MSCA Fellow - Demography of historical influenza pandemics

Centre for Welfare and Labour Research

OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University (former HiOA) is Norway’s third largest university, with more than 20,000 students and over 2000 employees. We conduct research in areas that are important for welfare and value creation, for instance health, education, social sciences, technology and design. OsloMet has an academic stimulating environment with a variety of welfare schemes. 

Centre for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA) consists of Work Research Institute (AFI), Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), and Consumption Research Norway (SIFO).

MSCA Fellow - Demography of historical influenza pandemics

Call for Expression of Interest for mutual application under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship scheme

We hereby invite for top-class researchers of any nationality (at any stage in their career) in the study of social determinants or consequences of the 1918-20 “Spanish flu” pandemic or other historical influenza pandemics to apply for a EU-funded Marie Sklodowska Curie Action Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of 1-2 years. The topic is timely aligned with the centenary of the 1918 pandemic in 2018.
Area of research
The candidates should address questions such as: What types of social groups were more and which less, affected by the pandemic? What are the most important biological, historical and social factors that influenced the differential impact of the pandemic among groups? What effect, if any, did the pandemic have on social relations and future social developments? Specifically, did it have an impact on marriage, fertility and migration? How did the survivors of the disease and the bereaved spouses and children cope socially and economically later in life? Also, did the knowledge of differential social susceptibility during historical pandemics affect subsequent preventive actions? And, how do these insights help us prepare for avoiding socially unjust outcomes of future pandemics? Candidates taking a global rather than a national view is especially welcomed.
Successful candidates will be supervised by Research Professor Svenn-Erik Mamelund. He has more than 20 years experience studying the demography of epidemic diseases and has published extensively on the 1918 influenza pandemic, influenza in general and preparedness planning. For more information on Mamelund, see profiles at OsloMet or Research Gate.
With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite researchers to submit their resumé (including publication list) and a short project description, that will be the basis for selecting a maximum of three candidates with which we will collaborate in developing competitive MSCA-IF proposals. In this first phase, the cooperation will be carried out remotely, but with regular email and Skype communication, and one physical meeting, if convenient. If applicants are successful, the place of work will be at the Work Research Institute, OsloMet main campus in the center of Oslo.   
Starting Date
The EU informs the results on the MSCA-IF applications in January 2019.  Successful candidate(s) are expected to be available to start within the following 2 months.
Main duties of the position
The successful candidate will primarily work on the Marie Curie funded project, but will be integrated at the Work Research Institute in general, by taking part in regular meetings and discussion groups, but will specifically be introduced with Mamelunds’ national and international network of influenza researchers. If agreed with the candidate, he/she may also be included in other ongoing influenza projects or in proposal processes.  
We are looking for applicants who have
The candidates must as a minimum have a PhD in historical demography, economic history, epidemiology, medical biostatistics-, history- or anthropology, but we are primarily looking for more senior candidates who wish to use this period as an occasion to further develop their research and develop longer term research collaborations with OsloMet and other institutions in the field. The candidates must be assessed as in principle eligible for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship
We are looking for applicants who
  • Excellent skills in statistical methods and in using statistical programs such as SAS, Stata etc.
  • Knowledge of historical context and quality and availability of historical data in the field
  • An excellent track record in research, necessary for being able to develop a competitive Marie Curie Fellowship application
  • An open and cooperation oriented nature, but with strong abilities for independent academic work
It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active efforts to further develop as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required.
We can offer you
Initially, we offer assistance in developing competitive Marie Curie Individual Fellowship proposals. For successful applicants to the Marie Curie program, we offer;
  • Flexible working conditions
  • An inclusive and friendly work environment
  • Unique academic network the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals under the auspices of Research Professor Svenn-Erik Mamelund
  • Norwegian classes
  • Onboarding assistance and other services
OsloMet has implemented the Charter & Code for researchers and been granted the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4) by the EU Commission.
OsloMet’s International Career Site gives information on living and working in Oslo.
Contact information
  • Florissa Abreu, R&D and External Funding Support, Florissa.Abreu@hioa.no
  • Svenn-Erik Mamelund, Research Professor, Svenn-Erik.Mamelund@afi.hioa.no
Remuneration
The competitive fellowship opportunities are 100% funded and include living and mobility allowances.
Expert evaluation
Interested candidates should upload their resume and a 4-page note describing the project for which a Marie Curie grant will be applied. The candidate(s) selected to proceed with a full MSCA-IF application (due in September) will be supported by Research Professor Svenn-Erik Mamelund, and by the professional research administration staff at OsloMet.
Originals must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet performs document inspections in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition.
Proposals will be pre-selected based on internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. A maximum of six candidates will be invited for a skype interview, and a maximum of three candidates will be invited to submit a proposal to the EU funded MSCA-IF programme. Candidates will be informed of the results of the pre-selection by April 18th, 2018.
Selected candidates will be invited to meet the supervisor and visit the research environment at OsloMet to further develop the proposal organised by OsloMet in May 2018.

The position adheres to the Norwegian Government’s policy that the national labour force should to the greatest possible extent reflect the diversity of the population. Therefore, we encourage qualified candidates with immigrant background or reduced functional ability to apply for this position. OsloMet is an IA (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise and operates in compliance with the Norwegian IA agreement. Questions about adaptation and the working environment may be directed to the contact persons.
Final date of application:   March 30th, 2018