SFaculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology

Postdoctoral Fellowship - "Genetic and environmental influences on psychopathology in children; the mediating role of parental income and education".

Job description

A Postdoctoral Fellowship is available at the PROMENTA Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. PROMENTA is a newly established interdisciplinary research center at the Department of Psychology aiming to provide answers to three central questions in mental health, well-being, and drug use research: What processes lead to poor and good mental health, and how? How do social and geographic inequalities in mental health arise? How can we develop, tailor, and evaluate effective interventions in communities to promote good mental health? To address these questions, we examine sources of mental health on a variety of levels, such as genetic risk, neurocognitive development, the psychosocial environment, and the socio-cultural and political context. The center is financed by the Research Council of Norway and contributions from the Department of Psychology, the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and other participating partners. For more information about PROMENTA, please visit www.promenta.no.

More about the position

The postdoctoral fellow will be part of two PROMENTA work groups, Methodological Development and Neighborhood Genetics. The aim of the current project is to investigate the extent to which parental factors, such as income and educational achievement, mediate the familial transmission of psychopathology to children. In addressing these questions, we also aim to combine recent advances in computational statistical with more established methods in quantitative genetics.

The fellowship is for a period of three years. A 4th year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching requirement, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the department. The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements

• A PhD degree or similar in a relevant field such as psychology or medicine.
• Strong skills in quantitative data analysis and familiarity with R or Python is necessary.
• Research experience with quantitative genetic designs and analyses such as twin and adoption studies is a requirement.
• Experience with applied structural equation modelling, as well as related software, such as Mplus or OpenMx is an advantage.
• Prior research on causal factors and psychopathology, and the role of income and educational attainment is an advantage
• Excellent English skills, orally and in writing are required.
• Enthusiasm for the topic and for participating in building up a new research center.
• Plans for excellent research within the project, as evidenced by the required three-page letter of application, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced position.
• Personal suitability, motivation and willingness to collaborate with academics from diverse backgrounds.
• Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defense of the doctoral thesis being approved.

We offer

• Salary NOK 552 800 - 640 200 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352).
• A professionally stimulating working environment in a newly established research center at the Department of Psychology.
• Opportunities for extensive collaboration with our international collaborators.
• Favorable pension agreement.
• Attractive welfare arrangements.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Letter of application, max. 3 pages, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced postdoc position.

• CV summarizing education, employment history and academic work.

• Copies of educational certificates.

• Three to eight articles or book chapters as first or joint first author that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee (must be accepted for publication or published on bioRxiv).

• Names and contact details of at least two references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and telephone number).

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. International 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. 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.

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

Contact information

• Project manager Nikolai Czajkowski, e-mail: n.o.czajkowski@psykologi.uio.no
• Head of office Joakim Dyrnes, e-mail: joakim.dyrnes@psykologi.uio.no

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