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PhD research fellow - Department of Psychology

Deadline: 15.11.2020

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.

Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Section for Cognitive and Clinical neuroscience

Job description

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD fellowship to be based at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. The position is linked to the project "From synapses to symptoms in maternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum" which is funded by a grant from the Research Council of Norway. The fellowship is for a period of 3 years. A 4th year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching duties, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the Department. The research fellow must take part in the Department’s PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period.

Pregnancy is one of the most dynamic and plastic periods in a woman's life, offering a remarkable potential for physiological adaptation. Although in most cases occurring without serious complications, a considerable number of women are affected by postpartum depression or other mental disorders.

More about the position

This project aims to increase our understanding of individual differences in the susceptibility for mental disorders in relation to pregnancy. To this end we combine advanced brain imaging with biological and clinical assessments to test the specific involvement of brain structure and function in maternal mental health.

In collaboration with research assistants and other members of the team, the fellow will be directly involved in data collection, including study coordination and handling of participants. The current data collection is tightly integrated with a parallel study on brain development and mental health during childhood and adolescence, to which the candidate will be expected to contribute.

The candidate will be affiliated with the NORMENT Multimodal Imaging group (PI: Lars T. Westlye, https://www.med.uio.no/norment/english/research/groups/multimodal-imaging). NORMENT (http://www.norment.no) is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence aiming to disentangle the neurobiological, genetic, psychological and environmental factors contributing to the development of mental illness.

Qualification requirements and personal skills

  • The candidate must be qualified for admission to the ph.d. program at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Oslo (https://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/).
  • Applicants must have submitted their master’s or equivalent thesis in psychology, medicine, cognitiveneuroscience or related. The diploma must be forwarded as soon as it is received. A medical degree and a licence to practice medicine in Norway may be an advantage.
  • Previous experience with study coordination, data collection and handling of participants is an advantage.
  • Previous experience with statistical analysis and programming (R, Matlab, python or similar) is an advantage. Interest in acquiring the necessary computational skills is required.
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian and/or English is required. Fluent Norwegian language skills may be an advantage.
  • Excellent communication and collaborative skills (team player) is required.
  • Some work during evenings and weekends is expected.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 479 600 – 523 200 per year, - depending on experience and qualifications.
  • An ambitious and exciting research environment with a strong multidisciplinary profile and excellent opportunities for academic development.
  • Attractive welfare benefits including excellent benefits for families (kindergarten, paid paternal/maternal leave etc) and a generous pension agreement. In addition, Oslo offers a family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities in its immediate surroundings.
  • Starting date: Negotiable

How to apply

The application must include

  • Cover letter (brief summary of motivation and research interests, career plan)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, relevant experience)
  • Relevant educational certificates and transcripts of records
  • List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)
  • List of publications, if any (including preprints with valid links). Publications should not be submitted along with the initial application

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on academic qualifications, 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 will be performed as part of the selection process.

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.

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.

Contact information

  • Professor Lars T. Westlye, e-mail: l.t.westlye@psykologi.uio.no

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