About the position

At the Faculty of Film, TV and Games (FTVS), University of Inland Norway (INN), there are two positions available as PhD fellows in artistic research in film, TV or games working with AI and creativity through artistic practice. As a PhD fellow, you will be affiliated with the MishMash Center for AI and Creativity as well as one or more of the faculty's research groups, and you are expected to take an active part in these.

The MishMash Center for AI and Creativity is a Norwegian AI center funded by the Research Council of Norway (2025-2030). It includes more than 200 professionals at a number of higher education institutions in Norway, in collaboration with a number of public actors and business partners. The main goal of MishMash is to create, explore and reflect on artificial intelligence for, through and in creative practices. MishMash participants will investigate AI's impact on creative processes, develop innovative co-creative AI systems and educational strategies, and reflect on AI's ethical, legal, cultural and societal implications in creative fields. See mishmash.no for more information.

Depending on the PhD project, the workplace may be at the Norwegian Film School or the TV School in Lillehammer or the Game School in Hamar. Other workplaces can be agreed for shorter or longer periods in connection with project work, international exchange, etc.

The position is for a fixed-term period of three years. A fourth year of other career-enhancing work may be added. A fourth year of other career-enhancing work may be added, in which case this year will account for 25% of working hours and be linked to teaching, supervision and dissemination at the faculty's three schools.

The positions require admission to the faculty's doctoral program in artistic research in film and related audiovisual art forms. The final plan for the artistic PhD project must be approved and contracted no later than three months after admission.

About the project

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in the production of film, TV and games, and can open up new opportunities for expression, improve workflow, create engaging experiences and optimize production processes. At the same time, AI use raises critical questions about cultural agency, ethics, environmental considerations and the protection of rights. Who decides what stories are told, what images are seen, and what ideas shape our shared reality? How does AI affect legal and structural dynamics in creative industries? How does AI-generated content affect our understanding of and trust in audiovisual representations?

Through artistic practice in film, TV or games, the doctoral project will investigate how AI can be used creatively and highlight both opportunities and challenges. Relevant questions in artistic investigations may be:

• How can we integrate generative AI systems into ideation and production processes, while maintaining creative autonomy and avoiding the risk of machine-driven homogenization?
• What are the cultural, ethical and market implications for artists and audiences when AI systems are integrated into creative processes, and how can these be managed to ensure integrity, diversity, ownership and originality?
• How can artists and creative producers use generative AI tools to push the boundaries of artistic expression, while critically engaging with the biases embedded in these systems?
• How can artistic research contribute to uncovering the limitations of current AI technologies and inspire the development of more inclusive, artist-centered tools that promote innovation, integrity and human agency?

The fellow will develop a doctoral project with a relevant overarching theme or research question that is developed through artistic processes, investigations, works and reflection. The artistic practice shall be at the center of the doctoral work. At the same time, the artistic practice must be followed by an explicit reflection that, when presenting the project, makes it possible for others to take part in the working methods and insights generated by the artistic development work.

The doctoral project may relate to one or more of the disciplines involved in the development of film, TV and games, such as producer, fiction direction, documentary direction, script, photography, production design, sound, editing, film music, VFX, animation, game design, 3D modeling and VR. There is also the possibility of film documentary investigations that thematize the development of, research on and creative use of AI.

Interdisciplinarity is desirable, and theory and methods from other fields of art, science or technology can support the project, provided that the art practice is at the center. Projects with an emphasis on methods from other disciplines, such as the humanities, social sciences or technology, will not be considered.

The selected candidate is expected to participate in one or more MishMash work packages, collaborate across the MishMash network and participate in all relevant MishMash activities.

Qualifications

The candidate is required to qualify for admission to the university's PhD program in artistic research.program in artistic research.

For admission to doctoral education, the applicant must normally have a five-year master's degree in the relevant subject area. For admission to an artistic PhD, the master's degree must be artistic and practice-based. The university may, after special assessment, approve other equivalent education as a basis for admission, including equivalent artistic competence. An average grade of B or better is required for applicants with education from a master's program with letter grades.

If you have education from abroad, you must contact HK-dir yourself for approval of the education: https://hkdir.no/utdanning-fra-utlandet.

Special qualification requirements or requests related to the specific position.

