MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow 2024 – Intelligent Digital Twins for Migraine - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme – Call: MSCA-PF-2024

Hereby OsloMet invites interested researchers of any nationality, who have a PhD degree and a maximum of eight (8) years of research experience after having obtained the PhD degree, to apply for the EU-funded Marie Skłodowska Curie Action Postdoctoral Fellowship (call HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01) to conduct research at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University for a period of two years.

If successful in securing a MSCA grant, the candidate will be hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences at OsloMet. The Faculty of Health Sciences consists of four departments and the successful candidate will be affiliated with the Department of Life Sciences and Health. Department of Life Sciences and Health conducts high-impact research in diseases and treatment strategies, including developing artificial intelligence-based interventions for various pathological conditions. Translational cross-disciplinary research is well established in the Department of Life Sciences and Health with the inclusion of a diverse group of competent researchers with a focus from basic science (for example, biomedicine at the cellular molecular level) to clinical research. User involvement throughout research is a high priority. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this study, the candidate will also collaborate with partners from the Faculty of Technology, Art, and Design at OsloMet with their respective research groups. International and national collaboration will also be in place.

Area of research

This project focuses on developing and testing digital twins for personalized migraine care, aiming to optimize treatment and improve the overall quality of care for individuals affected by this prevalent and disabling neurological disorder. Digital twins, virtual models created through artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing, reflect an individual's unique health conditions, for example related to migraines. By continuously monitoring and analyzing real-time data from various sources (e.g. wearable sensors and patient records), the goal is to enable tailored healthcare strategies. This approach benefits both healthcare providers and patients, providing data-driven decisions and personalized treatment plans. The ultimate objective is to leverage technology for a comprehensive understanding of migraine conditions, leading to targeted and optimized treatment strategies.

Therefore, we seek interested and competent individuals who are willing to dedicate their time and effort to joining the engaged team for the realization of the potential construction and utility of digital twins for personalized migraine care. Construction of digital twins can be at different levels that are comprehensively presented in this article by Professor Parisa Gazerani https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10455577/. Candidates can review the possibilities and suggestions presented in the article, select one or two ideas, and suggest a project proposal based on this. Project proposals will be reviewed, and candidates invited to an interview. Selected candidates will have the opportunity to develop a full project proposal under the supervision of a multi-disciplinary team of experts led by the main supervisor Professor Parisa Gazerani. For more information on Professor Parisa Gazerani, see profile on Orcid https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0109-3600. 

With this call for Expression of Interest, we invite highly enthusiastic researchers to submit their application accompanied by a CV (including a publication list) 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-PF proposals. The cooperation for the proposal development will be carried out remotely, with regular online communication via email and virtual meeting platforms. Applicants who are successful in getting their proposals funded by the EU must relocate to work in the Department of Life Sciences and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, main campus OsloMet at the center of Oslo, Norway.

Starting Date of the fellowship

The EU shall inform the results of the MSCA-PF-2024 applications in February 2025. Successful applicants are expected to be available to start the fellowship project from within the two months following the announcement of results, preferably between 1. April 2025 and no later than 1. September 2025. 

Main duties of the position

The candidate will primarily work on the MSCA fellowship funded project, but will be integrated into the Department of Life Sciences and Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences in general, taking part in regular meetings and scientific discussions at OsloMet. The candidate will specifically be introduced with Professor Parisa Gazerani's national and international network of researchers. In agreement with the candidate, he/she would be included in other ongoing projects and/or in the development of grant application processes. 

Expected qualification of applicants 

We are primarily looking for young and competent 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 organizations conducting research in this field. The candidates must be eligible for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship: have a PhD successfully defended by the submission deadline (September 11th 2024), a maximum of eight (8) years of research experience after PhD, and not have worked/studied in Norway more than 12 months in the last three years.

We are looking for applicants who have

• PhD within health and technology, eg. health science, health technology, digital health, health data science, neuroscience, computational neuroscience, integrative neuroscience, neurophysiology or biomedical engineering.
• knowledge in neuroscience, in particular migraine is preferred 
• exceptional track record in research and publications
• commitment to developing a competitive MSCA-PF grant application
• an open and cooperation-oriented nature, with strong abilities for independent academic work
• highly proficient spoken and written English

Assessment and selection of candidates

The evaluation will be based on the qualification and project idea. Interested candidates must submit with their application the following documents:

• CV (including research track record and list of publications)
• A one-page description of the project idea for which a MSCA-PF grant will be applied (no predefined structure, excluding references)

Short-listed candidates will be invited for a virtual interview to select candidates that will be invited to develop the full MSCA-PF application with a deadline of September 11th 2024 under the main supervision of Professor Parisa Gazerani and with the support of the professional research administration staff at OsloMet. 

Under this call announcement, a maximum of five candidates will be interviewed and two candidates will be invited to write applications with the endorsement of OsloMet. Candidates will be informed of the results of the internal pre-selection and invitation to apply within the two weeks following the interview. 

Original documents about your qualifications 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 to ensure fair competition. Proposals will be pre-selected based on internal evaluation and the availability of suitable supervision. All documents that you hand into OsloMet, including your proposal idea, will be handled in full confidentiality and in strict compliance with GDPR regulations.

Selected candidates must participate in the virtual masterclass on MSCA-PF, a two-day workshop organized by OsloMet in March/April 2024 to provide applicants with detailed information and an explanation of the application template to complete their proposal in compliance with the EU Commission requirements.

The postdoctoral position

Successful applicants who obtain a MSCA-PF grant will be offered a position at OsloMet to be hired as postdoctoral researchers to implement their proposed research projects, in conditions as explained below.

We offer:

OsloMet assists in developing competitive MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals. Then, to successful applicants who are awarded the MSC-PF grant, we offer:

• flexible working conditions
• an inclusive and friendly work environment
• unique academic network with the possibility for the right candidate(s) to pursue his/her academic goals under the auspices of Professor Parisa Gazerani
• norwegian language classes
• onboarding assistance for relocation and other services

The position adheres to the Norwegian Government’s policy of the national labor force. It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population diversity, all qualified candidates from any nationality are welcome to apply. OsloMet is an IA (Inclusive Workplace) organization and operates in compliance with the Norwegian IA agreement. We make our active endeavor to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods in your career when you have not been working, under education or training, you are also eligible to apply. Questions may be directed to the contact persons (per below).

Remuneration:

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

• type of employment: Temporary position
• contract type: Full time
• annual Salary: Approx. EUR 70,000
• starting day of employment: (expected):  between 1 April – 1 Sept 2025
• number of positions: 1 – 2 
• working hours: 37.5 hours/week

OsloMet has implemented the Charter & Code for researchers and been granted the HR Excellence in Research (HRS4) by the EU Commission and is part of the EU network for mobility of Researchers EURAXESS. Practical information about relocation to OsloMet can be found here and at EURAXESS Norway. 

Contact 

• Parisa Gazerani, Professor, parisaga@oslomet.no
• Nina Ånensen, R&I staff, ninaanen@Oslomet.no 
• Sofie Rabo Carlsen, HR staff, soca@oslomet.no

Call closes on 15th of February 2024

Reference number: 23/10505