PhD Research Fellow

About the position

Applications are invited for a PhD position at the Leknes Affective Brain lab (www.affectivebrains.com), Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway. The position is intended for a fixed term of appointment 60 % over five years. The starting date in the position is set to January 2026.

The position is associated with the project: «The full spectrum of opioid effects», funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant. The candidate would be responsible for designing and implementing a single-case experimental design (SCED/N-of-1) clinical trial of patients treated with opioid analgesics for chronic pain. The aim of the project is to generate a new individualized framework for clinical research and to determine treatment effects at the level of each patient in a double-blind, randomized controlled manner.

More about the position

Opioid analgesics are powerful medical tools with the potential to cause terrible side effects. Because their effects are so variable across individuals and contexts, many key debates remain unsettled in the field. Some chronic pain patients report stable pain relief over years without tolerance or adverse effects. The evidence from group-level, randomized controlled studies does not support these patients’ experience, however. This lack of gold-standard evidence, together with fear of addiction, are causes of undermanaged pain. Improved understanding of opioid responses over time at the level of each patient is urgently needed to reconcile clinical experiences with the state of scientific evidence.

The project offers opportunities to develop unique competence in clinical research methodology, whilst working in an ambitious yet friendly and collaborative, interdisciplinary environment. The research group comprises affective and social neuroscience, psychology, anesthesiology, and other disciplines and specializes in the study of pain, reward, stress, and addiction. The candidate will participate in study design, data collection, analysis, and publications in close collaboration with other team members and under the guidance of Siri Leknes. Further details about the project are available upon request, and applicants can contact professor Leknes for more information.

Residence in Norway is expected, but PhD fellows are also encouraged to spend time abroad during the fellowship period. 

Qualifications

Necessary qualifications 

• The candidate must be qualified for admission to the Faculty’s ph.d. program: https://www.sv.uio.no/english/research/phd/application/phd-fellowship/index.html 
• Applicants must hold a medical degree and have experience of treating chronic pain.
• Documented experience with pharmacological treatment of chronic pain
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian and English are required. Norwegian language proficiency is necessary because the position involves direct clinical interaction with patients, including informed consent procedures and collaboration with healthcare personnel.
• Strong organizational skills are needed to secure all necessary permissions and to conduct innovative randomized controlled trials in accordance with all relevant regulations
   

Additional desired qualifications

• Specialist medical qualification such as anesthesiology is strongly desired
• Previous research experience is a plus 

• Experience with or motivation to learn statistical analysis

  The cover letter must indicate a strong motivation for clinical research on opioid analgesics and chronic pain treatments and include relevant, brief reflections on the patient group and ethical considerations. Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications. In the assessment of applications, emphasis will be on:

• Previous clinical experience and interest in the above-mentioned themes, e.g. pain, opioids 
• The applicant’s personal suitability and motivation for the position, including enthusiasm, flexibility, curiosity, and a strong ability to collaborate as part of a larger research team
• Proven ability to work independently and efficiently  

Why should you choose us?

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• Committed colleagues in a pleasant and stimulating work environment
• Good welfare schemes. 
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours. A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Doctoral Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 to 610 700, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

We hope that you will apply for the position. 

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

Application

The application must include

• Cover letter, stating motivations for this position and reflections on project implementation.
• A CV with full education, positions, academic experiences, and clinical experience.
• Certified copies of diplomas, grade transcripts and any other testimonials.
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

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 best qualified candidates will be arranged. The final hiring decision is the responsibility of the department’s board and will be based on an evaluation of the overall qualifications of the shortlisted candidates and the department’s needs.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian),  Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.

Recruitment positions are appointed on a fixed-term basis pursuant to the Act om Universities and Colleges § 7-6. No one can be employed for more than one fixed-term period in the same position category at the same institution.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.