in top-tier academic journals, and two single-authored chapters in peer-reviewed academic anthologies
- A single-authored monograph based on the postdoctoral project, published with a leading academic press
2. Have submitted a fully developed and competitive grant application for a project, in which they play a leading role, to a major funding body, such as the ERC Starting Grant and other, Horizon Europe schemes or the Research Council of Norway.
3. Present a feasible 5-year plan for further research project(s) and publications within the field of China studies.
In addition, the candidate is expected to:
a. Demonstrate ambitions and research outcome as expected by an early career candidate in China studies.
b. Have accomplished the necessary steps in their plan for building an international research group.
c. Have realistic and ambitious plans for how to build their own academic career.
Teaching
The candidate’s teaching at IKOS should be of high quality and they are expected to contribute to and innovate teaching in China studies, for instance by renewing courses or developing new ones. The candidate is also expected to teach outside of their own areas of specialization.
The candidate will be asked to present to the evaluation committee, both for the midterm evaluation and the final evaluation, a teaching portfolio together with reflections on their teaching philosophy in a statement that relates the candidate’s practices to the principles of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in line with the document presented with the initial application for the position.
The candidate will also be asked to give at least one trial lecture or teaching session to the committee and students as part of the final evaluation process.
By the midterm evaluation the candidate should have completed (currently 200 hours) the University of Oslo’s Program for Basic Competence in University Pedagogy.
Dissemination and public outreach
The candidate will be evaluated for their contribution to the dissemination of research and public insights into the relevant field of this position.
The candidate will submit a public outreach portfolio showing how they disseminate research output to non-academic audiences. Public outreach can take the form of public lectures, op-eds, exhibitions, teaching material, documentaries, etc.
Language requirement
A candidate that does not master a Scandinavian language is required to reach proficiency in Norwegian equivalent to level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) within three years.
By the end of the tenure track period, the candidate is expected to actively participate, in Norwegian, in all functions the position may involve, including teaching, administration, and other relevant tasks.
This language requirements will be subject to evaluation during the midterm and final evaluations.
Academic citizenship
The committee of the final evaluation will evaluate the candidate’s ability to contribute actively to a positive working environment. The candidate is expected to be physically present at IKOS, except during fieldwork, and to actively contribute to the department’s activities and development.
Different candidates will be able to contribute differently, depending on their backgrounds and prior skillsets, so contributions in one field may offset less contributions in another. The Department expects them to include some of the following:
- Contribution to student recruitment, development, and retention – this can include successful supervision of Bachelor and Master students and involvement in activities such as Open Day or student-organised events.
- Helping to build an academic community in the relevant field nationally and internationally, such as positions of trust in academic associations and participation on editorial boards of academic journals.
- Involvement in joint staff activities – staff meetings, department seminars, joint applications for funding, workshops, etc.
- Recruitment and introduction of new faculty, regular participation in seminar series, committees, active participation in the development of the department’s teaching portfolio, and social and intellectual milieu.
The Department’s obligations
The Department will, with available resources, supply the candidate with the infrastructure and administrative support for access to Norwegian language courses, developing a research group, and for conducting research, teaching and dissemination as required in this position.
The midterm and final evaluation processes
The evaluation processes will consist of a midterm evaluation to be held in the fourth year of the tenure-track period and a final assessment, which will take place during the sixth year.
The midterm evaluation
The members of the midterm evaluation committee will be appointed by the dean of the Faculty of Humanities upon the recommendation of the IKOS head of department.
All criteria in the contract of employment, including the language requirement, will be assessed and evaluated by the committee members and the candidate will be given feedback on performance and milestones in relation to the plans set forward in the contract. The evaluation of progression is based on the requirements for the final evaluation, however, with a main emphasis on research performance.
The committee members will submit individual reports. Each individual report should end in a tentative conclusion that the candidate can be placed within one of the four following categories.
- The candidate is well placed to meet the requirements for the final evaluation
- Given that the current progression is continued, it is likely that the candidate will meet the requirements for the final evaluation
- The candidate has made progress, but should improve his or her progression in order to reach the requirements for the final evaluation
- The candidate is far behind a reasonable course to be able to reach the requirements for the final evaluation
If all committee members conclude with categories 1, 2, or 3, the candidate is considered to have satisfied the academic requirements of the midterm evaluation to continue in the tenure track. If one or more of the committee members conclude with category 4, the dean will consider whether the candidate is apt to continue in the tenure track position after the midterm evaluation.
The final assessment
The final assessment of research performance and output is first conducted by an external expert (adjudication) committee within the candidate's subject area during the first half of the sixth year of employment in accordance with the regulations for appointment to positions as associate professor.
The expert committee will first and foremost assess the candidate’s research performance. Subsequently, the candidate will be interviewed by an internal interview committee assessing the full range of criteria in the contract of employment including teaching and dissemination. Candidates will also be evaluated on personal suitability and ability to contribute to academic citizenship.
The external adjudication committee is appointed by the Dean following a proposal from the Head of Department and shall consist of three members, at least one of whom must be from a non-Norwegian research institution (in accordance with Rules for employment and promotion for Professor and Associate Professor positions at UiO).
Only one member of the adjudication committee can be from the University of Oslo. More than one gender should be represented on the committee where possible. Finally, the internal interview committee will be appointed by the Head of Department at IKOS.