PhD Position

We invite applications for a 3-year full-time PhD research fellowship position in clinical neuroscience at Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo Norway. The candidate will use cutting-edge methods and available data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) to investigate the impact of pregnancy complications and placental genomics on maternal and child mental health.

The position is financed by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority and is a part of the research project “PlacMENT: understanding the role of the placenta in mental health”, initiated and led by Dr. Laura Wortinger. The candidate will be affiliated with the Precision psychiatry research group at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo.

Both Diakonhjemmet Hospital and the University of Oslo are equal opportunity workplaces, which encourage and promote the research of all employees, independent of gender, age, or ethnic background. We encourage everyone to apply for the position.

Start as soon as possible and by 1. Descember.

Main duties and responsibilities:
A well-functioning placenta is essential for the health of both the mother and offspring, but its influence on long-term maternal and child mental health outcomes is largely unknown. Pregnancy complications can be a sign of placental dysfunction; however, the placenta is arguably the least understood organ in the human body.

This project’s objective is to understand how genomic risk variants and transcripts linked with placenta biology and pregnancy complications are associated with altered neurodevelopment in offspring and maternal depression and how they mediate mental health outcome in the mother-child dyad.

The PhD candidate is expected to learn and perform genomic and transcriptomic analyses, and to write at least 3 scientific papers for publication in peer-reviewed open access journals of high quality within the duration of the 3-year position.

Qualifications:

• The candidate must be qualified for admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Medicine or Social Sciences, University of Oslo (https://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/)
• Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent in biology, psychology, neuroscience, medicine, or other relevant fields. Candidates who will complete their degree within the starting date will also be considered
• Experience analyzing genetic and transcriptomic data are beneficial, but training will be provided. Research experience related to neuroscience, biological psychiatry or mental health research, will be regarded as a substantial strength
• Previous experience with statistical analysis and programming (R, Python or similar) is a plus. An interest in acquiring the necessary statistical and computational skills is required
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required
• Ability to work independently, organized and focused
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills are required

We can offer:

• An ambitious and exciting research environment with a strong multidisciplinary profile, and excellent academic and transferable skills development opportunities
• Supervision and support for the PhD project
• Competitive salary within the framework of a Ph.D. position, depending on experience and qualifications (NOK 588 000/ year)
• Possibility to attend scientific conferences and for a research stay abroad
• Attractive welfare benefits and generous pension agreements

 
How to apply:

• Cover letter (summarizing education and research experience, statement of motivation, research interest, and research and career plans, max. 3 pages).
• CV summarizing education, positions, and relevant experiences (e.g., previous publications/preprints with valid links).
• Copies of relevant educational certificates (academic transcripts only). For education outside Scandinavia, we ask for an explanation of the grading system.
• List of 3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

All documents must be in English. We will weight academic qualifications, the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability when reviewing the applications. Ranked applicants will be interviewed.