University of Oslo, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Section of Health, Developmental and Personality Psychology (HUP)

Job description

An open Ph.D. Fellow position in personality psychology is announced at the Section for Health, Developmental and Personality Psychology (HUP). The HUP Section covers basic and applied research and teaching for the Bachelor, Master, Professional and PhD programs in health, developmental and personality psychology. The HUP Section is divided into three Units: Health Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Personality Psychology and has a joint venture with the Promenta research Centre. The HUP Section has currently around 70 national and international permanent and non-permanent staff (circa 60% women, more than 20 different mother tongues). The Personality Psychology Unit includes half-dozen of permanent academic staff (Associate Professors and Professors) and several Adjunct Associate and Full Professors, Ph.D. and Post-Doc fellows.

The Ph.D. fellow will work on a new project led by Associate Professor Cato Grønnerød called "Personality and Distress" which will look at the connections between feigning (simulation/defensiveness), personality and mental disorders in adults. Data collection will be done with newly translated and established self-report methods, and will also include the collection of normative data. The Ph.d. fellow will be given the freedom to formulate specific issues within the framework of the project and will help to build up the project. Applicants should contact Cato Grønnerød to explore specific research collaborations before submitting their application. The position will offer opportunities to develop high-quality research competence within the field of personality and personality assessment, to work with experts in the field and to develop international collaborations.

The Ph.D. fellow must take part in the Ph.D. program approved by the Department of Psychology and is expected to complete her/his Ph.D. research proposal in the course of the period of employment.

The main goal of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a Ph.D. degree. For more information, see the following website: Doctoral degree: PhD in Social Science - Faculty of Social Sciences (uio.no)

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three or four years depending on the competence of the successful applicant and the teaching and administrative needs of the HUP Section. For a four-year appointment, teaching and administrative duties make up to 25% (lecture, seminar, supervision, exams, administration for the Section, etc.).

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian Cand.psychol., Master in Psychology or equivalent. The degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS. Normally, a minimum grade C (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent is required. A thesis in personality psychology or equivalent would be an advantage.
• Applicants must provide a Research proposal related to Cato Grønnerød’s “Personality and Distress” project of max. 5 pages or 20 000 characters with spaces (excluding the list of references). The proposal should include the following sections: (i) background (including scientific originality and interest, and relevance for the project “Personality and Distress”), (ii) objectives, (iii) implications (scientific, clinical and social), (iv) method, (v) plan, (vi) feasibility (including risk factors), ethical and open science considerations, (vii) budget, and (viii) the applicant’s contribution to the realization of the proposal. The name of the main supervisor and of any co-supervisor(s) has to be clearly reported at the beginning of the research proposal.
• Applicants must provide an Authorship declaration where they answer to the following questions: What is your independent contribution to the conception and writing of each of the different sections of your research proposal (i.e. section i to viii)? If you are not the sole author of your research proposal then who is/are the other co-author(s) (title, name, affiliation, e-mail) and what is her/his/their contribution to the conception and writing of each of the different sections of your research proposal (i.e. section i to viii)? The applicants must be the main author of their research proposal in line with the recommendations from the “Vancouver Declaration”. This authorship declaration has to be signed and dated by the applicant and any other co-author(s) of the research proposal.
• Applicants must have fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian as the project “Personality and Distress” involves translation work and requires a good capacity to understand, read, speak and write Norwegian.
• Applicants must have fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Applicants must be able to work both independently and to cooperate with others, be curious and open about the fields of personality psychology and mental health, and be highly motivated and dedicated researcher.
• The following qualifications would be an advantage: knowledge in personality and mental health research, experience in personality assessment, knowledge in research methods, experience in data collection and statistical analysis, as well as knowledge of the Norwegian health care system that can contribute to the recruitment of participants.
• Previous undergraduate and/or graduate teaching competence and experience, in situ and digital would be an advantage (e.g. as teaching assistant). If such competence and experience are within the field of personality, personality assessment or equivalent, that would be an advantage.

In addition to the (a) educational background (i.e. Norwegian Cand.psychol, Master in Psychology or equivalent), (b) the relevance of the research proposal for the project “Personality and Distress”, and (c) the main authorship of the research proposal, emphasis will be placed on the following criteria in the succeeding order to evaluate the applications: (1) research proposal quality (i.e. scientific originality and interest, relevance for the project “Personality and Distress”, methodological correctness, ethical appropriateness, feasibility and risk factors, social and clinical implications, open science compatibility), (2) Norwegian and English proficiency, (3) motivation and personal suitability and qualifications, (4) previous empirical research competence and experience in the fields of personality psychology and mental health, and knowledge of the Norwegian health care system, and (5) previous teaching competence and experience. Academic achievements will be weighed against career stage and adjusted for parental or sick leaves. Interviews with the best qualified applicants might be arranged.

We offer

• salary NOK 482 200 - 526 000 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, position code 1017.
• 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:

• Letter of application explaining the motivation for applying and how the applicant’s qualifications are relevant for the position, as well as any other relevant information.
• A research project (see Requirements section for guidelines)
• A signed and dated Authorship declaration (see Requirements section for guidelines)
• A CV summarizing personal information, educations, positions, research records, teaching records, and any other qualifying information.
• A complete list of scientific publications and communications (including knowledge dissemination).
• Copies of educational certificates in English or in one of the Scandinavian languages (academic transcripts only).
• A list of three references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number). No letter of reference should be included in the application.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. International applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (with the exception of the educational certificates which might also be also in one of the Scandinavian languages).

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.

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

• Head of Section: Francisco Pons (francisco.pons@psykologi.uio.no)
• Senior HR Officer: Linn Berg Salvesen (l.b.salvesen@psykologi.uio.no)

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