lundi 22 février 2016

PhD Candidate in “Which specific brain projections are involved in natural reward?” at the Department of Psychology

Application deadline: 6. March 2016
Ref. no 2016/1692

The University of Tromsø, Faculty of Health Sciences, has a PhD position vacant (from 1/4/2016) for applicants who wish to obtain the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD)

The position is attached to the Department of Psychology and the research group Behavioral Neuroscience and Human Development. Project director and main advisor is associate professor Eelke Snoeren.

The appointment is for a period of three years.

The PhD position is for a fixed term, with the objective of completion of research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD Candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD programme, application form and regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) are available at the following address: https://en.uit.no/om/enhet/forsiden?p_dimension_id=88108

Further information about the position is available by contacting associate professor Eelke Snoeren, phone +47 7764 9215, e-mail: eelke.snoeren@uit.no.

The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on this page (www.jobbnorge.no).

The position’s affiliation
The Faculty of Health Sciences has approximately 800 staff members, 280 phd-students and 2500 students. The Faculty of Health Sciences is divided into seven departments. More than 70 staff members have their workplace at the Department of Psychology (IPS). The department consists of 7 research groups covering all major areas of psychology, including cognitive psychology, neuroscience, social, developmental and clinical psychology. IPS
provides education for psychology students at a Bachelor and Master-level as well as a specialized study program for clinical psychologists.

The Research group in Behavioral Neuroscience and Human Development is pursuing active research in topics within the field of neuroscience in both rats and humans. The main topics are sexual motivation (rats) and cognitive aging (humans). The group currently consists of 4 staff members, a technician and 3 PhD students.


The position’s field of research/research project and other duties
The PhD candidate will be part of the project “Which specific brain projections are involved in natural reward?”, a project investigating the brain mechanisms underlying sexual motivation and behavior in rats. One of the techniques used in the study is optogenetics. Eelke Snoeren will be the main supervisor.

The project encompasses a wide variety of methods and experience with the following techniques will count in favor of the applicant: working with live rats, observations and analysis of animal behavior, optogenetics, brain surgery, and immunohistochemistry. The possession of an ethical animal course certificate is considered another advantage.

Qualification requirements
The successful applicant must fulfil the requirements for admission to the faculty’s PhD programme, cf. Regulation for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway. In addition, he/she be able to document proficiency in English equivalent to Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification, refer to the website about PhD regulations at UiT.

This position requires a Master’s degree in any relevant field. Nevertheless, a degree within the areas of (behavioural) neuroscience, biomedical sciences or biology is highly desirable.

The candidate should have at least a professional working proficiency in English with strong communication skills, and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. 

Working conditions
The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years and the normal period of employment is three years. Shorter periods of employment may be approved if the PhD Candidate has already implemented parts of the PhD programme or when the appointment is based on previous appointments in fixed term positions (PhD Candidate, Research Assistant or the equivalent), such that the total time of the PhD programme is three years.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Candidate is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017 (or code 1378) (or both codes depending on qualifications). A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

Assessment
The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During this assessment process, emphasis will be attached to the applicant’s potential for research as shown by:
  • Master’s thesis or equivalent
  • any other academic works, and                                   
In addition, consideration may be given to work experience or other activities of significance for the implementation of the PhD studies. This includes experience from popularization and experience/education from other types of dissemination. Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.

The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will called to an interview. The interview shall among other things aim to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.

Application
The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on this page (www.jobbnorge.no).

The application must include:
  • Letter of application
  • CV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work)
  • copies of:
    • diploma and transcript from your Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
    • diploma and transcript from your Master’s degree or equivalent
    • diploma supplement for completed degrees
    • documentation of English language proficiency
  • List of works and description of these (see below). The list of works shall contain the following information:
    • author(s), the work’s title
    • for articles: the journal’s name and volume, the first and last page of the article, year of publication
    • for publications: publisher, printer, year of publication, number of pages
  • The works (published or unpublished) which the applicant wishes to be taken into consideration during the assessment process must be submitted
  • List of references with contact information.

All documentation that is to be evaluated must be certified and translated into English or a Scandinavian language.

Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.


Questions concerning the organisation of the working environment, such as the physical state of the place of employment, health service, possibility for flexible working hours, part time, etc. as well as questions about the PhD programme may be directed to the telephone reference in this announcement.

UiT has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background.

UiT is an IW (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise, and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

Personal data given in an application or CV will be processed in accordance with the Act relating to the processing of personal data (the Personal Data Act). In accordance with Section 25 subsection 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, the applicant may request not to be registered on the public list of applicants. However, the University may nevertheless decide that the name of the applicant will be made public. The applicant will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.