About the position

One postdoctoral researcher Fellowships in blockchain technologies are available at the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo. The position is in the context of the project called SmartMed: Secure and accountable sharing of medical records using smart contracts and blockchain.

The fellowship period is for two years. In addition to the main research activities, the position carries the following responsibilities:

Coordination of collaboration between all national and international partners. Even though the position is at the University of Oslo, part of the time is expected to be spent at the Cancer Registry of Norway while working on the same research agenda.

Facilitation of cooperation between the PhD students and scientific programmer employed in the project.

Participation in the dissemination of results.

The postdoctoral researcher will have an opportunity to shape the formation of currently established Blockchain Lab.

There is a potential for the research to be conducted in collaboration with Cornell University, which is one of leading research centers in the world in the area of blockchain.

Starting date in agreement with Department of Informatics.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Project description

Increasing amounts of health data are recorded in health registries, with the strategic initiatives of data sharing and fusion across different registries in Norway. This forms an excellent opportunity for world-class medical research as few countries have such a high-quality infrastructure. However, it also constitutes a very high privacy risk should a security breach occur.

Publicized incidents of leaked medical records pose a major challenge for the digital trust in eHealth where storing, accessing and exchanging sensitive patient-related data must comply with several regulations, while remaining accessible to authorized health practitioners. Governmental legislations regarding data privacy, such as the EU's GDPR, present an additional source of concern for healthcare registries which are now faced with severe legal and financial consequences in case data confidentiality is breached.

Our principal approach is to facilitate solutions for health registries by using Smart Contracts and the emerging Blockchain Paradigm. From the data safety, authenticity, and nonrepudiation standpoint, blockchain is a perfect fit for sharing medical records since it provides an easily accessible, immutable, and transparent history of all contract-related data, adequate for building applications with trust and accountability. Use of smart contracts brings a number of additional advantages for sharing medical data by healthcare registries: consent management, fine-grain privacy control, transparency, and reduced bureaucracy and expenses.

SmartMed is proposed in cooperation with the Cancer Registry of Norway (CRN), which will validate technological advances. CRN presently contains health information on over 1,4 million cancer patients. Managing and using the data for medical research in a secure way as to minimize any privacy concerns is paramount. Improving privacy control and transparency will bolster public's trust in the use of CRN data for vital research on preventive medicine.

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher who is interested in designing, developing, and evaluating techniques related to the above.

Additional information can be found using the following link.

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition is to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification in Computer Science, with excellent results. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
• The evaluation considers many aspects of excellence, as well as the personal drive and organizational skills.
• It is important for the position to have strong background in distributed computing. The ideal candidate will have expertise in blockchain.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

We offer

• Salary NOK 526 000 – 608 200 per year depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• A strong research environment. Our students have won best paper and best demo awards at several conferences. Our alumni are employed by IBM Research, Microsoft, Spotify, and highly reputable academic institutions in Europe.
• The group of Networks and Distributed Systems[ offers a work environment that is well equipped with the newest hard- and software technology. The research group has tight bonds with Simula Research Laboratory. Furthermore, we have well-established links to national and international research institutions. We conduct collaborative research projects that are funded by Norwegian research funds, and the European Community.
• A strong international network
• Highly relevant for the prioritized initiatives at the department such as the Strategic Research Initiative for Concurrent Security and Robustness of Networked Systems (Conserns)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Professionally stimulating working environment
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Postdoctoral development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• A CV with full education, positions, academic experiences, details on PhD thesis, detailed computational skills and a list of publications
• Copies of educational certificates, (academic transcripts only)
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in 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).

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

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.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Professor Roman Vitenberg, e-mail: romanvi@ifi.uio.no

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, e-mail: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

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