Postdoctoral Research Fellow on Literature and Generative AI at the Center for Digital Narrative

The successful applicant will work on the project AI STORIES: Narrative Archetypes for Artificial Intelligence, a European Research CouncilAdvanced Grant led by Professor Jill Walker Rettberg, with a team of two other postdocs, two PhDs, a research advisor, a data management expertand a research assistant. The project will explore and test the hypothesis that deep narrative structures in the datasets used to train generative AI models are replicated and perhaps exaggeratedin the output of generative AI, and that this could lead to culturally specific narrative biases. Your role in the project will be to experiment with generative AI models to test hypotheses about AI-generated narratives.

The Department offers research-based teaching within a wide span of study programs, including Digital Culture, Art History, Theatre Studies, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Scandinavian Languages and Literature, Old Norse Studies, and Norwegian as a Second Language and Norwegian Languages Courses for international students and employees at the University of Bergen.

The Department is proud host to the Center for Digital Narrative (CDN), a Norwegian Centre of Research Excellence on humanities-driven research in electronic literature, games studies, digital culture, and computation to advance understanding of digital narrative. In 2025 the CDN will have more than 30 researchers and staff members. The successful candidate will have their regular workplace at the CDN, located in the heart of the University of Bergen’s campus. The CDN focuses on algorithmic narrativity, new environments and materialities, and the shifting cultural contexts in which digital narratives are received and processed.

We are looking for a researcher who is interested in combining computational methods with literary analysis, and who enjoys working collaboratively. Stage 1 of the AI Stories project is already underway and involves developing the theoretical framework to apply narrative theory to AI-generated stories. The successful applicant will primarily work on Stage 2, where we develop hypotheses and experiments and test them by finetuning and prompting models and analysing the output. The project’s two PhD students are also being hired this year and will work with the successful applicant on Stage 2: one will be a literary scholar who will use prompt engineering and literary analysis, and the other will use digital methods for data analysis and data visualisation. The work tasks are:

• Design and carry out experiments with generative AI models to understand how they produce narratives, e.g. by finetuning models or prompting existing models and using qualitative and computational methods for analysing the output.
• Co-author a paper that uses quantitative or statistical methods to test the project hypothesis.
• (Co-)supervise PhD students participating in the research project.
• Publish scientific articles, as well as presenting research at scientific conferences and to the general public, the technology industry, politicians, and other relevant parties.
• Publish documentation, code, and datasets according to Open Science guidelines.
• Contribute to planning project workshops and take the lead on organising specific events.

• The applicant must hold a Norwegian PhD or an equivalent foreign degree in literary studies, digital culture, digital humanities, computational linguistics, computer science or a related area. The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation within the closing date of application. The PhD degree must be obtained prior to appointment.
• The applicant must have some experience with programming.
• The applicant must be able to work independently in a well-structured manner and have strong cooperation skills.
• The applicant must be proficient in both written and oral English.

Experience in any of the following areas is considered an advantage:

• Experience with computational literary analysis.
• Experience with setting up, fine-tuning, and using large language models.
• Experience in applying literary theory and analysis.

The applicant must provide a project outline (up to two pages) describing their preliminary ideas for how they would plan experimental research on narrative structures in generative AI.

In assessing the applications, the academic quality and feasibility of the proposed project outline and the academic qualifications of the candidate will be considered. Further emphasis is placed on strategic considerations, motivation, and the applicant’s personal eligibility.

• An engaged and professionally stimulating working environment.
• Gross annual salary of NOK 645 000 for a full-time position (code 1352). Further salary increases will be based on seniority in the position.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Good welfare benefits.

Applications must be sent electronically via the link “APPLY FOR THIS JOB”.Applicants are required to use the electronic CV form. The application must include:

• A project outline (up to two pages) describing your preliminary ideas for how you would plan experimental research on narrative structures in generative AI. If you would like to read the five-page project summary for AI STORIES please e-mail the project leader, Professor Jill Walker Rettberg (jill.walker.rettberg@uib.no).
• Bibliography for the proposed project.
• A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position(cover letter).
• CV.
• Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and diploma for the PhD or documentation showing that the thesis has been submitted for assessment.
• A short summary of the PhD-thesis(up to three pages).
• Full list of any scientific work (publication list).
• Up to five academic works (may include theses, monographs and articles) that are to be given special consideration in the assessment of your academic qualifications.
• Relevant certificates/references.
• The names and contact information for two referees. One of these must be the main supervisor for the PhD thesis.

The application and attachments must be in Norwegian, another Scandinavian language or English. Documents in other languages must be accompanied by certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language. Please ensure that all attachments are in either Word or PDF format and are uploaded to Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.

For further information about the appointment process, click here.

It is a requirement that the postdoctoral project iscompleted during the period of employment.

Candidates cannot be employed as a postdoctoral fellow for more than one fixed term period at the same institution.

The postdoctoral position demands that the applicant has their daily workplace at the University of Bergen and comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.