NORMENT / Centre of Precision Psychiatry

At NORMENT / Centre of Precision Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, there is a PhD research fellowship position available. The centre runs a series of multidisciplinary studies involving psychiatric hospital departments in Oslo and several research groups at the University of Oslo. The purpose is to develop tools and knowledge for precision medicine in psychiatry, building on advanced statistical methods for analysis of large-scale human genetic data, and better understanding how biological, psychological and environmental factors contribute to severe mental disorders.

Job description

Applications are invited for a 3-year position in a research fellowship as PhD candidate in psychiatric genetics research to be based at NORMENT/ Centre of Precision Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo. The research fellow will work on the funded project addressing substance use in individuals with bipolar disorder.

More about the position

The research fellowship is set for a period of three years full time, and devoted to the research project that will utilize data from well characterized clinical cohorts and several Norwegian registers to study substance use in individuals with bipolar disorder. The project aims to identify risk factors (genes, environment and their interplay) for bipolar disorder, and bipolar disorder-substance use comorbidity, and to translate these findings to develop ‘precision psychiatry’ tools to stratify affected individuals based on their individual risk profiles.

The candidate is expected to develop a research proposal within the scope of this project for a PhD research program, and to participate in literature searching, data analysis and interpretation and to write up research articles to be published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

The candidate is expected to work efficiently both independently and as part of a team under supervision of the group leader, and is also expected to take an active part in the daily activities at the center, depending on interests and qualifications.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The research fellow must fulfill the requirements of and take part in the Faculty’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period.

The applicant must, in collaboration with her/his supervisor, within three months after employment, work out a complete project description to be attached to the application for admission to the doctoral program. For more information, please see the web site for Doctoral Degree: PhD in medicine and health sciences.

Required qualifications

• The candidate must hold an MD or a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. neuroscience, biology, psychology, statistical genetics)
• Strong interest in psychiatric genetics research and highly motivated for research
• Experience with programming languages and platforms such as python, R, Linux is advantageous
• Proficient oral and written communication skills in English

Personal skills

• Excellent communication and team working skills
• Organized and structured
• Flexible
• Enthusiastic and willing to learn

We offer

• An exciting and professionally stimulating working environment
• Salary of NOK 532 200- NOK 565 900 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD research fellow (position code 1017)
• Favorable pension arrangements
• Attractive welfare arrangements

How to apply

The application must include

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• List of research publications (if any)
• List of 3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

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.

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

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. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

For more information about the position and the project, contact

• Project manager Dr Kevin O’Connell k.s.oconnell@medisin.uio.no.
• Professor Ole Andreassen o.a.andreassen@medisin.uio.no

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