Postdoctoral Research Fellow in AI-based Multimodal Ananlysis for Early Cancer Detection
Deadline: 03.06.2026
Publisert
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society. The University of Oslo (UiO) is expanding the activity at Campus Kjeller to strengthen our education, research, and innovation in technology for a sustainable future. UiO is a well-ranked research university where the Department of Technology Systems at Kjeller (ITS) is focused on applied research in sustainable energy, autonomous systems, space, and security. At Kjeller, ITS is co-located with the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) and the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), which both offer rich opportunities for collaboration. ITS also has a range of interdisciplinary research collaborations that include the UiO Blindern Campus and Oslo Science City, as well as many other national and international institutions and industries.
ITS offers several master level programmes, alone and jointly with other departments: Renewable energy systems, Cybernetics and autonomous systems, Robotics and intelligent systems, and Information security. ITS also hosts the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems (CENSSS), which incorporates operation of an instrument on the NASA Perseverance rover on Mars. A new master program in Space systems is in the planning stage. The department currently has 9 permanent scientific staff, approximately 35 adjunct staff from the research institutes at Kjeller and from industry, as well as about 20 PhD candidates. This position is part of an ongoing expansion of the UiO activity at Campus Kjeller. Campus Kjeller is located 20 km northeast of Oslo, between the city center and Oslo Airport. It is a 20 minutes commute with public transportation from Oslo city center to the campus.
About the position
We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position in Multimodal AI for Oral Cancer Precursors and Clinical-Technical Translation, available at the Department of Technology Systems, University of Oslo.
Starting date as soon as possible, but no later than 01.01.2027.
The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three years, of which 10% is devoted to career promoting work, usually in the form of teaching or supervision activities.
A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25%. This is dependent upon the qualifications of the applicant and the current needs of the department.
No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship atthe University of Oslo.
Place of work is Department of Technology Systems at Kjeller, near Oslo
Project description
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a significant global cancer burden, with late diagnosis being the main driver of poor prognosis. Up to 30% of OSCC cases are preceded by oral leukoplakia (OL), a potentially malignant lesion for which no reliable markers of progression currently exist. Predicting which OL lesions will transform into OSCC remains one of the most important open problems in oral oncology, and recent advances in AI-based histopathology image analysis, spatial transcriptomics, and multi-omics integration are opening new opportunities to address it.
This postdoctoral position will contribute to the development of an integrated multimodal framework for predicting the malignant transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders. The work will combine AI-based analysis of digital pathology images with clinical information and molecular data, in close collaboration with clinical and basic science partners. The position is jointly supervised by Associate Professor Ulysse Côté-Allard (Department of Technology Systems), who leads the technical development, and Professor Dipak Sapkota (Faculty of Dentistry), who leads the clinical-translational programme on OL. The position is designed to strengthen the bridge between technical and clinical research communities at the University of Oslo. In addition to the core research, the candidate will contribute to collaborative activities with clinical partners at Oslo University Hospital (including the Intervention Centre) and Akershus University Hospital (Ahus), and will take part in teaching and supervision activities at the interface of machine learning, medical technology, and health sciences. This includes contributing to educational initiatives aimed at introducing AI and data-driven methods to life sciences and medical students, as well as to health-related applications for students with the STEM background.
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.
What skills are important in this role?
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 qualifications:
Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in informatics, computer science, biomedical engineering, medical imaging, medicine, or other relevant fields with a strong methodological component. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the announcement closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
Research experience in medical image analysis (e.g., histopathology,radiology, or related clinical imaging modalities).
Demonstrated ability to work at the intersection of technical and clinicalresearch, including collaboration with clinicians or clinical researchers.
Programming and machine learning skills, with demonstrated applicationto medical or biomedical data.
Excellent skills in written and oral English
Desired qualifications:
Clinical training or substantial clinical research experience, in particular in fields relevant to pathology, imaging, oncology, or odontology.
Documented formal training across both clinical/medical and quantitative (mathematics, informatics, machine learning) disciplines.
Research experience linking imaging-derived features to clinically meaningful outcomes.
Experience in collaborating with hospital-based research environments in Norway or comparable clinical settings.
Experience communicating technical material (such as machine learning methods) to audiences from clinical, life science, or other non-technical backgrounds, also through teaching or supervision.
Working knowledge of Norwegian, or of another Scandinavian language, is an asset for collaboration with Norwegian clinical partners.
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.
What are we looking for in you?
Personal skills:
Strong ability to work purposefully, systematically, and independently.
The applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame.
Very good collaboration skills and a strong interest in working in a multidisciplinary team, spanning technical and clinical environments.
Strong interest in contributing to the educational and community-building dimension of the position, including teaching activities at the interface of AI and health sciences.
Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.
We can offer you
Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
An exciting and professionally stimulating working environment at the intersection of technology, medicine, and health sciences.
Strong collaborative ties with UiO's Faculty of Dentistry, the Intervention Centre at Oslo University Hospital, and Akershus University Hospital.
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 595 000 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. We hope you will apply for the position with us.
How to apply
The application must include:
Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
Research proposal stating research questions and methodological approaches as well as a detailed and feasible progress plan (maximum 14 000 characters).
CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works 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)
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".
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.
General information
The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.
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).
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.
