The overarching objective of the project is to do research that will serve to promote sustainable development, by finding out how to ensure that business is run in an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable way. The thematic scope of SMART centres on products originating wholly or in part in developing countries and sold by businesses in the EU to consumers and procurers in the EU. SMART has mapped and analysed the regulation of business, investors and consumers as well as the state as market actor and regulator, on the international level, the European level and in selected European states, including Norway. Based on this analysis, SMART is developing reform proposals, aimed at legislators as well as at the market actors themselves. More information about the project is available on the SMART website. The project is funded under the EU framework programme Horizon 2020.
The research assistant will become a part of the Faculty of Oslo’s research group Companies, Markets and Sustainability and of the project’s international research team, giving the student the possibility to participate at internal and external seminars and international workshops and conferences. The working language is English although some activities may take place in Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages.
The successful candidate will normally have completed at least the third year of their master degree in law, and will write a large master thesis (60 credits) or an article of a comparable size relevant for the SMART project. In exceptional cases, also graduated lawyers can be recruited to research assistant positions. The position does then not, however, lead to a new degree with a new thesis, but to an article manuscript only. Publication of the work (thesis or article manuscript), in English and if applicable also in Norwegian (or in another Scandinavian language), will be encouraged. Academic achievements will be of significance in the assessment. A good knowledge of a Scandinavian language is an advantage, but not a condition, as long as you have a good command of written and spoken English.
The SMART project started up on 1 March 2016 and will run until the end of February 2020. The research assistant position runs from August 2019 to June 2020, and the research assistant will after the SMART project is concluded contribute, inter alia, to the final report, as well as conclude the work with their own master thesis or article.
The final choice of the topic for the master’s thesis will be made together with Professor Beate Sjåfjell, coordinator of the SMART Project. Possible relevant topics may be found in the realm of Norwegian, European or comparative company or other business law (also including non-European jurisdictions), accounting, auditing and tax law, financial market law and other interesting areas as business and human rights, and the methodology of the thesis may also include legal-economic and/or legal-empirical perspectives, to indicate some of the possibilities offered by this project. Research on the role of the board in integrating international and national environmental and social standards or guidelines is one option.
The pay is 50 % of pay grade 35, which constitutes a gross salary of NOK 179,000 per year.
Short-listed applicants will be invited to an interview.
For more information about the position, please contact Administrative Coordinator in SMART, Linda Gulli, tel. 22 85 9716, e-mail: linda.gulli@jus.uio.no, or Professor Beate Sjåfjell, e-mail: b.k.sjafjell@jus.uio.no (e-mail only as Beate is on sabbatical at UC Berkeley this academic year).
Applicants should provide a short statement (maximum 2 pages) explaining their interest in and suitability for the position, transcripts of their University grades, and a short CV (also maximum 2 pages). Please send your application by e–mail to eva.dobos@jus.uio.no, or by ordinary mail to the Department of Private Law, PO Box 6706 St. Olavs plass 5, 0130 OSLO.
