PhD-fellowship

About the position

We invite applicants for a four-year position as a PhD research fellow at the Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo. The position is associated with the interdisciplinary project: «Decoding addiction», funded by a UiO Life Science grant. 

The candidate would join the “Project knockout” team and conduct laboratory testing of pain, reward, and stress in a newly discovered human genetic knockout model population. Data analysis of large-scale registry data comparing mutation carriers to non-carriers is also part of the project, which aims to generate novel insights into human endogenous opioid function.

The position is full-time for a fixed-term of four years and includes 25% career promoting work, which may consist of teaching, dissemination, and contribution to other activities at the Department. Start date: summer/autumn 2026. 

More about the position

The project studies how 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. Improved understanding of endogenous opioid functions in the healthy human brain is urgently needed. 

While it is well known that opioid drugs interfere with the many functions endogenous opioids serve throughout the brain and body, current understanding relies too heavily on extrapolation from rodent studies and non-specific pharmacology in humans. Notably, genetically engineered ‘knockout’ mice that lack the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) have revealed the opioid-dependence of e.g. pain and stress regulation. Moreover, an OPRM1 genetic dose response was found for reward by comparing knockouts to heterozygous knockdown mice with few mu-opioid receptors. The project centers on a newly discovered human OPRM1 knockout/knockdown model to probe human endogenous opioid function with a precision far exceeding existing antagonist studies in the field. 

The project offers opportunities to develop unique competence in behavioral genetics, experimental psychology and psychopharmacology, 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.

Your main tasks will be:

• Help finalize and validate test setup for pain, stress, and reward tasks
• Contribute to recruitment, data collection and analysis of experimental data
• Contribute to gaining access to and data analysis of registry data including genetic information, e.g. from MoBa, UK Biobank, Hunt, and other relevant registries
• Maintain good collaboration within the Knockout team and across the disciplines represented in the broader Decode project
• First author papers summarizing and interpreting insights from experimental and registry data, taking into account insights from the preclinical and basic science parts of the Decode project

The PhD fellow will take part in the approved PhD program at the Department of Psychology. The main purpose of the PhD fellowship is to qualify the candidate for a research career within or beyond academia. To support a strategic and well-structured PhD trajectory, the PhD fellow will be required to develop a career and competence development plan in dialogue with the supervisory team early in the appointment period.

What skills are important in this role?

• Applicants must hold a medical degree or a Masters in psychology, neuroscience, or a closely related field. 
   
• To be employed as a PhD Research Fellow, admission to a doctoral program is required, or there must be a binding agreement for admission. Read about admission to the Faculty's PhD program here: https://www.sv.uio.no/english/research/phd/application/phd-fellowship/
   
• Documented research experience relevant to the project is a requirement. This may come from a master’s thesis, research assistantship, or other comparable research activity, for example in psychopharmacology, computational neuroscience, experimental psychology, functional imaging, or behavioral genetics.
   
• Coding skills and experience with statistical modelling are a strong advantage.
   
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English are required.

The cover letter must include brief reflections on the implementation of this behavioral genetics study. For instance, you could reflect on the choice of tasks that could be used to test pain, stress, or reward sensitivity. Alternatively, provide a brief sketch of an analysis plan for data extracted from suitable databases, ideas for statistical analysis comparing single-case/small-group mutation carriers to controls, or discuss a different aspect of the project that engages your curiosity. 

What are we looking for in you?

• Strong motivation and organizational skills.
   
• Ability to think creatively within a scientific framework.
   
• Your personal suitability and motivation for the position, including enthusiasm, flexibility, curiosity, and a strong ability to collaborate as part of a larger research team.
   
• Previous research and interest in the above-mentioned themes, e.g. reward, stress, addiction, pain, opioids. Proven ability to work independently and efficiently on relevant research topics.

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

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, 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.

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

We hope you will apply for the position with us. 

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 good working 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 615 000, 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.

Application

Your application should include:

• Cover letter, stating motivations for this position and reflections on project implementation.
• A CV with full education, positions, academic experiences, and clinical experience if relevant.
• 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.

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

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 cannot, 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 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.