PhD Candidate in Administrative Sanctions at BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo (RODEAS Project, 4 Years, Salary NOK 623,200)

The Department of Law and Governance at BI Norwegian Business School announces a position as a PhD candidate in administrative law and criminal law within the project RODEAS: Rule of Law, Due Process, and Effectivity in Administrative Sanctioning. RODEAS is funded by the Research Council of Norway (2026-2030).

The position is a full-time, fixed-term contract for four years with 25% teaching or other career-promoting duties. The candidate is expected to be based at BI's Campus Oslo and to take part in the research community of the Department of Law and Governance and in RODEAS activities. The expected start date is Fall 2027.

RODEAS will analyse administrative sanctions broadly and interdisciplinarily: the relationship between administrative sanctions and punishment, general principles for imposing administrative sanctions, the need for a dedicated sanctioning process, and proportionality as a guiding principle in sentencing. The project will also run large-scale analyses of sanctions decisions by selected partner regulators using an established data research platform.

The advertised PhD project is anchored in Work Package 1, on the legal nature of the administrative sanctioning regime as situated between criminal law punishment and purely restrictive measures: how it can be theoretically justified and how those justifications align with current legislative and administrative practice. The candidate designs their own project within WP1; the final project description is developed with the supervisor, the project manager and the RODEAS team after appointment. WP1 is described in the official project description (hosted on this post as the brochure).

• A Norwegian five-year Master's degree in Law or an equivalent qualification.
• The PhD project should preferably be conducted in English, but applications in Norwegian are also welcomed. Applicants must demonstrate excellent academic proficiency in either English or Norwegian, written and spoken.
• The project must correspond to the purpose and objectives of the RODEAS project.
• BI is not accredited to award PhDs in law, so the PhD will be affiliated with either the University of Oslo or the University of Bergen; the candidate must qualify for the PhD programme at one of these institutions.

The advertisement accepts “an equivalent qualification” to the Norwegian five-year Master’s degree in Law and states no nationality or residence restriction. Whether a foreign law degree qualifies is decided under the PhD admission rules of the University of Oslo or the University of Bergen.

• The quality of the academic project description (5-10 pages).
• Previous experience and academic publications, particularly in criminal law and/or administrative law.
• Ability to work goal-oriented, systematically, creatively and independently.
• Good communication skills.
• A collaborative, friendly and team-oriented style of work, and the ability to join interdisciplinary and international academic communities.

Priority is given to the project description, academic achievements, previous relevant publications, and professional and personal qualifications, especially the ability to complete the project within the timeframe. Qualified applicants may be called for an interview.

• Salary NOK 623,200 (will be adjusted).
• Membership in BI's collective pension scheme and good welfare schemes.
• A supportive academic and research environment with a strong focus on professional career development.

Apply electronically through the "Send application" button on BI's recruitment portal, uploading:

• Application letter
• Academic project description (5-10 pages)
• CV and publication list
• Diploma from the highest degree obtained
• Other documentation of importance for assessing the applicant's competence

The application deadline is 15 November 2026. No materials can be submitted after the deadline.

For more information about the position, contact the project manager, Professor Johan Boucht (johan.boucht@bi.no).