PhD-position at the University of Bergen, Faculty of Law (ENDOTRAIN) (DC14)

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PhD position

There is a vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in Patient control of their health data used for research and treatment purposes at the Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, Norway. The position is funded by the European Commission through the MSCA Doctoral Network Endotrain (Grant No: 101227148) and coordinated by the University of Bergen, Norway.

Supervisors: Prof. Malgorzata Cyndecka

Location: Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, Norway 

Duration: 3 years 

Start date: August 2026 at latest

The students will be enrolled in the structured PhD programme at the Faculty of Law, UiB. As a PhD candidate you must carry out an independent research project which will result in a scientific dissertation. You will also have to complete a training component which consists of courses in legal theory, handling of sources, methodological perspectives in legal science, text quality, research dissemination among other things. Some courses are mandatory, while other courses can be chosen based on relevance to the PhD candidate's own project. The training component includes a total of 30 credits, which corresponds one semester of full-time study.  

Find more information on the PhD programme at the Faculty of Law here.  

About the project/work tasks:

This position is part of 19 PhD Fellowships available in Digital Endocrinology in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (ENDOTRAIN).

Join Europe’s first doctoral network in digital endocrinology – integrating AI, sensor technology, omics, and clinical medicine to transform diagnosis and treatment of adrenal diseases. 

Digital medicine is entering a new era where human “digital twins” and sensor-based monitoring allow personalised diagnosis and treatment. ENDOTRAIN will train a new generation of interdisciplinary experts who merge clinical endocrinology, AI, data science, engineering, ethics and law into an integrated field of digital endocrinology. The programme focuses on adrenal disorders as a case study for advancing digital health in Europe.

The PhD project is embedded in Work Package 4: Legal and ethical aspects of AI tools of the ENDOTRAIN network. It originates from the EU’s plan to create a well-functioning single European market for data which requires adopting legislation that considers many objectives and interests. The project shall examine the compatibility of the European Health Data Space with existing and, if relevant, forthcoming regulations in the digital field such as the GDPR. It shall clarify the scope of patient control over their health data before and after the adoption of the EHDS and, if necessary, propose optional amendments to existing and, if relevant, forthcoming EU/EEA legislation while also exploring room for national adjustments. The project shall result in a comprehensive legal analysis of the relevant legal frameworks and its consequences for data-hungry digital health approaches. 

Research field: EU/EEA data protection law, EU/EEA digital legislation, in particular EHDS, AI regulation.

Secondments planned: 

• UniCA: 1 month to study ethics by design (start date M12); 
• UULM: 1 month to study interoperability of ENDOTRAIN data with the EHDS (start date M24) 

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• The candidate must hold a Norwegian master’s degree in law or an equivalent degree from abroad. Applicants must have submitted their thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the degree has been awarded.
• Expertise in EU/EEA law is an asset.
• An interest in interdisciplinary and international collaborative work and motivation to pursue an academic career.
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and to collaborate with others. 
• Applicants with education from outside Scandinavia must include a certified translation to English or Scandinavian if the original diplomas, transcripts, and additional documentation are not in one of these languages. A Diploma Supplement with a standardised description of the structure, level, content, and status of the applicant's education must also be included. Applicants with education from outside Scandinavia will be evaluated according to the regulations of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. 

For further details, please visit our webpages: Patient control of their health data used for research and treatment purposes and the programme webpage: Endotrain Doctoral Training Network | UiB

Salary and benefits

• An excellent opportunity for exciting career development in a professionally challenging working environment at the Faculty of Law. 
• Salary as PhD research fellow (code 1017) in the state salary scale. This constitutes a gross annual salary of NOK 568.700, - NOK 610 400,- . For particularly highly qualified applicants, a higher salary may be considered. 
• Opportunity to apply for a mobility grant to institutions abroad as part of the position. 
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. 
• Generous welfare benefits. 

The Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen, offers a PhD position affiliated with the Research Group for Information and Innovation Law. The Faculty of Law consists of 16 research groups and 2 research centers, covering  most central legal disciplines and including several internationally renowned academic communities. The faculty's strategic priorities include research on the rule of law and international legal cooperation, climate, energy and sustainability law, as well as law and enabling technologies.  

The Research Group for Information and Innovation Law focuses on legal issues related to technology, innovation and processing of information, including intellectual property rights and the processing of personal data.

Application procedure

All applications must be submitted via the Jobbnorge portal 

Your application must include the mandatory attachments from the ENDOTRAIN webpages - including "1. Application form" - "2. CV" - "3. Mobility declaration" - "4. Motivation Letter"

Eligibility (MSCA Doctoral Network rules)

• Applicants can be of any nationality. 
• Must not have resided or carried out a main activity in the host country for more than 12 months in the past 36 months before start of the PhD.
• Must hold a master’s degree (or equivalent) enabling doctoral studies.
• Must not already hold a doctoral degree.
• English proficiency required - transcripts of diplomas in English must be uploaded in Jobbnorge. 

In the "Jobbnorge-CV": Only fill in the basics of your 1) personal details, 2) short information about your degrees (in the field "Education / academic qualifications") - in order to minimise repetition with the CV attachment.

It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded (documentation must be provided). If you have not yet completed your master's degree, you can apply provided completion of the final master exam before the position start date. Please submit a statement from your institution confirming the expected date of award of your master's degree. 

For HR related questions contact the host institutions for the position you are applying.

Diversity and inclusion

MSCA -Endotrain has a gender equality plan where gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position. 

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met. 

Life as a PhD candidate at UiB

Marion Claireaux tells about life and work as a PhD candidate at UiB.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrtp6VxMeJ4&index=2&list=PLf8ZIYfAO0qjhROTj6SthDbSScg0lSO6G

About MSCA Doctoral Networks

The MSCA Doctoral Networks aim to train creative, entrepreneurial, innovative and resilient doctoral candidates, able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit. The MSCA Doctoral Networks raise the attractiveness and excellence of doctoral training in Europe. Read More about the MSCA Doctoral Networks. 

For questions about the project, please contact the primary supervisor Prof. Malgorzata Cyndecka: malgorzata.cyndecka@uib.no

For questions about the ENDOTRAIN programme, please contact Programme Manager Elizabeth Farmer (elizabeth.farmer@uib.no) 

For HR related questions, please contact HR adviser Ingrid Müftüoglu (ingrid.muftuoglu@uib.no)