PhD Research Fellow in fairness in artificial intelligence

Universitetet I Oslo; Oslo; Hybrid; NOK 551,000 - 595,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Family-friendly Oslo location

Job summary

The University of Oslo invites applications for a PhD Research Fellow in fairness in artificial intelligence within the SCML group in the Department of Informatics, at Blindern, Oslo.

The fellowship lasts three years with possible extension to a fourth year for teaching and research assistance; security-eligible as required by UiO policies. The project will explore formal definitions and metrics of fairness in AI systems under supervision by Anne-Marie George.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in informatics/computer science or related field (M.Sc.-level)
• Machine learning competence at Master level
• Documented programming skills
• Three mathematics/statistics courses with grade B or better
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on fairness in AI and ML, defining, measuring, and reconciling different notions of fairness.
• Investigate theoretical relationships between fairness definitions and their trade-offs.
• Collaborate with the SCML research group and supervisor Anne-Marie George to shape project scope and directions.

Skills

Independent work

Team collaboration

Analytical thinking

English communication

Python

Education

Master’s degree in informatics/computer science/related field

Master level machine learning competence

Documented programming skills

Three math/statistics courses with grade B or better

Fluent English communication

Tools

Python

Job description

PhD Research Fellow in fairness in artificial intelligence

We invite applications for a PhD Research Fellow position in fairness in artificial intelligence, available at the Department of Informatics, in the Scientific Computing and Machine Learning (SCML) research group.

Starting date as soon as possible/by agreement. The fellowship period is three (3) years.

Depending on the candidate and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended with a fourth year for compulsory work consisting of e.g., teaching and supervision duties and research assistance.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

Place of work is the Department of Informatics at Blindern, Oslo.

The PhD fellow will be affiliated with the Scientific Computing and Machine Learning (SCML) research group at the Department of Informatics and supervised by associate professor Anne-Marie George.

We are looking for a motivated and academically strong candidate to work on a project within fairness in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The candidate will investigate how to formally define, measure and reconcile different, at times conflicting, notions of fairness in AI systems, as well as the theoretical relationships between them.

Possible directions for the project include (the final scope will be developed together with the candidate, and it is not necessary to cover all topics):

• Group fairness: developing and analysing algorithms and metrics for ensuring fair treatment of groups defined by protected attributes (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity, …).
• Theoretical relations between fairness notions: studying the mathematical relationships, trade-offs, and impossibility results connecting different fairness definitions.
• Intersectional fairness: exploring fairness guarantees for combinations of multiple protected attributes, and addressing the challenges of subgroup fairness, such as computational complexity, statistical reliability and data sparsity for fine-grained subgroups.

Whatskillsareimportantinthisrole?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in informatics/computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a closely related field. Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Documented competence in machine learning at Master level
• Documented programming skills
• Minimum three documented mathematics or statistics courses with passing grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Candidates without a master’s degree have until 30.11.2026 to complete the final exam.

Desired qualifications:

• Programming experience, e.g. in Python, particularly for machine learning
• Experience with machine learning theory, evaluation metrics, algorithmic fairness, statistics, or optimization is an advantage

Language requirement:

• Good oral and written communication skills in English

Grade requirements:
The norm is as follows:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system

UiO is subject to the Security Act, which governs the organisation's protection of security-sensitive objects and knowledge, in addition to other relevant legislation concerning access to and handling of sensitive information. Based on this, it is a requirement that successful applicants are security-eligible. We may use background checks as part of our recruitment process.

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Strong analytical skills and critical thinking
• Enthusiasm, creativity, self-motivation, perseverance and initiative
• Ability to take responsibility for your work — including troubleshooting, acquiring additional skills and asking for help when needed

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.

We can offer you

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
• Committed colleagues in a good working environment
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Salary in position as PhD Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 - 595 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund

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 (Norwegian), 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.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.
Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25 . When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.

About the University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500students and 7 200employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.

The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors.

Questions about the position

Associate Professor

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For questions regarding Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Therese Ringvold