Job description

PhD fellowships available in computational science through the SUURPh international training programme - four positions.

The duration of SUURPh doctoral fellowships is 3 years. The Department of Informatics (IFI) may offer the candidate 1 additional year; the 4 years position then entails a compulsory workload of 25% that consists of teaching and supervision duties at IFI.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo. Starting date no later than 01.10.2019.

Department of Informatics (IFI) at the University of Oslo (UiO) seeks applicants for up to 4 PhD positions offered as part of a larger collaborative PhD programme between the University of Oslo (UiO), Simula School for Research and Innovation (SSRI), and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). This programme has been named SUURPh (the Simula-UiO-UCSD Research and PhD training programme), and more details can be found on the programme home page, and on the page for SUURPh applicants. These pages should be consulted for general information regarding the programme and descriptions of all applicable projects that will be offered as part of SUURPh.

More about the position

Detailed descriptions of the projects being offered can be found on the Projects Page under the “UiO Projects” section.

Each project will require slightly different expertise and experience, but all are within the scope of computational biology and medicine. Thus, IFI is seeking motivated and independent students from a wide range of training backgrounds, but particularly with a strong working knowledge in computational and quantitative disciplines, to take up these doctoral fellowships.All SUURPh fellows will be enrolled as PhD students at IFI and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

As a SUURPh fellow you will work closely with your primary SUURPh supervisors in Oslo and at UCSD, and undertake coursework and training related to computational biology and medicine. In some cases the tasks of SUURPh fellows may involve some experimental procedures, but the majority of work will be focused on computational approaches to major questions in biology and medicine.

As such, development of mathematical and computational techniques for analysing and reducing complex experimental data will be a common application for SUURPh fellows, as will be development of complex and sometimes large numerical simulations of biological or medical systems.A unique feature of the SUURPh programme is that SUURPh fellows will be required to conduct a portion of their doctoral research in San Diego. As such, all applicants should be prepared and eager to spend a portion of their degree (generally 6 months – 1 year) at UCSD.As mentioned above, the breadth of the SUURPh scope allows students of many training backgrounds to be excellent candidates for these fellowships. However, because the all projects are computational in their nature it is strongly recommended that applicants have a working background in programming and the mathematical/quantitative sciences.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. 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.

• Master’s degree or equivalent in computational sciences, informatics or in an appropriate field for the project/s of interest
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system.
• Suitable academic performance in Masters and undergraduate coursework.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills are an advantage.
• Experience in developing software or analysis tools for biological or medical applications is an advantage.
• Good knowledge of the scientific field addressed by the project/s of interest is desirable.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills are necessary.
• Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 30 June, 2019 to complete the final exam.

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

• the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/application/application.html

We offer

• an engaging and interactive working environment with highly competent and motivated researchers
• high-standard facilities and offices
• salary NOK 449 900 – 505 800 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, (position code 1017)
• 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

How to apply

The application must include

• A cover letter summarising the candidate’s background, and listing (in ranked order) all SUURPh projects (both UiO and Simula) to which the candidate will apply (up to 3 projects)
• Curriculum vitae, listing contact information, education, prior research experience and specific research project involvement, and any publication of conference contributions or scientific papers.
• Copies of relevant diplomas or graduation certificate
• Letters of reference, and contact information (name, current position, relation to the candidate, phone and e-mail) for up to 3 academic and research-oriented referees
• For non-native English speakers, proof of competency with English.
• Documentation of skills in a Scandinavian language in cases where a 4th year with teaching is of interest.

To apply for one of the SUURPh doctoral fellowships hosted at UiO you will need to select at least one of the projects that has been proposed by UiO-based investigators for this programme. Detailed project descriptions are provided here, and each applicant is permitted to select up to 3 (total between UiO and Simula) projects to which they would like to apply. In this portal you are only applying for the UiO projects, a similar application portal for Simula projects can be found here.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. 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).

Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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

For further information please see the project descriptions for each project:

http://www.mn.uio.no/ifi/om/jobb/suurph/

For technical questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, +47 22 85 42 72, t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

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