DSTrain - MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in Computational and Natural Sciences – up to 18 positions

About the position 

DSTrain is a 5-year postdoctoral programme launched and managed by dScience - Centre for Computational and Data Sciences at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo (UiO). It is partly funded by the EU Horizon Europe under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) - Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND). The DSTrain will award a total of 36 postdoctoral fellowship positions within the overarching frame of data science, emphasizing interaction between data science, computational science, natural sciences, and technology. The fellowships will be of 36 months each, announced in two calls over the programme period. We now open for applications to the 2nd cohort of up to 18 fellowship positions, that will start their postdoctoral projects autumn 2025 at UiO.

The Postdoctoral Research Fellows will be employed at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and hosted by the relevant department and research group. Starting date no later than October 1, 2025.The appointments are a fulltime position and is for a period of three years (10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities).No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

About the DSTrain postdoctoral programme

The DSTrain programme will facilitate ground-breaking research by emphasising interaction between data science, computational science, natural sciences, and technology. The postdoctoral fellows will be integrated in research groups across scientific disciplines where there is an urgent need for computationally skilled researchers. The research groups provide excellent research environments and supervision enabling world-class research, innovation and digital infrastructure, models for interdisciplinary collaboration and training in research, including computational and transferable skills. The DSTrain program also includes a range of cross-sectorial secondments opportunities. The target group of the program are highly talented aspiring researchers with backgrounds in Astrophysics, Biosciences, Chemistry, Geosciences, Informatics, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics, and Technology systems, who through the development of their individual-driven research projects will combine disciplinary expertise, with interdisciplinary elements, and integrating the use of computational methods. 

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

More details are available at DSTrain website and further information about the Application process. Please consult these pages for general information on the programme and descriptions of all applicable research themes that will be offered as part of DSTrain.

More about the research themes

All projects will be based on interdisciplinary themes, and the use of computational methods will be essential. A key principle of the DSTrain programme is that novel and ground-breaking results are obtained when data science and natural sciences work in tandem. This principle must be clearly reflected in the project description.

Detailed descriptions of the available research themes, research groups and supervisors can be found at the DSTrain website sorted by the following areas: Astrophysics, Biosciences, Chemistry, Geosciences, Informatics, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics, and Technology systems. The applicants are asked to formulate their own research projects within these themes. Note that each applicant can only submit one research project to the same call.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree relevant to the work described in their research project within Astrophysics, Biosciences, Chemistry, Geosciences, Informatics, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Physics, or Technology systems.
• Doctoral dissertation must be submitted and successfully defended by the application deadline. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie requirements:

To be considered eligible for review, applicants must fulfil the following MSCA eligibility criteria:

• The applicants must fulfil the transnational MSCA mobility rules of COFUND, MSCA - not have resided or carried out their main activity in Norway for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the application deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.
• The applicants must be able to carry out full time research during the fellowship period; part-time work due to professional, family, or other reasons may be requested and agreed by the supervisor, beneficiary (UiO) and granting authority upon prior approval.
• The applicants must be in the possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the co-funded programme's call, i.e., successfully defended their thesis. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered as postdoctoral researchers and will be considered eligible to apply.

Desired qualifications

• Experience with interdisciplinary research projects.
• Experience with computational/statistical methods.

Personal skills

• Strong quantitative and analytical skills.
• Independent thinking, creativity, leadership, and mentoring abilities.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.

We can offer you 

• A pleasant and stimulating work environment 
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities. 
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK from 579 700 to 657 300, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. Salary is gross salary including employee’s tax and social security contributions but excluding employer’s contributions to tax and social security.

Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO

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.

We hope that you will apply for the position. 

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

Application

To be considered admissible, the application must be: 

• Submitted and uploaded via Jobbnorge.no recruitment site.
• Complete and include the following: 
  • Cover letter (max 1 page statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest).
  • The project description should be a maximum of 8 pages (excluding abstract), using the DSTrain template, and identifying one of the potential research groups/supervisors from the list available on the DSTrain website.
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, other qualifying activity, and career breaks if relevant).
  • List of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee.
  • Completed DSTrain form on place of activity/place of residence (previous 3 years).
  • Completed DSTrain’s ethical issues form.
  • Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records, including a copy of the PhD diploma or an official statement on the certified date of the successful defence (not award) of the PhD.
  • Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and telephone number).

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews. 

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian) and Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months (thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years).

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

Questions about the position

For further information please contact the DSTrain Project Management Office per e-mail: contact-dstrain@mn.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, e-mail: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

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