Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Section for Cognitive and Clinical neuroscience

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully funded Postdoctoral Fellowship to be based at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. The position is linked to the project Unravelling the role of oxytocin in behavioural flexibility, which is funded by a grant from the Research Council of Norway (Principal Investigator: Daniel S. Quintana).

The appointment is a fulltime position and is made for a period of up to three years (10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities). The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Behavioural flexibility, which is the ability to appropriately adjust one’s behaviour in response to a changing environment, is associated with improved quality of life and a higher resilience to stressors. Conversely, behavioural inflexibility is linked with several psychiatric illnesses, such as autism. Despite the key role for behavioural flexibility in health and wellbeing, its neurobiological basis remains elusive. Emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role in behavioural flexibility. The overall objective of the funded project is to unravel oxytocin's role in behavioural flexibility. The Postdoctoral Fellow will explore the role of gene variants in the oxytocin signalling pathway on behavioural flexibility in adults by analysing large population-based datasets (e.g., UK Biobank). The Postdoctoral Fellow will also investigate the interaction of oxytocin gene variants and environment in large population-based longitudinal datasets across youth (e.g., Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study) and the course of pregnancy.

More about the position

The candidate will be affiliated with the NORMENT Multimodal Imaging group (PI: Lars T. Westlye). NORMENT is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence aiming to disentangle the neurobiological, genetic, psychological and environmental factors contributing to the development of mental illness. T

he candidate will also be affiliated with the K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Director: Terje Nærland), whose goal is to address mechanisms of normative and aberrant brain development and translate findings to improve clinical practice for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Qualifications and personal skills

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in relevant fields such as psychology, medicine, or cognitive neuroscience., or other related fields. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English is required.
• Previous experience with collecting analyzing large genetic datasets is required
• Previous experience with statistical analysis and programming (R, Python, or similar) is required

The following qualifications are advantageous:

• Previous experience analyzing large longitudinal datasets
• Previous experience analyzing large psychiatric datasets
• Previous experience analyzing gene expression data
• Previous experience with calculating and testing polygenic scores
• Previous experience with neuropeptide research (e.g., oxytocin)
• Previous experience exploring gene x environment interactions
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian

We offer

• salary NOK 563 900 – 650 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• 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

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• A one-page research proposal on the postdoctoral research project (i.e., analysing big genetic datasets to better understand oxytocin’s role in behavioural flexibility)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• A complete list of publications
• 3 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered (which can include preprints).
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered via our electronic recruiting system. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on academic qualifications, the candidate’s motivation, and personal suitability. Interviews will be performed as part of the selection process.

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

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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 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. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.

If there are qualified applicants with special needs, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview.

Contact information

• Dr. Daniel S. Quintana, e-mail: daniel.quintana@psykologi.uio.no

HR Adviser: Mija Nikolaisen: mija.nikolaisen@psykologi.uio.no (for questions about the application).

Apply for position