The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Norwegian Centre for Molecular Biosciences and Medicine (NCMBM) is a national research centre dedicated to cutting-edge research at the intersection of molecular medicine, biosciences, and data science. The centre aims to advance understanding of fundamental biological processes and to provide new insights that enable future medical and biotechnological innovation.
NCMBM is part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, a collaborative network that brings together leading research centres across the Nordic countries and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
Established in 2008 (formerly as the Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, NCMM), NCMBM is a joint initiative between the University of Oslo and Health Region South-East. The centre brings together research groups working across molecular and translational biosciences to drive discovery and strengthen the interface between basic and medical research.
About the Position
The Boccara group at the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Medicine (NCMM), University of Oslo, is looking for a researcher (position code SKO 1109) to join a well-funded, active group working at the intersection of sleep, memory, and neurodevelopment. The position combines 30% dedicated for independent research with a 70% scientific leadership role supported by an existing team that includes a laboratory technician, laboratory manager, and dedicated data analyst. The position is funded through the ERC project SleepCog and associated grants, with an appointment of two years. Start date is January 2027 or by agreement.
About the Group
The Boccara group investigates the neural mechanisms of sleep and spatial cognition across development. A core research thread – supported by the ERC grant – focuses on how sleep and its neural oscillations shape healthy cognitive development in freely behaving rodent pups. A parallel research line investigates the circuit-level basis of spatial memory in the entorhinal–hippocampal system in adult animals. The group uses in vivo multi-site electrophysiology, optogenetics, telemetric recording, and custom-built neurotechnology tools in combination with computational analyses.
We are an international, multidisciplinary group embedded in a vibrant neuroscience community at the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital. The group includes postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, a laboratory technician, a laboratory manager, and a dedicated data analyst. More information: https://boccaralab.com
Work Tasks
Scientific Leadership and Lab Support (~70% of time)
Complement the existing support structure of the group by providing additional scientific and management guidance and mentorship. This includes ad hoc support to students and junior researchers (who have their primary supervisors among the postdoctoral and PhD researchers in the lab), direct supervision of visiting researchers, and potentially taking on a master student of their own.
Provide hands-on training to students and group members in surgical procedures, recording techniques, and analysis pipelines, with particular attention to ensuring that technical expertise is preserved and transmitted across lab generations.
Coordinate some of the scientific operations, including experimental scheduling, equipment oversight, and troubleshooting.
Contribute to the lab's neurotechnology effort, including the development or adaptation of recording devices and related instrumentation.
Foster a collaborative and constructive lab culture, supporting interdisciplinary exchange and effective communication across the group.
Independent Research
Develop and pursue independent research projects within the lab's scientific themes – developmental sleep, sleep oscillations, and/or spatial cognition – with genuine intellectual ownership over questions, approach, and outputs.
Develop, maintain, and share data analysis pipelines for large-scale, high-density electrophysiological datasets, with a particular emphasis on sleep oscillations (including sharp wave-ripples, slow oscillations, and spindles), multi-unit activity, and data acquired with silicon probes and Neuropixels in freely behaving rodents within their independent research project.
Contribute to the development and implementation of methods for monitoring and manipulating sleep in juvenile rodents within their independent research project.
Qualification Requirements
Essential
Doctoral degree in neuroscience or a closely related discipline. Applicants must hold this degree for at least two years at the time of appointment.
Strong track record in in vivo electrophysiology in rodents, including surgical procedures, chronic and/or freely moving recordings, and spike sorting.
Experience with sleep recording and analysis (EEG/EMG, sleep scoring, sleep oscillations).
Proficiency in electrophysiological data analysis using Python, Matlab, or equivalent. Python is the primary language of the lab.
Experience with optogenetics (design, implementation, or data analysis).
Demonstrated experience supervising or mentoring junior researchers (students, visiting researchers, or junior postdocs), with evidence of effective knowledge transfer.
FELASA certificate or equivalent personal license to conduct animal experiments, or willingness to obtain one within two months of appointment.
Fluent written and oral English.
Desirable
Experience with high-density silicon probes (e.g. Neuropixels) and associated analysis pipelines (e.g. Kilosort, IBL suite).
Experience in neurotechnology development: hardware adaptation, electronics, device building, or related engineering skills.
Background in neurodevelopmental research and/or in vivo recordings in juvenile or neonatal rodents.
Knowledge of the role of sleep oscillations (sharp wave-ripples, spindles, slow oscillations, theta) in memory and development.
Experience with telemetric recording methods.
Experience with Python-based neuroscience data tools; statistical and computational analysis skills.
Experience with histology, viral techniques, or behavioural assays in rodents.
Personal Skills
The role requires someone who combines scientific depth with the organisational activity and interpersonal range to support a diverse and active research group. We are looking for a candidate who is:
Pedagogical and effective at communicating technical knowledge to people at different career stages and with different backgrounds.
Organised and dependable, able to maintain lab continuity and experimental momentum without close oversight.
Capable of holding a big-picture view of ongoing projects, anticipating bottlenecks, and thinking across timescales.
Collaborative and intellectually flexible, comfortable navigating a cross-disciplinary environment and engaging constructively with different working styles.
Autonomous and proactive, comfortable taking initiative and making decisions in the PI’s absence.
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.
SLETT HVIS UAKTUELT: Ved stilling med 40% og lavere andel underrepresentert kjønn: We especially encourage women/men/underrepresented genders to apply.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, 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.
We offer
Salary in position as Researcher, position code 1109 in salary range NOK from 595,000 to 700,000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.
Generous Norwegian pension arrangements.
Attractive welfare and parental leave benefits.
A stimulating and internationally connected research environment at the intersection of sleep neuroscience, memory, and development.
Active PI support for the development of the candidate’s independent research profile, including guidance and direct support in preparing applications for national and international fellowships and independent research awards.
Access to state-of-the-art neuroscience infrastructure and a collaborative network of groups at NCMM, Oslo University Hospital, and the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences.
Exposure to a broad international research network, including active involvement in European sleep and memory research communities (e.g. ESRS, FENS) and co-organisation of international conferences.
Oslo's family-friendly environment, with rich opportunities for outdoor life, culture, and work-life balance.
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.
How to Apply
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".
The application must include:
A cover letter describing research experience, motivation, and a brief paragraph on the research interests the candidate would wish to develop during the independent research component of the role.
A full CV, including a complete list of publications.
Copies of educational certificates and, where applicable, FELASA or equivalent animal licence documentation.
Contact details for 2–3 professional references (name, relationship to candidate, email, and phone 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.
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 cannot, you will hear from us.
