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 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) provider BRAIVE. The candidate will be jointly affiliated with the Clinical Psychology Section at UiO and BRAIVE, 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 the research efforts during the “Adjusted Level of Effective and Continuous Care to mental health disorders”-project. The project’s main aim is to discover how to best support psychologists and other mental health professionals in the delivery of digital mental health interventions. The research will focus on identifying potential improvements in an online platform capable of diagnosing, monitoring and providing personalized and timely interventions and support 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 to support clinical assessments and treatment planning.

2: Identify and implement a risk-monitoring system to facilitate patient support and follow-up throughout treatment.

3: Explore and identify keywords and sentiments in patient communication central to increasing the effectiveness of core-interventions in CBT- and third generation cognitive therapies.

4: Contribute to the development of clinician guidelines for effective follow-up of patients based on patient responses.

5: Clinically validate the system’s ability to improve diagnostic accuracy, enhance adherence and care outcomes, identify and rectify treatment non- and negative response, and affect relapse and recurrence rates for CMD patients.

More about the position

The candidate is expected to contribute to the implementation and scientific reporting of the studies in the project. We seek a candidate who is ambitious and can handle the demands of a project which combines collaboration between experts from both clinical psychology and computer science to identify the best use of various Machine Learning methods to improve the clinical delivery of digital iCBT-supported therapy solutions. The candidate is expected to start in a full-time position with minimum delay after recruitment.

Qualification requirements

• A PhD degree or equivalent qualifications in psychology or behavioural science is required.
• Strong knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of CBT and 3rd Generation Cognitive Therapies.
• Robust experience with clinical work and psychotherapy.
• 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.
• Robust skills in quantitative methods and statistical analysis.
• Strong interest in digitalizing various aspects of psychological therapy to address the supply- and demand problem in mental health care.

The following skills will also be considered:

• Experience with Data-management plans and project reporting.
• Skills in statistical programs like R (or Python).
• Experience with longitudinal modelling.
• Interest in statistical big-data analysis within mental health care.

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 depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Attractive welfare benefits
• A generous pension agreement
• 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.

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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