Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, Department of Mechanical, Electronics and Chemical Engineering

Oslo Metropolitan University is Norway's third largest university with almost 22,000 students and over 2,500 employees. We have campuses in central Oslo and at Romerike. OsloMet educates students and conducts research that contributes to the sustainability of the Norwegian welfare state and the metropolitan region.

The Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD) offers higher education and research and development (R&D) activities within technical subjects, arts and design. The Faculty has approximately 4.000 students and 400 staff members and is situated at Pilestredet Campus in downtown Oslo and at Kjeller Campus in Viken.


MSCA Fellow – Optical brain monitoring and its confounders 2020

Call for Expression of Interest for joint application under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship scheme

Faculty of Technology, Art and Design

The research will be conducted at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design Department of Mechanical, Electronics, and Chemical Engineering, Group of Biomedical Engineering and DIAMED research group.

We hereby invite top-class researchers of any nationality, at any stage in their career after having obtained a PhD degree, for the study of “Physiological confounders for optical monitoring of the brain activity” to apply for a EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Individual Fellowship (MSCA-IF-2020) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of 2 years.

Area of research

Functional Near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) enables the non-invasive measurement of spatiotemporal characteristics of brain function, which has received increasing attention in the recent years. Although advances in the NIRS techniques have had a major impact on our understanding of oxygenation and circulation of the brain, there are still many questions regarding the mechanisms behind these processes that have to be addressed. The research objective for this project involves experimentation on the effect of fNIRS with other physiological parameters as carbon dioxide, nitric oxide, cardiac output, heart rate viability, and respiration rate/volume. The project may result in developing new approaches for fNIRS methods as a neuroimaging technique in a combinational of other sensory schemes to speckle and understand the brain tissue activation.

With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite researchers to submit their resumé (including Track-Record) and a one-page project description, that will be the basis for selecting a maximum of two candidates with whom we will collaborate for developing competitive MSCA-IF proposals. In this first phase, the cooperation will be carried out remotely, with regular communication via email and Skype, and one physical meeting, if convenient. If applicants are successful in the funding application, the work place will be at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, OsloMet main campus, located in the center of Oslo.

Starting Date

The EU informs the results on the MSCA-IF applications in February 2021. The candidates must be assessed as in principle eligible for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship. Successful candidate(s) are expected to be available to start within the following two months and no later than summer 2021.

Tasks and responsibilities:

The successful candidate will primarily work on the Marie Curie funded project, but will be integrated at the NIRS lab and the department in general, by taking part in regular meetings and discussion groups, but will specifically be introduced with Profs Peyman Mirtaheri and Olga Korostynska’s national and international network. If agreed with the candidate, he/she may also be included in other ongoing projects or in proposal processes.

In agreement with the candidate, he/she may also be included in other ongoing projects and/or in proposal development processes in the research group.

Qualification requirements:

We are looking for applicants who have a minimum have a PhD in the cross-disciplinary environment involving medicine, physiology, electronics, and sensory schemes related to the physiological parameters. However, we are primarily looking for experienced researchers who wish to use this period as an opportunity to further develop their research, and to develop longer-term research collaborations with OsloMet and other institutions conducting research in the field. The candidates will be assessed as in principle must be eligible for a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship.

The following will be an advantage:

  • Excellent skills in performing physiological experiments, and good knowledge of fNIRS technology.
  • Knowledge of historical context and quality and availability of historical data in the field.
  • An excellent track record in research and publications, necessary for being able to develop a competitive Marie Curie Fellowship application
  • An open and cooperation oriented nature, but with strong abilities for independent academic work.

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods where you have not been in work, under education or in training, you are also welcome to apply.

Expert assessment

Interested candidates should upload their resume (incl. Track Record) and a one-page note describing the project for which a Marie Curie grant will be applied. Please note that applications without a one-page proposal will not be considered.

The candidate(s) selected to proceed with a full MSCA-IF application (due in September 2020) will be supported by Profs Peyman Mirtaheri and Olga Korostynka, and by the professional research administration staff at OsloMet. Originals must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet performs document inspections in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition. Proposals will be pre-selected based on internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. A maximum of six candidates will be invited for a skype interview, and a maximum of three candidates will be invited to submit a proposal to the EU funded MSCA-IF programme. Candidates will be informed of the results of the pre-selection by March 25th, 2020.

Selected candidates will be invited to meet the supervisor and visit the research environment at OsloMet to further develop the proposal organised by OsloMet in the first week of May 2020.

We can offer

Initially, we offer assistance in developing competitive Marie Curie Individual Fellowship proposals. Then, to successful applicants to the Marie Curie program, we offer;

  • An exciting opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
  • Participation in a dynamic professional environment and unique academic community
  • Flexible working conditions
  • An inclusive and friendly work environment
  • Unique academic network the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals within the scope of the Biomedical Engineering group and DIAMED research group.
  • Norwegian language classes to employees
  • On-boarding assistance and other services
  • Beneficial welfare schemes and a wide range of sports and cultural offers
  • Working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers

Practical information about relocation to OsloMet found here and living in Norway at EURAXESS Norway.

Remuneration

The competitive fellowship opportunities are 100% funded and include living and mobility allowances.

Other information

For more information about the position, feel free to contact:

If you wish to apply for the position we only accept electronic applications. Please use the "apply" button.

Deadline for applications: January 20th, 2020

Ref.: 19/13157

Type of employment Temporary position (shorter than 10 days)
Contract type Full time
First day of employment By April 1st, 2021 or by no later than summer 2021
Salary approx. 60 000 euros
Number of positions 2
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Oslo
County Oslo
Country Norway
Reference number 19/13157
Published 19.Dec.2019
Last application date 20.Jan.2020 11:59 PM CET

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