PhD Research Fellow in reinforcement learning for generative systems in physics at the INTED Center

About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in reinforcement learning for generative systems in physics is available at the Center for Interdisciplinary Education at the University of Oslo, under the direction of professor Anders Malthe-Sørenssen. 

Starting date no later than October 1, 2026.

The fellowship period is three years.

A fourth year may be considered, and it will involve 25 % of other career-promoting work, which normally consists of teaching and/or supervision. This is dependent upon the qualifications of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

Project description

The project will be jointly at the Center for Interdisciplinary Education (INTED), a Center for Excellence in Education at the University of Oslo, and the Center for integrative neuroplasticity (CINPLA), an interdisciplinary research group spanning physics, neuroscience and computational science. Interdisciplinary competence is needed to address the world’s wicked problems, for breakthroughs in science and innovation, and to prepare students for tomorrows work-life. INTED’s ambition is to become an international hub for the research-based integration of interdisciplinary competence in education. CINPLA addresses learning and representation in natural and artificial intelligence systems in concert.

Artificial intelligence has become a technology of great importance to science and education and is interdisciplinary in its nature. INTED has established a research activity applying AI methods to understand interdisciplinary learning processes. However, we currently need a more fundamental understanding of AI methods, and the representations developed in them as a foundation for this research activity. In this project, you will develop fundamental machine learning methods and apply them in an interdisciplinary research environment spanning physics, neuroscience and computational science. You will be expected to participate both in the activities of the Center for integrative neuroplasticity (CINPLA) and in the INTED center.

This PhD project will focus on reinforcement learning methods for generating complex structures with two possible application areas (i) the generation of virus capsids for gene therapy and (ii) the generation of meta-material structures. The project will involve both physics-based forward modeling of protein or metamaterial structures, the development of effective architecture for machine learning classification of the structures, and reinforcement learning methods for optimizing the structures for particular applications. An underlying motivation is to understand the internal representations developed by the machine learning methods in these applications. 

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in physics, chemistry, computational science, data science with a STEM focus, or computational bioscience 
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Interest for interdisciplinary research

It is a requirement for the position that the candidate is granted a national security clearance, level H.

Candidates without a master’s degree have until June 30, 2026 to complete the final exam.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with implementation or applications of large machine learning models 
• Experience with generative methods for protein design and/or docking simulations or generative methods for metamaterials design
• For candidates who would like to apply for a fourth year including teaching, good knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is strongly preferred

Language requirement:

• Good oral and written communication skills in English
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements:
  https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc8

Grade requirements:
The norm is as follows:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. For more information see:
http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hard-working candidate with the ambition to gain new insights and publish papers in leading, international journals. Applicants must show good interpersonal skills and be willing to work in close collaboration with the project PIs and other members of the project team, as well as have the ability to work independently. 

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.

We can offer you

• 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
• Career development programmes
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Salary in position as PhD Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 - 595 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund 

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application cover letter: a brief account (no more than one page, as a separate file) of the applicant’s interest and motivation for applying for the position including a brief description of how the applicant envisions his/her experience could be used to address the project goals
• CV (summarizing education, positions, research experience, pedagogical experience, and other relevant activities)
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records and letters of recommendation
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee, including exercises or problem sets the applicant has designed 
• Names and contact details of 1-2 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• Documentation of English proficiency if applicable
• Applicants who are interested in teaching need to include a description of their motivation for and (if any) experience with teaching

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job". Foreign applicants should attach an official explanation of their University's grading system.

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

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

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 can't, you will hear from us.

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 (Norwegian) and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.  

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