University of 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.

Job description

Applications are invited for a position as Researcher (SKO 1109) to be based at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Imaging core group at the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT) and funded by the Research Council of Norway project “From synapses to symptoms in maternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum” for a period of 5 years(PI, Lars T. Westlye, l.t.westlye@psykologi.uio.no).

More about the position

The successful applicant is expected to use methods from cognitive neuroscience to improve our understanding of brain plasticity and maternal brain and mental health during and after pregnancy. The focus will range from typical patterns, to subclinical symptoms, to severe conditions. Methodological approaches will include structural and functional brain imaging, electrophysiology, cognitive and clinical psychology, biomarkers and gene expression, and longitudinal mapping of interactions between these levels.

NORMENT is a Norwegian Centre of Excellence aiming to disentangle the neurobiological, genetic, psychological and environmental factors contributing to the development of mental illness. Through our infrastructure for clinical evaluations, cognitive assessment, neuroimaging and biobanking we are assembling a large imaging genetics database comprising data from healthy controls and patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, in addition to other brain disorders.

NORMENT Core Imaging group currently includes nine researchers/postdoctoral fellows and several PhD and graduate students, and is directly involved in various large-scale international collaborative efforts and consortia, to which the successful candidate is expected to contribute. In addition to the RCN funded project on maternal health, the researcher will play a central role in the analysis and dissemination of data from large imaging genetics databases, in particular focusing on developing and applying multivariate tools for data mining, classification and prediction. The research will be carried out as an integrated part of a cross-disciplinary team in close collaboration with other NORMENT core groups and international collaborators.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in psychology/cognitive neuroscience, or other relevant fields.
• An innovative, active and strong research profile with excellent documented potential for performing high quality research.
• Documented experience with some or all of the following: Advanced brain imaging, imaging genetics and network analysis, and prediction analysis leveraging data from basic and clinical psychology, large-scale brain imaging data, as well as experimental data.
• Documented experience with statistical analysis and programming (R, Matlab, python or similar).
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

Personal skills

• Ambitious and innovative with a documented ability to contribute and thrive in an inter-discliplinary research environment.
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills (team player).

We offer

• Salary (NOK 490,900 – 597 400[approx. €51k – 63k] per year), – depending on experience and qualifications.
• An ambitious and exciting research environment with a strong multidisciplinary profile and excellent opportunities for academic development.
• 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

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest).
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity).
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
• A complete list of publications.
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the shortlisted candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Researcher positions 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 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

• Associate professor Lars T. Westlye, phone number: 97163221, e-mail: l.t.westlye@psykologi.uio.no

Apply for position