Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

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Postdoctoral fellow or researcher (BRAINCHART)

Deadline: 01.12.2019

Job description

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.


The Department of Psychology is one of seven units of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and has 75 permanent and 70 temporary members of scientific staff. Degrees are offered at bachelor and master level, plus a clinical training programme, and the PhD programme has 140 students.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

Applications are invited for a position as Postdoctoral research fellow (SKO 1352), or secondly Researcher (SKO 1109) to be based at the Section for Cogntive and Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo.

The appointment is for 24 months, and is funded by the Wellcome Trust through the Innovator Award project Normative brain charting for predicting and stratifying psychosis (BRAINCHART), which is an international collaboration with partners in the Netherlands (Donders Institute, PI: Dr Andre Marquand), United Kingdom (King’s College, London, PI: Dr Paola Dazzan), and Norway (University of Oslo, PI: Dr Lars T. Westlye).

Part-time (approx. 20%) teaching and administrative duties may be negotiated and added in a postdoc position, depending on the Department’s needs and the qualifications of the candidate. The appointment will then be for 29 months.

The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Multimodal Imaging group at the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT, norment.no). NORMENT is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence aiming to disentangle the neurodevelopmental, genetic, psychological and environmental factors contributing to the development of mental illness. The research group (https://www.med.uio.no/norment/english/research/groups/multimodal-imaging) is funded by an ERC Starting Grant in addition to several grants from the Research council of Norway, the Norwegian Regional Health Authorities and international funding agencies. The group is directly involved in various international collaborative efforts and consortia, to which the successful candidate is expected to contribute.

More about the position

Psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia often start early in life and have an enormous impact on the people affected, their families and society. Despite much research, it is very difficult to predict which individuals will develop their first psychotic episode and to predict the course of their illness afterwards: some individuals recover immediately, whilst others experience symptoms their whole lives.

Through BRAINCHART we aim to use large-scale brain imaging to zero in on neurodevelopmental aspects of mental illness by developing normative ‘growth charts’ for the brain based on a large number of individuals with and without a mental illness.

This will enable us to parse atypical trajectories associated with clinical, environmental and genetic risk factors. In addition to the project team, the research will be carried out as an integral part of a cross-disciplinary research group in close collaboration with other NORMENT core groups and international collaborators.

Qualification requirements

  • Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, biostatistics, or other relevant fields. The thesis must have been submitted for evaluation prior to the closing date, and appointment is dependent on the doctoral thesis being approved.
  • A creative and active research profile with documented potential for performing high quality research.
  • Documented experience with some or all of the following: Neuroimaging, imaging genetics, and machine learning/prediction analysis. Experience with human neuroscience is an advantage.
  • Documented expertise in statistical analysis and programming (R, Matlab, python or similar).
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English is required.
  • Documented interest and experience in performing and/or promoting Open Science practices and research transparency will be regarded as a substantial strength.
  • The most suitable candidate will be hired as a Postdoctoral research fellow (SKO 1352) or Researcher (SKO 1109), depending on formal qualifications, seniority, and eligibility. Candidates who have previously been employed as postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo may be offered employment as researcher (SKO 1109), if the candidate is otherwise eligible.

Personal skills

  • Dedicated, enthusiastic and creative with a documented ability to contribute positively and thrive in an inter-disciplinary, collaborative and active research environment.
  • Excellent communication and collaborative skills (team player).

We offer

  • Salary NOK 523 200 - 615 900 per year, - depending on experience and qualifications
  • An active and exciting research environment with a strong multidisciplinary profile and excellent opportunities for academic development.
  • Attractive welfare benefits (https://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/employment/welfare/), including excellent benefits for families (kindergarten, paid paternal/maternal leave etc) and a generous pension agreement. In addition, Oslo offers a highly family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities in its immediate surroundings.
  • Starting date: Jan 1st 2020 (can be negotiated).

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Cover letter (statement of motivation, a summary of scientific work and interests, and a brief career plan).
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, career breaks [e.g. parental leave], pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity including grant applications etc).
  • Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
  • A complete list of publications and research outputs (including preprints with valid links). Publications should not be submitted along with the initial application.
  • List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented academic qualifications and skills in relation to the profile of the current members of the research group, as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. The assessment of the applicants will be done according to the DORA initiative, emphasizing quality and content rather than quantity, and considering a range of scientific outputs beyond traditional journal publications (e.g. open access sharing of data and code, dissemination, etc). Academic achievements will be assessed in relation to experience, seniority, and career breaks (e.g. parental leave). Interviews with the shortlisted candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral and Researcher positions 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.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced sex composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds. We encourage women to apply for the position.

Contact information

  • Associate professor Lars T. Westlye, phone number: +47 971 63 221, e-mail: l.t.westlye@psykologi.uio.no

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