Job description

A 4 year PhD research fellow position SKO 1017 in consciousness research is available in the project “Conscious Brain Concepts”, in the group of Johan Frederik Storm (Brain Signaling group) at Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IMB), Department of Molecular Medicine, Division of Physiology, University of Oslo.

The position is funded by a grant from the UiO: Life Science Convergence environment programme at the University of Oslo. The 4-year PhD position is a 100% position and includes 25% compulsory work. The candidate must expect to be assigned duties to fulfill this compulsory work by UiO: Life Science in agreement with the project leader, contingent on the qualifications of the candidate.

More about the position

The candidate will join a multidisciplinary and international team focusing on consciousness research in humans and rodents. A major goal is to gain a deeper understanding of brain mechanisms underlying conscious experience (Storm et al., 2017, J Neurosci., https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1838-17.2017). To this end, the group uses electrophysiology (high-density EEG, ERP, TMS-EEG, ECoG, LFP, and unit recordings) in humans and rodents in different states and levels of consciousness (wake, sleep, anesthesia, etc.), supplemented by patch clamp recordings in vivo and in vitro (rodent and human brain slices), and computational modelling.

The successful applicant for this position will work on consciousness research in humans, using mainly EEG, TMS, and MRI, and advanced analysis tools, and will also work closely with philosophers and researchers in psychology in an multidisciplinary project focusing on analyzing and improving concepts (concept engineering) within the field of consciousness research. Startup should be as soon as possible in 2020.

The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The applicant must, in collaboration with his/her supervisor, within 3 months after employment, have worked out a complete project description to be attached to the application for admission to the doctoral program. For more information, please see our website:

https://www.med.uio.no/forskning/phd/soknad-opptak/

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a master degree in neuroscience, psychology, basal or clinical neurophysiology, medicine,neurotechnology, physics, mathematics, or bioinformatics, and be proficient in spoken and written English.
• The Master’s degree must include a thesis of at least 30 ECTS.
• The Master’s thesis must correspond to the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system.

Interest in neuroscience and consciousness research, and experience with EEG, data analysis (e.g. MATLAB or Python), are essential. Candidates with extensive experience in EEG, TMS, and MRI measurements and analysis in humans, preferentially experience with perturbational complexity index (PCI) measurements, will be preferred. Additional experience in EEG source-reconstruction, EMG, fMRI, or statistics, will be positively evaluated.

Personal skills

• Strong motivation
• Collaboration skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Organization skills

We offer

• salary NOK 479 6010 – 532 300 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:

• Application letter including statements of previous research accomplishments and of motivation for the position
• CV summarizing education, positions and relevant work experience including research,teaching and administrative experience
• Complete list of publications (note: do NOT append the publications)
• Copies of educational certificates and transcript records
• List of 3 reference persons stating relation to the candidate, with contact information
• 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).
• In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates’ motivation and personal suitability.
• Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

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 Johan F. Storm, phone number:+47 99295763, e-mail: j.f.storm@medisin.uio.no

Website: http://www.med.uio.no/imb/english/research/groups/brain-signalling/index.html

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