Postdoctoral Research Fellowhip in Music Information Retrieval (Rhythm and Groove) Full-time

Postdoctoral Research Fellow In Groove And Rhythm Cognition

The project, GROOVE, aims to significantly advance knowledge on groove and why specific combinations of rhythmic patterns reliably elicit pleasure and the urge to move. Building on recent work in music theory, rhythm cognition, and music information retrieval, the project will develop a novel, theoretical-analytical framework for the categorization of multi-part rhythmic patterns and their combinations across ensemble parts (e.g., drums, bass, guitar, voice) and genres. The empirical focus will be placed on groove-based traditions that have strongly influenced global popular music (e.g., funk, reggae, samba). The candidate is not expected to have prior expertise in these specific traditions; repertoire knowledge is covered by other team members.

The successful candidate will lead the project's computational work package and develop the pipeline that operationalizes the theory and supports perceptual studies. This includes: contributing to method development on rhythm modeling; performing source separation on commercial recordings and extracting audio features (onsets, pitch, harmony, dynamics); curating datasets; and integrating machine learning approaches to complement rule-based methods.

The candidate will collaborate closely with the PI and the project team and co-author publications.

The position is available for a period of 3 years, starting the earliest 1. September 2026 and latest 1. November 2026. There is a 10 % component of the position which is devoted to teaching and administrative duties or other career-promoting work. Given additional funding, the position may be extended to 4 years, with a 25 % duty component. This would depend on the qualifications of the recruited candidate, the department's needs for teaching, and the centre's need for assistance.

The successful candidate is expected to become part of the research environment and contribute to its development. The main purpose of postdoctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

A career plan shall be developed for the Postdoctoral Fellow, specifying the competencies the Postdoctoral Fellow should acquire. UiO is responsible for following up on the career plan and ensuring that the Postdoctoral Fellow has access to career guidance throughout the postdoctoral term.