Department of Psychology, Section for cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience

Job description

Applications are invited for a 3-4 year PhD fellowship available at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo.

The position is open for candidates with a Master’s degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or other relevant areas.

The successful applicant will join the MICC-Lab, led by Prof. René Huster, which is part of the Section for Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience.

The MICC-Lab studies the neural foundations of cognitive control, with a focus on action cancellation, usually by means of multimodal measurements (using EEG, MRI, EMG, pupillometry etc. in various combinations). The lab further applies methods for the neuromodulation of cognitive processes (e.g., transcranial stimulation or brain-computer interfaces).

More about the position

The appointment is a fulltime position available for a period of three to four years. Fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to contribute to teaching and administration with about 25% of their working time. Teaching and administrative duties would contribute to activities of the Department of Psychology.

The position is funded by the Extrastiftelsen (now Stiftelsen Dam) for a project that studies the interaction of sleep, affect, and cognitive control in healthy participants and those with symptoms of depression. The project relies on actigraphy to objectively assess sleep patterns, as well as electroencephalography alongside cognitive tasks and questionnaires. The project is run in collaboration with Hjernerådet and the Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital. The applicant will have the opportunity to contribute to the shaping of the research agenda.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in psychology, cognitive or computational neuroscience, or a related field.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English, and at least basic understanding of Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language).
• Previous training in brain imaging or biosignal analysis (e.g, EEG, MRI, pupillometry, or EMG data).
• Experience with statistical analysis and programming in at least one of following languages: R, Python, Matlab, C++/C, Java.
• Optimally, the candidate’s prior work already relates to research activities of the MICC-Lab (e.g., cognitive control, action cancellation or inhibition, automatic vs. controlled attention, neuromodulation of cognition, multimodal imaging).

The candidate must be qualified for admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Oslo (https://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/).

Personal skills

Candidates who are creative, motivated, and organized will be preferred.

We offer

• a salary of NOK 479 600- 523 200 per annum depending on qualifications.
• a professionally stimulating working environment.
• attractive welfare benefits (https://www.uio.no/english/for-employees/employment/welfare/) 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 (statement of motivation, relevant research experience, and research interest).
• a short project description (max. 2 pages), detailing project ideas and the candidate’s potential contributions within the research focus described above.
• a CV (summarizing education, prior positions, relevant research experience including publications, if applicable).
• copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
• a list of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

The application with attachments must be delivered via our electronic recruiting system. International 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).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates may be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to PhD 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

• Prof. René Huster: rene.huster@psykologi.uio.no

Apply for position