Erlend Tiberg North
I am a doctoral research fellow at SMN and wish to represent the temporary academic staff at the faculty of mathematics and natural sciences. In 2023 I have been a deputy representative with participation at multiple meetings. I have been involved in student representation most of my university education and as a M.Sc. student at UiO I was a student representative in the faculty board, in addition to having experience from the department of chemistry’s institute board.
Temporary academic staff are under a lot of pressure, with some stuck between research and education, while others depend on continual grant proposals for their position. I will work for safeguarding of the people behind the position and see that they have the necessary support around them. To be an attractive workplace both during the position and after its completion, this will be important.
Since these jobs are “temporary” by their definition, career development and planning are critical for the period after ended employment, whether they will stay in or leave academia.
Though I will be a representative for the temporary academic staff, my wish is for a well-functioning cooperation in the board. I will do my best for the faculty’s united good and see that all their groups are considered in decisions and processes.
Arelí Urtubia
I am a pharmacist, socialist, powerlifter, Norwegian and Chilean.
I completed my masters in drug analysis at the Pharmaceutical Institute at UiO in 2018.
In the following years, I worked as a team leader at Norway’s busiest pharmacy, as a Pharmacy leader (apoteker) at a newly established online-pharmacy and with pharmaceutical advisory services in Apotek 1, (revision of drug handling in institutions, , advisory work, drafting of SOP for drug handling etc.). After a while i found my way back to the pharmaceutical institute at the University of Oslo to start work on a PhD. This time the field is microbiology at the section of biosciences.
I believe that academia should be a good place to work, and that temporary employees should have their rights protected. At the same time, the political development is worrying, our politicians expect innovation, first-class science and the best education, but they do not seem to understand neither how science works nor what it requires. These are the reasons I am running for the faculty board.
Niklas Erdmann
I am Niklas, a German PhD student working at the Department of Technology Systems (ITS).
My goal is to continue the movement for more and easier inclusion of internationals like myself who do not speak Norwegian. I am not alone with this pursuit, as the first Non-Norwegian speaker representative of temporary staff in the faculty board was Elisabeth Gracia Gonsalez in 2021. She was fighting for more representation of non-Norwegian temporary staff in leadership roles in UiO. Her fight is far from over, as of now, the working language for the Faculty board happens to be Norwegian still. Meanwhile, the number of international temporary employees keeps increasing.
During my prior university education, I stayed in Groningen for almost seven years, which is a very international student city in the Netherlands. They had their own set of issues and solution towards a more inclusive and cooperative environment which I plan to use as perspective to elicit change in the right direction at UiO.
Drawing from these personal experiences, I know very well how it is to stay in a foreign country only speaking English, but not the native language. For a temporary stay, it may not make sense to spend a lot of time to study Norwegian even if there are courses and support. Even if one would learn Norwegian, reaching a sufficient level still takes time, limiting successful inclusion until then.
Should you choose me to represent you in the faculty board, I will strive to everyone always always having the option of using English in communication, information and events at UiO. This will also benefit Norwegian society, by making it easier to attract and hold international talent. Further, more diversity in the University board allows for better governance in general. Ultimately, I want all of us to have a great time staying and working here no matter where we are from.