PhD Fellow in Documentary Production and Ethics

University of Stavanger; Stavanger; On-site; NOK 522,000 - 638,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Norwegian language courses

Lifekeys (mental health)

Relocation support

Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Inclusive Workplace

Public transport - Hjem-jobb-hjem

Job summary

The University of Stavanger invites applications for a PhD Fellow position in the Documentary and Ethics Research Group. The project investigates ethical issues in documentary practice amid new technologies, including AI, focusing on truthfulness, authenticity and trust.

The doctoral work combines documentary production and critical reflection, aiming to develop knowledge, practice, and methods to address ethical dilemmas in contemporary media.

Responsibilities

• Conduct documentary production and critical reflection on ethics in relation to AI and new technologies.
• Explore how AI influences truthfulness, authenticity, and trust in documentary representation.
• Collaborate with the Documentary and Ethics Research Group to develop knowledge and methods.

Job description

Research topic

We are seeking a documentary practitioner working in film or audio who, through artistic research, wishes to investigate, develop, and critically reflect on their own artistic practice in relation to documentary storytelling, ethics, and new technology.

The core focus of the project is ethical issues in documentary practice and how these are challenged and transformed in response to new technologies. Fact-based storytelling raises fundamental questions concerning, among other things, truthfulness, authenticity, and trust. Technological developments have long influenced how documentary practitioners engage with such questions, both through new possibilities for production and dissemination and through the emergence of new ethical dilemmas. Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have brought renewed attention to and intensified many of these issues, including those related to verification, production, dissemination, and audiences’ encounters with documentary forms of expression.

The PhD project shall investigate ethical issues in documentary practice in light of technological developments and consist of documentary production and written reflection and analysis. The artistic production shall constitute the primary and most substantial component of the project. Central questions concern how documentary truthfulness and ethical principles are challenged, and how the documentary field can respond to these challenges through the development of knowledge, practice, and critical reflection.

Possible approaches may include exploring how AI influences the ethics of documentary representation, authenticity, and trust; how documentary practitioners relate to new technological tools; or how ethical issues manifest themselves within various relevant societal contexts. Ethical dilemmas emerge and become visible in concrete production processes and artistic choices, where questions of fact, authenticity, trust, and technology must be addressed in practice. Through the combination of documentary production and critical reflection, the candidate may investigate these dilemmas from within the artistic process itself and develop knowledge about how they arise, are negotiated, and are managed in documentary work.

The specific research question shall be developed by the candidate within this thematic framework of documentary practice and ethics in a new technologically changing environment. The project must be grounded in the candidate’s own documentary practice and may include both national and international perspectives.

The candidate is expected to be at the forefront of knowledge regarding current developments, practices, approaches, and discussions in the field of documentary production. Upon completion of the programme, the candidate should be able to develop, articulate, and realise documentary projects of high complexity and professional relevance, and to communicate their work in ways that generate attention and engagement around the issues addressed. Through the doctoral education, the candidate shall be able to identify and address relevant ethical issues and pursue their artistic practice with professional integrity.

The candidate will be affiliated with the Documentary and Ethics Research Group.

As a PhD Fellow at UiS, you will receive

• a PhD education at a university with a strong societal mission and ambitious academic goals
• an ambitious and inclusive research environment. We strive to include employees at all levels in strategic decisions and promote an informal atmosphere with a flat organisational structure.
• free Norwegian language courses if you do not have proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 at the time of employment.
• access to Lifekeys, a digital service that supports mental health and well-being
• salary in accordance with the State Salary Scale, code 1017, NOK 580 000 gross per year, with salary progression during the employment period. A statutory 2% contribution is deducted for membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (Statens pensjonskasse), which provides favourable pension and insurance schemes
• favourable membership terms at SiS Sports Centre and the university sports club
• employment with an Inclusive Workplace organisation committed to reducing sick leave and promoting and inclusive working life
• access to the Hjem-jobb-hjem programme, offering discounted public transportation to and from work
• relocation support
• access to comprehensive health services, generous parental leave arrangements and a well-developed welfare system.