Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Section for Clinical Psychology

Job description

A 3-year position as a postdoctoral researcher is available at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo in association with the digital therapy/I-CBT provider BRAIVE. The candidate will be jointly affiliated with the Clinical Psychology Section at UiO and BRAIVE (Oslo and Stockholm offices), and research will be conducted in close collaboration between these institutions, along with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.

The candidate will take on a central role in executing the research efforts during the “ALEC2: Adjusted Level of Effective and Continuous Care to mental health disorders”-project. The research will focus on the development, implementation, and validation of an online platform capable of diagnosing, monitoring and providing personalized and timely therapy (e.g. iCBT content) and support (e.g. AI chats or request human intervention) to sufferers of symptoms of common mental health disorders (CMD).

Specific research objectives include:

1: Research and build a smart diagnosis and treatment plan creator through hierarchical screening system and decision tree models for CMDs and identify other mental disorders (exclusion criteria) that can guide clinical assessments and treatment decisions, and can provide system-generated personalised treatment programs.

2: Research and develop risk-monitoring mechanisms to facilitate patient support and follow-up throughout the treatment trajectory (defined by the clinician in an earlier consult).

3: Explore and build NLU- and patient queries-driven prediction functionalities to highlight intervention targets and to remotely monitor and detect deviations from treatment trajectory.

4: Develop a Norwegian conversational AI that can summarize interventions from other AI modules, as well as alert for the need of clinician driven interventions based on patient answers.

5: Clinically validate an Automated Vigilance Assistent’s (AVA) ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, affect adherence and care outcomes, identify and rectify treatment trajectory deviation, and affect relapse and recurrence rates for CMD patients in remote care, as compared to treatment as usual (TAU).

More about the position

The candidate is expected to contribute to the planning, implementation, execution, and scientific reporting of the studies. We seek a candidate who is ambitious and can handle the demands of a project which combines expertise from psychology and computer science to identify the best use of various Machine Learning methods and AI to improve adherence, efficacy and efficiency in the delivery of digital iCBT supported therapy solutions. The candidate is expected to start in a full-time position in January 2022.

Qualification requirements

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• A PhD degree or equivalent qualifications in a relevant field such as psychology or medicine is required
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis
• Skills in statistical programs like R (or Python) is an advantage
• Experience with longitudinal modelling is an advantage
• Excellent skills in written and oral English
• Excellent skills, written and oral, in a Scandinavian language
• Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date of the call. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved
• Strong knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of CBT and 3rd Generation Cognitive Therapies.
• Interest in and knowledge of iCBT and the foundations of ed-tech solutions
• Interest in and knowledge of the structuring of quantitative -, qualitative- and mixed research designs
• Computer Science background/experience (preferable)
• Interest in statistical big-data analysis and establishing PREM and P(R)OM for clinical interventions within mental health care
• Experience with Data-management plans and project reporting (preferable)
• Experience from Quality Management and Natural Experiments within healthcare (preferable)

Personal skills

• Ability to work in collaborative groups and independently
• Structured and goal oriented
• High motivation and capable of efficient work structure
• Strong relational skills
• Dedication to excellence in practice and science

We offer

• Salary NOK 563 900 - 650 300 per annum per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• 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
• Starting date: as soon as possible

How to apply

The application must include

• Letter of application, max 3 pages, explaining motivation for applying and suitability for the position.
• CV summarizing education, employment, and academic work
• Up to three articles that the candidate finds relevant to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact info of at least two references

When 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 performed 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 through our electronic recruiting system. 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).

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow 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 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

Principal Investigator/Head of Section:

• Professor Ole André Solbakken: o.a.solbakken@psykologi.uio.no

Project Manager at BRAIVE:

• Chief Psychologist Henrik Haaland Jahren: henrik@braive.com

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