Job description

A three-year position as PhD student at the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT, http://www.med.uio.no/norment/english) is currently available. The position is part of an ERA-NET NEURON funded project on disease mechanisms in schizophrenia.

More about the position

The ERA-NET project seeks to understand how genetic variance influences brain function and how this may be affected in schizophrenia. The project involves collaborating partners across Europe and is a multidisciplinary effort bridging experimental research with statistical genetic modeling and clinical research. It targets a mechanistic understanding from the gene level and brain function to the level of clinical symptoms and outcome. The PhD candidate will contribute to this project with analysis and interpretation of clinical and genetic data, utilizing mathematical tools for big data analysis.

Depending on the background of the candidate, the 3 year PhD project may include acquisition of clinical data as well as statistical analysis and dissemination. The candidate will benefit from a fruitful and supportive interdisciplinary working environment at NORMENT, which is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence established in 2013. Short stays at the research institutions of collaborating partners are encouraged and will equip the candidate for an international career in science. The candidate will be admitted to the PhD programmeme at the Faculty of Medicine.

Qualification requirements

The ideal candidate will have

• A Master’s degree in medicine or psychology, but neuroscience, biology, or statistical/computational/applied mathematics is also relevant
• A strong interest in interdisciplinarity
• Ability to work independently, organized and focused
• Excellent written and oral English. Scandinavian would be beneficial for data collection, and necessary for acquisition of clinical data.
• Experience with or strong motivation for learning shell scripting, Matlab, R, and similar
• Strong interest in neurogenetics, biological psychiatry, and/or quantitative analysis
• Strong motivation and an interest in exploring new ways to look at data

We offer

• An ambitious and exciting research environment with a strong multidisciplinary profile and excellent opportunities for academic development.
• Salary in the range of NOK 449 400 – 497 000 depending on qualifications and experience.
• Supervision and support for the PhD project
• Possibility to attend conferences and visit collaborating partners for short research exchange stays

How to apply

The application must include

• cover letter statement of motivation, research interests and relevant work experience
• CV, including a list of previous publications if available
• copies of educational certificates and grades
• a complete list of publications and academic works
• 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

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.

After the initial screening process, short-listed candidates may be invited for an interview. The position is to be filled as soon as possible.

Formal regulations

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

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

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 appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

For any informal enquiries regarding the positions, please contact:

• Ole Andreassen (Director of NORMENT, ole.andreassen@medisin.uio.no) or
  
• Olav Smeland (PhD supervisor, o.b.smeland@medisin.uio.no)

For questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR-adviser Kine Yttersian, e-mail: kine.yttersian@medisin.uio.no, phone: (+47) 22859226

Apply for this job