Postdoctoral fellowship - Effects of the interdisciplinary subject “Health and life skills”, a naturalistic experiment using registry data

Job description

A 3-4 year Postdoctoral fellowship in psychology is available at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo.

The Postdoctoral fellow will be working in a team to evaluate consequences of the interdisciplinary topic "Health and Life Skills" in Norwegian schools. The project will use information from national registries, school and student surveys, and the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) to investigate changes in pupils’ mental health, quality of life, socioemotional school environment, school performance, and attendance from before till after the interdisciplinary topic “Health and life skills” was implemented in Norwegian schools.

The position will offer opportunities to develop high-quality research competence, and to work with leading experts in the field. The fellow is expected to develop strong skills in advanced statistical methods and finalize three articles within the project period. Professor Egil Nygaard leads the project in collaboration with researchers at the PROMENTA Research Center, Faculty of Educational Sciences (UiO) and Institute of Education and Lifelong Learning (NTNU).

PROMENTA carries out interdisciplinary research on mental health and well-being in a holistic perspective – from genetics and biology to local communities and policy. We are concerned with examining determinants of good and poor mental health, understanding how social inequalities emerge, and designing and evaluating effective interventions to promote well-being. 

We strive to provide our candidates with opportunities to develop high-quality research competence, across disciplines, working alongside leading experts in our fields. While working for us, you will be part of a dynamic and interdisciplinary work environment, with ample opportunities for scientific and social input throughout the academic year. 

The PROMENTA Research Center with more than 50 scientific staff is funded by the Research Council of Norway, and hosted by the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo (UiO).

 Read more about working at PROMENTA.

More about the position

The Postdoctoral position is linked to the project “Effects of the interdisciplinary subject Health and life skills, a naturalistic experiment using registry data” funded by a grant from the Norwegian Research Council.

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of three years. A fourth year can be considered with the addition of 25 % teaching duties, usually in the form of teaching activities, depending on the competence of the applicant and the needs of the department. The fellowship is planned to start January 1st 2023.

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

For more information about the position and for a detailed project description, please contact Prof. Egil Nygaard (email: egilny@psykologi.uio.no, phone: +47-41291922).

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in relevant fields such as education, psychology, sociology, other social science disciplines or related fields. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis.
• Long-term potential for high-quality research.
• Excellent English skills, both spoken, reading and in writing, are required.

Preferable qualifications

• Experience with subjects related to research on promotion and prevention of mental health, quality of life, socioemotional school environment, school performance and attendance.
• Experience with methods used in the present project, e.g., longitudinal data analysis, multilevel analysis, structural equation modelling, or use of registry and large cohort data.
• Experience with software such as R, Stata, Mplus or SPSS.
• Teaching experience.
• Excellent Norwegian skills, both spoken, reading and in writing.
• Personal suitability, motivation and willingness to collaborate with academics from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently.
• Creative thinking and analytic abilities.
• Efficient work structure.
• Enthusiasm for the topic.
• Ambition for high-quality research within the project, as evidenced by the publication list and the required letter of application, explaining the motivation for applying and how own qualifications are suitable for the announced position.

We offer

• Salary NOK 563 900 - 650 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352).
• A professionally stimulating work environment and collaboration with a newly established research center (PROMENTA) at the Department of Psychology.
• Opportunities for extensive collaboration with our collaborators.
• Attractive pension and social welfare benefits.
• Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities.

How to apply

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest and how own qualifications match the announced position), max. 3 pages.
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity) and a complete list of publications.
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only) including a confirmation of submitted thesis
• Copies of thesis/publications/academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee.
• Names and contact details of two-three references (name, relation, e-mail, and phone number).

The application with attachments must be submitted through our electronic recruiting system. Foreign 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. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged, where the applicants’ personal suitability, motivation and cooperation skills will be emphasized.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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.

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.

Contact information

Prof. Egil Nygaard, phone: +47-41291922, email: egilny@psykologi.uio.no

HR advisor Linn Berg Salvesen email: l.b.salvesen@psykologi.uio.no