Ledig stilling ved Universitetet i Bergen

Postdoctoral Fellow (Department of Clinical Science)

Deadline: 22.04.2019

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University of Bergen

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.


There are five departments and seven centres at Faculty of Medicine. Read More about the faculty and departments.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Bioinformatics applied to Epigenetics in Mental Health Disorders

At the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, a full-time temporary position as postdoctoral fellow in bioinformatics applied to epigenetics in mental health disorders is available for a period of three (3) years. The position is part of the project ”DNA methylation in psychiatric disorders: mediation of gene by environment effects, from birth to adulthood”, financed by the Norwegian Research Council (Bedre Helse program).

The position is in collaboration with Dr Tetyana Zayats at the BROAD Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. The successful candidate is expected to work in Boston from six (6) months and up to two (2) years. The rest of the postdoctoral period will be in Bergen.

The candidate will also be affiliated with the NORMENT centre of excellence which offers unique opportunity for excellent translational and multidisciplinary research in mental disorders in Norway.

About the project/work tasks:

  • Mental health disorders are among the major contributors to human suffering and morbidity worldwide. Despite considerable research efforts we are still far from understanding their development and progression. This project will explore novel aspects in genetic and environmental contributions by examining epigenetics of three major psychiatric conditions: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We will investigate how epigenetic modifications (DNA methylation) can be implicated in these disorders and how these modifications can be modulated by the environment.
  • The main objectives for the position are to analyse DNA methylation sequencing in a sample of 100 individuals and together with collaborators in Boston implement imputation method to the rest of the samples typed with the EPIC methylation array (collaboration with the group of Manolis Kellis at BROAD, Boston).
  • In the second phase of the project the postdoctoral fellow will be implicated in the analyses of the methylation data to identify methylation effect in psychiatric disorder and their relation with environmental factors.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

  • The applicant must hold a Norwegian PhD or an equivalent degree within the field of genetics, molecular biology, statistics, informatics or bio-informatics, or have the doctoral thesis submitted and approved prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded
  • The candidate must have experience in analyses of sequencing data (from next generation sequencing) or of methylation data
  • The candidate must have experience in statistical analyses and use of R tools
  • The candidate should have experience in epigenetic analyses and/or human complex genetic disorders
  • Knowledge in other statistical packages or programming languages will be an advantage
  • The candidate should be proficient in spoken and written English (Norwegian is not a prerequisite)
  • Personal skills will be emphasized. The candidate should be able to work independently and interactively in a team setting, be motivated and responsible, and also have a great work capacity and enthusiasm for research
  • The candidate must be willing to work abroad in Boston, USA.

About the position of postdoctoral fellow:

The position of postdoctoral fellow is a fixed-term appointment with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. Postdoctoral fellowships are fixed term positions. You can not be employed as a postdoctoral fellow for more than one fixed term period at the same institution. Also, you cannot be employed in a postdoctoral position if you have previously held this type of position at a different institution in the region.

Upon appointment, applicants must submit a project proposal for the qualifying work including a work schedule. It is a requirement that the project is completed in the course of the period of employment.

The employee may be assigned up to 25 % required duties in the form of teaching and similar work at the department.

We can offer:

  • exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
  • salary level 59 (code 1352/pay framework 24.3) at present NOK 515 200 gross p.a., with a degree in Medicine or Dentistry level 61 (code 1352/pay framework 24.5) at present NOK 534100 gross p.a., with a medical specialization level 63 (code 1352/pay framework 24.7) at present NOK 555 100 gross p.a. on the government salary scale. Further promotion will be after service seniority in the position
  • enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
  • good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

  • a brief account of the applicant`s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
  • transcripts and diplomas (applicants with education from other countries than Norway must enclose witnessed diplomas in both the original language and authorized translations) and documentation of approved doctoral thesis
  • complete list of publications
  • publications (PDF). It is important that each of the scholarly works on which the committee should place special emphasis, is attached in its entirety
  • two referees (name and contact information)

General information:

For further information please contact:

  • Professor Stephanie Le Hellard, e-mail: Stephanie.Hellard@uib.no

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

Further information about our employment process can be found here.

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