About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Experimental Nuclear physics is available at the Department of Physics. The PhD Research Fellow will be part of the Norwegian Nuclear Research Centre (NNRC).NNRC is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between Norway’s leading institutions within nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry research: University of Oslo (UiO), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and Institute for Energy Technology (IFE). The Centre addresses major research questions within the nuclear field spanning topics from nuclear properties and medical isotope production, to reactor simulations and modeling of spread of radioactivity in the environment. 

The fellowship period is 3 years. A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that normally consists of teaching. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2025. 

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

Job description

The research of the Nuclear Physics group is focused on the study of atomic nuclei under extreme conditions, e.g. nuclei at high excitation energy at the transition from quantum order to chaos, exotic nuclei with an unusual ratio of protons and neutrons, and nuclear reactions in astrophysical environments. To obtain experimental information under such conditions is crucial in order to constrain and improve theoretical nuclear structure models, and to understand how elements heavier than iron are formed in explosive stellar environments.

The current project aims at studying nuclear level densities and photon strength functions. These are fundamental properties of the nucleus and can also be used as input into for example the nuclear reaction code TALYS to calculate neutron capture cross sections. Resonances in the photon strength function can have an impact on neutron capture cross section. The PhD candidate will participate in the planning and running of experiments and be in charge of analyzing data from experiments that will be run at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory using the OSCAR detector array and complementary experiments that may be run abroad at for example RIKEN in Japan, iThemba LABS in South Africa or MSU in the USA. 

This research will be part of a larger international research collaboration and also be a part of the Norwegian Nuclear Research Centre. The candidate is expected to contribute to and partake in activities organised by the Centre. 

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.

Required:

• Master’s degree in physics or equivalent, with specialization in nuclear physics 
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• A solid background in scientific programming

Desired:

In addition, several qualifications are considered strongly desirable and will be used in the ranking of the candidates. These are:

• Experience with particle and gamma-detectors
• Experience with data analysis techniques relevant for level density and photon strength function studies, like the “Oslo method”
• Knowledge of nuclear structure models from master-level courses
• Experience with using nuclear reaction codes like TALYS
• Familiarity with data analysis tools such as ROOT
• Teaching experience
• For candidates who would like to apply for a fourth year including teaching, good knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is strongly preferred.

Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 30 June, 2025 to complete the final exam.

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system

Language requirements:

• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/EEA/EFTA countries and exemptions from the requirements

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

 For more information see here.

Personal skills

• Good communication skills
• Ability to work in an international research environment
• Ability to work independently 

We offer

• Salary NOK Salary NOK 536 200 – 575 400 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement 
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Career development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter – statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education, previous positions and academic work)
• Copies of the original Bachelor’s and Master’s degree diplomas and transcripts of records 
• Documentation of English proficiency
• List of any publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• Applicants who are interested in teaching need to add to this application a description of their motivation for and (if any) experience with teaching.

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 original transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. Foreign applicants should attach an official explanation of their University's grading system.

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

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

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.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships 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.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

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.

Contact information

For further information please contact: Prof. Sunniva Siem, phone: +47 22856406, e-mail: sunniva.siem@fys.uio.no 

For questions regarding Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Elin Thoresen, email: elin.thoresen@mn.uio.no

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