Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion is financed through the Research Council of Norway’s Centre of Excellence Scheme. RITMO combines a broad spectrum of disciplines – from musicology, neuroscience and informatics – to study rhythm as a fundamental property of human cognition, behaviour and cultural expression. The Centre is organized under the Department of Musicology, in close collaboration with the Department of Psychology and the Department of Informatics.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

About the position

A Doctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1017) in Cognitive Neuroscience is available at RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion at the University of Oslo.

RITMO is a Centre of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway. This interdisciplinary centre focuses on rhythm as a structuring mechanism for the temporal dimensions of human life. Methods from musicology, psychology, neuroscience, and informatics are combined to study rhythm as a fundamental property that shapes and underpins human cognition, behavior and cultural expressions.

All RITMO researchers are co-located and work in a unique interdisciplinary constellation, with world-leading competence in musicology, psychology and informatics. It is expected that all members of the centre contribute to the general activities and collaborations within RITMO. The researchers have access to state-of-the-art facilities in sound/video recording, motion capture, eye tracking, physiological measurements, various types of brain imaging (EEG, fMRI), and rapid prototyping and robotics laboratories.

Job description

The doctoral fellow will work on the subproject ”The role of prefrontal cortex in auditory attention and prediction”. As the project will examine the role of prefrontal cortex in rhythm and temporal prediction, patients with focal lesions to frontal subregions will be recruited. Invasive EEG will be recorded from patients with medically refractory epilepsy undergoing intracranial EEG monitoring for seizure detection.

The project will be conducted in collaboration with the Dept. of Neurosurgery at Oslo University Hospital and the Dept. of Psychology/Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley (USA). The doctoral fellow is expected to be involved in all aspects of the research, including experimental design, data collection, signal analysis, and publishing results related to the project aims.

The research fellow must take part in the Faculty of Social Sciences’ approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the fellowship period.

The appointment is for a duration of three years, starting 1 September 2019. A fourth year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching requirements, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the Department of Psychology. The fellowship period may be reduced if the candidate has previously been employed in a research fellowship position.

Qualification requirements

• A Master's degree or equivalent in cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, or other relevant field qualifying for admission to the PhD program at the Department of Psychology. The applicant is required to document that the degree corresponds to the profile for the post. The Master's Degree must have been obtained by the time of application. Only applicants with grade points A or B on the ECTS scale will be qualified for admission to the PhD program.
• Experience with a) cognitive experimental designs, b) programming in Matlab, c) processing of electrophysiological data using EEGLAB or other toolboxes for analysis of EEG signals (event-related potentials and oscillatory activity), and d) statistics. Prior experience with structural or functional MRI, and research on clinical groups (neurological/neuropsychiatric) are advantageous.
• Speaking a Scandinavian language is an advantage due to interaction with patients, but not a prerequisite.
• Interest in music and knowledge of music theory will be considered advantageous.
• Excellent skills in written and oral English.
• Personal suitability and motivation for the position.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on:

• the applicant’s scientific merit, as well as the quality of the research outline and its relevance to the research objectives of RITMO
• the applicant's estimated academic and personal ability to complete the project within the time frame
• the applicant's ability to complete research training
• very good collaboration skills and an ability to join interdisciplinary academic communities.

Applicants who have recently graduated with excellent results may be given preference.

We offer

• salary NOK 449 400 - 505 800,- per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• attractive welfare benefits
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

How to apply

Applicants must submit the following attachments with the electronic application, preferably in pdf format:

• application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (complete list of education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activities, including a complete list of publications with links to full version of published papers)
• research outline, including relevant research questions and theoretical and methodological approaches (approximately 2-3 pages, see template for research outline)
• transcript of records of your Master's degree. Applicants with education from a foreign university are advised to attach an explanation of their university's grading system
• names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number).

Please note that all documents must be in English.

Educational certificates, master theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

Short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview at the University of Oslo or we will arrange for a video-based interview.

Formal regulations

See also Guidelines for appointments to research fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, demographic information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

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

Contact information

• Head of Administration Anne Cathrine Wesnes, a.c.wesnes@imv.uio.no, +47 22 85 44 89
• HR Officer Tonje Olsen, t.n.olsen@hf.uio.no

Apply for position