A fixed-term 100% position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Engineering and Science as a PhD Research Fellow in academic e-sports, affiliated to the Department of Information and Communication Technology, for a period of four years with 25% required duties. The position is located at Campus Grimstad. The starting date is as soon as possible or to be negotiated with the Faculty.


The successful applicant will work on using e-sports and games as educational tools to develop knowledge and skills for schools, universities, and industry. The project is conducted within the academic e-sports team at UiA, which spans four faculties, and is connected world-wide with the leading academic e-sports institutions. This creates an interdisciplinary and international collaboration environment designed to leverage the full potential of its members.

Responsibilities

The successful applicant will conduct research with focus on the opportunities of e-sports and games for learning in formal and informal settings. The position focuses on cross-discipline aspects and the practical use of academic e-sports.

This position features a strong connection to teaching, such that the successful candidate is expected to spend 25% of the time within relevant teaching tasks.

Required qualifications

  • Master’s degree in a relevant subject area. Candidates who are in the last stages of their master’s degree can also apply. Relevant areas include:
    • Multimedia technology
    • Game technology
    • ICT and Learning
    • Engineering
  • English proficiency, both written and oral. International candidates that are not exempt from the English language requirements pursuant to the guidelines of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) must document this, either when submitting their application or afterwards, through one of the following tests with the stated results or better:
    • TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language with a minimum score of 600 for the Paperbased Test (PBT), or 92 for the Internet-based Test (iBT)
    • IELTS – International English Language Testing System, with the result of 6.5

Further provisions relating to the positions as PhD Research Fellows can be found in the Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.

A prerequisite for employment is that the candidate is to be admitted to UiA’s PhD programme in Engineering and Science, specialisation in Information and Communication Technology.

Desired qualifications

The ideal applicant combines experience and background in e-sports and games with knowledge and skills in e-sports and games. This is evidenced by experience in at least two of the following areas.

  • Game development
  • Game design
  • E-sports
  • Pedagogy and didactics
  • Psychology

Personal qualities

This position demands an extensive set of personal skills due to its cross-discipline, among them the following:

  • Enthusiasm for research
  • Passion for teaching
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Conscientiousness
  • Team-working skills
  • Critical and scientific thinking
  • Creativity

Personal qualities and suitability for the position will be emphasised.

We offer

  • Professional development in a large, exciting and socially influential organisation
  • A positive, inclusive and diverse working environment
  • Modern facilities and a comprehensive set of welfare offers 
  • Membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
  • Training to conduct independent research and publish in the top journals and conferences in the covered areas.
  • Financial support for research visits and international conference trips.
  • An international, inclusive, and diverse working environment that respects the differences and guarantees the rights and freedom of  all students.
  • A position in a country that provides a wide range of welfare benefits from which the selected applicant will be able to benefit. This includes a public health system, paid vacation, paid sick leaves, unemployment benefits, free education, membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.  Norway also constitutes a safe environment and whose appeals rapidly enthral any nature enthusiast.

More about working at UiA.

The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.515, code 1017 PhD Research Fellow, NOK 501 200 gross salary per year. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.

General information

UiA is an open and inclusive university. We believe that diversity enriches the workplace and makes us better. We, therefore, encourage qualified candidates to apply for the position independent of gender, age, cultural background, disability or an incomplete CV.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply for the position. 

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning the acts relating to Control of Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment. Read more about the employment process.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.

Application

The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link “Apply for this job“.

The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:

  • Certificates with grades
  • Master’s thesis
  • References
  • Academic work and R&D projects, as well as a list of these
  • Project description with a maximum scope of 4 pages, including reference list. The description should present a research topic and discuss possible research questions, theory perspectives, material, a progress plan, and methods within the given framework.
  • Any other relevant documentation

The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or English.

Application deadline: 01.08.22

Contact

For questions about the position:

For questions about the application process:

University of Agder

The University of Agder has more than 1500 employees and almost 14 000 students. This makes us one of the largest workplaces in Southern Norway. Our staff research, teach and disseminate knowledge from a variety of academic fields. Co-creation of knowledge is our common vision. We offer a broad range of study programmes in many fields. We are situated at two modern campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad respectively.

We are an open and inclusive university marked by a culture of cooperation. The aim of the university is to further develop education and research at a high international level.

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