The applicant must demonstrate an artistic background in film, television, games or related audiovisual art forms, with the necessary expertise for specialization in the area of the proposed artistic doctoral project.

Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the applicant:

• having the academic and personal prerequisites to complete the doctoral education within the appointment period
• being able to work independently and collaboratively
• being structured and having a high work capacity
• showing the ability to reflect and communicate
• having an interest in and ability to collaborate across disciplines and institutions
• for a four-year position, which includes teaching, pedagogical experience will be desirable

Language:

• Very good communication skills in English, oral and written, are a requirement.

Which candidate is best qualified will be a comprehensive assessment of education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation and other qualification requirements as formulated in the ad text. In addition, the following will be emphasized: quality of the project description, documented artistic practice and research and development work relevant to the project.

Applicants who already have a PhD will not be considered for the position. Applicants who, at the time of the application deadline, are students in an artistic master's programme will not be considered.

The position and associated duties must be carried out in accordance with applicable laws and regulations for government employees, including the Act on the Control of Exports of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology, etc. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to take up the position at the University of Inland Norway. Necessary approvals must be maintained throughout the employment relationship.

How to apply

The application must contain:

• Application letter with a brief overview of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position. Project outline as a professional account of the project (max. 6 pages) with the following elements:
  • presentation of the topic and description of the project's relevance
  • research questions
  • how the field in question will be investigated through artistic practice and reflection
  • relevance to MishMash's goals and objectives
  • explanation of any legal and ethical issues raised by the project, and how these can be clarified
  • plan for dissemination of results and reflection
  • outline of progress plan
  • outline of financing plan
  • statement of infrastructure needs for the implementation of the artistic development project.
• CV with an overview of education and experience (to be completed in the application form on Jobbnorge.no).
• Transcripts and diplomas from upper secondary and higher education. (A certified English translation of all educational documents is required unless the documents are in Scandinavian language.) Norwegian applicants are requested to upload via the diploma portal, choose to show study results for degrees and courses.
• Tests documenting relevant experience.
• Documentation with excerpts from up to five (5) artistic or development works of relevance to the application.
• Names and contact details of two references.

Attachments are uploaded as separate files. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all attachments are uploaded. Documents submitted after the application deadline will not be taken into consideration.

Project outline requirements:

The project outline must be a maximum of 6 pages, including any reference list. The page format for the project outline must be A4 with 2 cm margins, 11-point font (Arial, Calibri and Times New Roman) and single line spacing. For any reference list and figure text, font size 9 can be used.

The project outline can be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. The quality of the project outline is an important factor in determining whether applicants are invited to an interview.

Standard requirements for documentation of artistic work and development work:

Documentation may provide information about and show excerpts from up to five (5) artistic works or development work of relevance to the application. The documentation material should through excerpts document artistic breadth and quality, with particular emphasis on examples that relate to the area of the proposed doctoral project. The total duration should not exceed 120 minutes. The documentation material must be collected in one PDF file as an attachment to the application, possibly with a link to where audiovisual material can be experienced online, e.g. YouTube and Vimeo. Avoid linking to content on streaming services that require a login (e.g. Netflix, Spotify) or are only available in Norway (e.g. nrk.no). It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that links remain available during the period when the application is being evaluated. Remember to enter a password if online documentation is password protected.

If the attachments exceed 30 MB in total, they must be compressed before uploading.

Information about you may be made public even if you have requested not to be included on the applicant list. If your request is not granted, you will be notified of this.

We offer

• an exciting and challenging job at a developing university.
• salary in position code 1017 scholarship holder in accordance with the Norwegian State Salary Regulations.
• Membership in Statens pensjonskasse, including good pension and insurance schemes.

For more information about INN as an employer, see here.

Diversity and Affirmative Action

INN believes that inclusion and diversity are a strength. We want employees with different skills, professional combinations, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better task performance. We will make arrangements for employees who need it. Examples of adaptations include technical aids, adapting furniture or changing routines, work tasks and working hours.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in their CV or an immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview. You must meet certain requirements to be given preferential treatment in this way. You can read more at the employer portal.

We encourage you to check in the job applicant portal if you have a disability, gaps in your CV or an immigrant background. The checkboxes in the jobseeker portal form the basis for anonymized statistics that all government agencies report in their annual reports.