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 Unravelling the role of oxytocin in behavioural flexibility, which is funded by a grant from the Research Council of Norway (Principal Investigator: Daniel S. Quintana). 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.

Behavioural flexibility, which is the ability to appropriately adjust one’s behaviour in response to a changing environment, is associated with improved quality of life and a higher resilience to stressors. Conversely, behavioural inflexibility is linked with several psychiatric illnesses, such as autism. Despite the key role for behavioural flexibility in health and wellbeing, its neurobiological basis remains elusive. Emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role in behavioural flexibility. The primary objective of the PhD fellow project is to unravel oxytocin's role in behavioural flexibility by performing an intranasal oxytocin intervention study in neurotypical individuals. In collaboration with other members of the team, the fellow will be directly involved in project coordination, data collection, data analysis, and the write up of results for submission to peer-reviewed scientific journals. During the data collection phase, some work time outside of traditional working hours (e.g., evenings, weekends) may occur.

More about the position

The candidate will be affiliated with the NORMENT Multimodal Imaging group (PI: Lars T. Westlye). NORMENT is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence aiming to disentangle the neurobiological, genetic, psychological and environmental factors contributing to the development of mental illness.

The candidate will also be affiliated with the K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (Director: Terje Nærland), whose goal is to address mechanisms of normative and aberrant brain development and translate findings to improve clinical practice for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Qualification requirements

• The candidate must be qualified for admission to the ph.d. program at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Oslo.
• Applicants must have submitted their master’s or equivalent thesis in relevant fields such as psychology, medicine, or cognitive neuroscience, or other related fields. The diploma must be forwarded as soon as it is received.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian and English are required.
• Previous experience with collecting psychological data from human research participants is required.

The following qualifications are advantageous:

• Previous experience coordinating research projects.
• Previous experience with statistical analysis and programming (R, Python, or similar) is an advantage. Interest in acquiring the necessary computational skills is required.
• Previous experience with experimental research (e.g., treatment interventions)
• Previous experience with neuropeptide research (e.g., oxytocin)
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian

Personal skills

Excellent communication and collaborative skills (team player) is required.

We offer

• Salary NOK 491 200 - 534 400 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: December 2021.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (brief summary of motivation and research interests, career plan).
• CV (summarizing education, positions, relevant experience).
• A one-page research proposal on the PhD project topic (i.e., an intranasal oxytocin intervention to better understand oxytocin’s role in behavioural flexibility)
• 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. Interviews will be performed as part of the selection process.

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

• Dr. Daniel S. Quintana, e-mail: daniel.quintana@medisin.uio.no

HR Adviser: Mija Nikolaisen (mija.nikolaisen@psykologi.uio.no) (for questions about the application).

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