Job description

The Department of Special Needs Education (ISP) at the University of Oslo, Norway, invites applicants for a 3 year full-time position as PhD Research Fellow. The PhD fellow will be working on the GenEd project “Genetically sensitive observational and intervention research on home learning environment", funded by the Research Council of Norway. The PhD fellow will study why learning difficulties (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD) tend to run in families, using statistical methods from epidemiology and behavioural genetics.

The project GenEd, aim to unravel why learning difficulties and ADHD run in families. We will bring together expertise, data, and methods from special educational needs, public health, and behavioural genetics. The PhD fellow will study a large cohort of children, the MoBa cohort, which includes information from parents, teachers, and school grade records. The genetics side will be studied using family data (e.g., twins) and DNA data. By including genetics, the influence of the environment (parents and school) can be revealed. Read more about the project here (in Norwegian).

The project is carried out in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

More about the position

Place of employment will be the Department of Special Needs Education. The Department of Special Needs Education is one of three departments at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo. The department focuses on basic and applied research and education of bachelor-, master- and doctoral level candidates within the field of special needs education. 

The successful applicant will have the office space located at CREATE. CREATE is an interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway with the objective of generating novel knowledge about how to reduce inequalities in education.

The fellowship period is 3 years and devoted to carrying out a project entitled “Genetically sensitive observational and intervention research on home learning environment" (GenEd).

The research fellow must take part in the faculty’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The PhD fellow is expected to pursue quantitative research. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

For more information, please see our web site. 

The candidate should live in or move to the Oslo area.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must satisfy the requirements for admission to the faculty´s PhD programme. 

This normally includes:

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in educational sciences, psychology, behavioural genetics, epidemiology, data sciences, or another relevant field 
• A Master’s degree (120 ECTS) with a minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent. The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS, with a minimum grade B
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

In the assessment of applications, emphasis will be placed on:

• The quality of the project description
• The applicant’s motivation for the position, including their ability to collaborate and to form part of a cross-disciplinary academic community integrating educational science and genetics
• Experience with large and complex data and with registry data, health surveys, or family studies
• Knowledge of advanced statistical methods (e.g., structural equation modelling, twin data modelling) and software (e.g., the programme R)
• Experience with quantitative research methods

Personal skills

• A collaborative, friendly, and team-oriented work style
• Ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities
• Ability to focus and work independently
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position, including their ability to collaborate and to form part of a cross-disciplinary academic community integrating educational science and genetics

We offer

• Salary NOK 532 200 - 575 400 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research Fellow, (position code 1017)
• An interdisciplinary and international working environment, recognized as a centre of excellence
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply and what to include in your application

The application must include:

• Cover letter (maximum 2 pages), including statement of motivation, research interests and how your research skills and interests align with the aims of GenEd
• 5 – 7 pages with a project description of the main interests in relation to the topics in the GenEd project. Please see our guidelines: The project description, a guideline - Faculty of Educational Sciences (uio.no)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, research experience, and other qualifying activities)
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only). Foreign applicants must attach an explanation of their university’s grading system
• Documentation of English proficiency (for information on required documentation, see information on this webpage)
• Master thesis
• A complete list of publications and academic works
• List of 2 or 3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link: “Apply for this job”. 

When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the project description and the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

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