Postdoctoral Fellowship: Co-occurring pain and mental disorders in young adults and their impact on long-term outcomes - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Physiotherapy and The Center of Intelligent Musculoskeletal Health (CIM) have a vacancy for a Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Postdoctoral fellowship will be offered for a period of three years, in a 100% position, and will be available from 15th of September 2021.

The Center of Intelligent Musculoskeletal Health (CIM) was recently approved as one of five excellent academic environments at OsloMet. The CIM will represent an ecosystem for user representatives, higher education scholars and researchers across specialties; in the Musculoskeletal research group, at OsloMet Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, and national and international research partners.  

Researchers affiliated with the CIM conduct high-quality research on musculoskeletal health in a life course perspective, embracing adolescents, young adults, adults, and older people. Among the central goals of the CIM is to bring together experts in technological science, health science and social science to conduct epidemiological and intervention research using advanced methods, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. The CIM staff aims to develop, evaluate, and implement effective innovative and practical solutions to improve the musculoskeletal health of individuals and the population. The CIM research activities intersect three core areas: 

• Epidemiology and Clinical Research
• Intelligent Health and Innovation
• Implementation and Dissemination  

The Postdoc-fellow will be expected to participate actively in collaboration with CIM-researchers, as well as with internal and external research partners.

Area of research 

The Global Burden of Disease Study recently listed musculoskeletal pain and mental disorders among the top ten causes of years lived with disability. Early onset of musculoskeletal pain and mental disorders in adolescence may develop into recurrent problems and chronicity, affecting most of the lifespan for many people. Co-occurrence of persistent pain and mental disorders among patients with chronic pain conditions range

between 6 and 28.6% for affective disorders and between 2.3 and 35.1% for anxiety disorders. Studies of adolescents in USA have shown that those with chronic pain and depressive symptoms fare worse in terms of school functioning (absence, grades, perceived academic competence) and educational attainment. Thus, these co-occurring conditions have severe long-term impact on health, quality of life and social inclusion. The scope of this postdoc fellowship will be to investigate how co-occurring pain and mental disorders in young adults impact future outcomes with relevance for labour market participation, health care trajectories and societal costs (disability benefit, health care use, medication use, costs).

Large population-based survey data and different registries will be used as data material. Norway has multiple nationwide health registries with possibility for linkage between registries, and integration of data from different registries can pave the way for powerful research in terms of validity and statistical power. 

The Postdoc-project is expected to encompass scientific investigations reported in at least three scientific papers of which the Postdoc fellow is the first author. For further details required in the proposal, please contact the supervisor vice dean of education Kåre Rønn Richardsen.

Qualification requirements 

We are looking for candidates that must:  

• by the time of appointment, have completed a Ph.D. in medicine or health science
• have good knowledge of statistical methods
• have documented knowledge/experience in the field of musculoskeletal health research
• have experience from epidemiological analyses of large survey or registry data
• authored scientific articles
• be proficient in written and spoken English 

o   applicants whose first language is not English must document their language skills by means of an official test (does not apply to applicants from the Nordic countries). The following tests are considered valid documentation: TOEFL, IELTS (academic version), Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Your test results must, as a minimum, be:
o TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (internet test)
o IELTS: 6.5, where no part has a score lower than 5.5
o CAE/CPE: Grade A or B

Conditions

When applying for the postdoctoral position, the applicant must submit a project description based on an overall protocol for the initial project in pillar one of CIM. The length of the project description is set to five pages. The proposal must also contain a progress plan that confirms that it is possible to finish the project within the employment period of three years.

Contact Kåre Rønn Richardsen or Sofie Rabo Carlsen to get the overall protocol for the initial project.

Desired personal skills

• an ability to work interdisciplinary and independently
• good communication skills in public dissemination of research
• ability to work systematically and under pressure
• ability to finish tasks
• motivation for contribution in the field of research

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

Expert evaluation 

Applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. All applications will be reviewed by The faculty of health science before the application papers are forwarded to the expert committee. Applications from applicants who are not qualified, will not be forwarded for assessment. When assessing and ranking the qualified applicants, emphasis will be placed on 

• the presented project, including a progress plan
• past scientific work
• experience from previous research activities and participation in research projects 

Application 

In order to be considered for the position you must upload the following documents together with your online application by the final date for the application: 

• Cover letter, stating your reasons for applying and provide reasons for why you are particularly qualified for this Postdoc fellowship position.
• Project description, including a progress plan
• CV
• All pages of all certificates/diplomas. The certificates/diplomas should include ECTS grades (A–F). Please note that a description of your country’s/university’s grading system must be included with the transcripts. This must be an official document with the seal of the university. Foreign diplomas must be translated into English by the degree-conferring institution. Education from outside Norway should be recognised in advance by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), and an authorized copy of the letter of recognition should be enclosed.
• Ph.D. title and publications within the thesis
• List of other publications
• Applicants from countries where English is not the first language must present an official language test report (does not apply to applicants from the Nordic countries). The following tests are considered valid documentation: TOEFL, IELTS (academic version), Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). 
• Preferably the names and contact details of at least two references  

If you wish to apply for the position, please apply electronically by clicking the button. We only consider applications submitted through our electronic recruitment system, and all documents must be uploaded in order for your application to be considered. The documents must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be government authorised, and you may be asked to present originals if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet checks documents in order to give candidates a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

We can offer you 

• An exciting job opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
• Opportunity to be a part of a dynamic professional environment and unique academic network
• Participation in an active research group with regular meetings and a good external network
• Beneficial pension arrangements with the Norwegian State Pension Fund.
• Good employee welfare arrangements and a wide range of sports and cultural offers
• Working location in downtown Oslo with multiple cultural offers
• An inclusive and friendly work environment
• Norwegian language course
• On-boarding assistance and other services 

The website Living and working in Oslo gives information on living and working in Oslo. 

Remuneration 

The salary for the position is in accordance with the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, Postdoc 1352. State salary wage scale 60-74, 535 200-694 400 NOK per year. A higher salary may be considered for particularly well qualified applicants. By law 2% of the salary is deducted as to the Norwegian State Pension Fund. 

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) your name may be published on the public applicant list even if you have requested non-disclosure. You will in this case be contacted before your name is published. 

In order to apply for the position, please apply electronically by clicking the button at the bottom of the page. 

Further information

For more information about the position, please contact:

• Associate Professor and PI of pillar one in CIM, Kåre Rønn Richardsen, +4767236626, kare-ronn.richardsen@oslomet.no
• for questions of an administrative nature, contact Sofie Rabo Carlsen, soca@oslomet.no

Deadline for applications: 20st of June 2021 
Ref: 21/04641