Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Section of Health, Developmental and Personality Psychology

About the position

A postdoc position is available at the PROMENTA Research Center, Section for Health, Developmental and Personality psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. PROMENTA is a newly established interdisciplinary research center focusing on mental health, drug use and wellbeing. Generally, we examine sources of mental health and wellbeing on a variety of levels, such as genetic risk, neurocognitive development, the psychosocial environment, and the socio-cultural context. For more information about PROMENTA, please visit www.promenta.no.

The postdoc position is funded by a grant from the Research Council of Norway for the project «Homo sociabilis and genomics of the good life. Rethinking wellbeing and social relations – the role of genetic and environmental processes”.

More about the project

The fellowship is for a period of three years. A fourth year can be considered with the addition of a 25 % teaching requirement, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the department.

The postdoc will work with PROMENTA colleagues to generate knowledge about the nature and development of human wellbeing, including life satisfaction, happiness, resilience and mental health. In particular, the project aims to expand our understanding of the social ingredients in wellbeing, and the role of genetics and environments during childhood and adolescence.

To further our understanding of the complex and interconnected causal processes unfolding through development, the project will:

1) examine ways in which social relations are related to wellbeing, and reveal processes of intergenerational transmission of wellbeing,

2) examine patterns of multi-wellbeing and delineate the genetic and environmental architecture involved,

3) determine to what extent genetic influences on wellbeing are mediated by social relations, that is, the ways genetic factors create environments that generate wellbeing, and

4) examine the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the complex associations between wellbeing and our social world

The project will use longitudinal data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (Moba), including genetic and questionnaire data. Focus will be on wellbeing among adolescents, and the developmental processes evolving from birth.

The project is led by Professor Espen Røysamb (PI) and Senior researcher Ragnhild Bang Nes (co-PI), and involve collaborations between the University of Oslo, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and international researchers.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a PhD degree or equivalent in relevant fields such as psychology, genetics, social science, epidemiology, medicine, or related. The doctoral dissertation should be submitted for evaluation by the closing date for applications.
• Excellent skills in quantitative analysis
• Long-term potential for high-quality research
• Excellent English skills, orally and in writing
• Strong publication record
• Ambitions for high-quality research within the project, as evidenced by the required letter of application, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced position

Preferable qualifications

• Experience in the research fields of wellbeing, quality of life, mental health, genetics, health, developmental or personality psychology.
• Experience with longitudinal data analysis, genetically informed studies, structural equation modelling
• Competence in software such as R, Mplus or Stata.
• Excellent writing skills

Personal skills

• Creative thinking and analytic abilities
• High motivation and efficient work structure
• Ability to work in collaborative groups and independently

In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the quality of the candidate’s academic qualifications. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged where the applicants personal suitability, motivation and cooperative skills will be emphasized.

We offer

• Salary grade NOK 563 900 - 650 300 per year, depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, (position code 1017)
• A professionally stimulating work environment at the Promenta Research Center, Department of Psychology
• Enthusiastic colleagues with high expertise in relevant fields
• Unique learning opportunities
• Opportunities for extensive collaboration with national and international collaborators
• Favorable pension and social welfare benefits
• Attractive welfare arrangements

How to apply

The application must include

• Letter of application, 1-2 pages, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced postdoc position.
• CV summarizing education, positions and academic work
• copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• a complete list of publications and academic works
• Names and contact details of at least two references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and telephone number)

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

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

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

This is a project funded by the Research Council of Norway and applicants with a previous postdoc position funded by the Research Council of Norway cannot be appointed for this position.

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 appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

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

• Project leader, Espen Røysamb: espen.roysamb@psykologi.uio.no
• Project co-leader, Ragnhild Bang Nes: RagnhildBang.Nes@fhi.no
• HR officer, Linn Berg Salvesen: l.b.salvesen@psykologi.uio.no

Please contact the project leaders for more information about the project.

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