Postdoctoral Fellowship: Long-term Outcomes Among Young Adults with Pain and Mental Health Issues - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Center for Musculoskeletal Health (CIM) at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Health Technology has a vacant temporary postdoctoral position available. The position is full-time for a duration of two years and employment agreements must be entered into before August 2024.

CIM has recently been granted the status as one of the five excellent academic research environments at OsloMet. One primary goal for CIM is to establish a common arena for experts from various scientific fields within health technology and social sciences, to utilize advanced methods including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning methods in high-quality research on musculoskeletal health from a life course perspective. CIM represents an ecosystem of user representatives, researchers, and educators across disciplines. Researchers from the Musculoskeletal Health research group, the AI laboratory at the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Design, as well as national and international partners, participate in CIM.

CIM aims to develop, evaluate, and implement effective, innovative, and practical solutions to improve musculoskeletal health for individuals and society. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to actively participate in CIM's daily activities and meetings and maintain regular physical presence at OsloMet.

Area of research

The Global Burden of Disease Study has shown for many years that musculoskeletal pain and mental disorders rank among the top 10 diseases with the highest burden of illness. Early onset of musculoskeletal pain and mild mental disorders in youth can develop into more recurrent and chronic issues that individuals may struggle with throughout their lifetime. Studies of youth in the USA have shown that those with chronic pain and symptoms of depression have a higher risk of dropping out of school/education. These comorbid conditions also have significant consequences for health, quality of life, and social aspects of young people's lives.

The postdoctoral project is part of the project "Co-occurrent Pain and Psyhological Distress: From Adolescence to Adulthood" (REK application number: 265585). In this postdoctoral project, the goal is to conduct research within two main areas related to individuals with pain and mental health issues during adolescence and early adulthood:

1. Investigate how pain and mental distress in adolescence and early adulthood are associated with long-term development for labor market participation and income level, and the risk of receiving sickness benefits and disability pensions.
2. Examine how pain and mental distress in adolescence and early adulthood are associated with different long-term trajectories for the use of primary and specialist health services, and concurrently calculate the economic costs associated with the use of health services.

Large population-based data (Young-HUNT) linked to various national registers (health registers and register data from Statistics Norway) constitute the data material for the project. The postdoctoral project is expected to result in at least two published articles in peer-reviewed journals where the post doctor is the first author.

Qualification Requirements

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• Completed a Ph.D. in medicine or health science by the time of employment
• Experience from epidemiological and statistical analyses of large datasets or register data, preferably related to musculoskeletal health or mental health
• Published scientific articles in international journals
• Good written and oral communication skills in English

Applicants who are not native English speakers must document their language skills using an official language test (not applicable for applicants from Nordic countries). The following tests are considered valid documentation:

• TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (internet-based test).
• IELTS: 6.5, with no part scored lower than 5.5.
• CAE/CPE: Grade B or A.

General criteria for employment in a fixed-term postdoctoral position are available in the Regulation on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellows, research fellows, scientific assistants, and specialist candidates.

Conditions

When applying for the position, you must attach a project description for the qualifying work based on the overall project protocol for the original project.

The project description should cover points below for one article for each of the main areas described under "Research Area for the Postdoctoral Project":

• Research hypotheses and questions
• Overview of variables from Young-HUNT and linked registers to be included in the analysis
• Specify which statistical methods will be used to analyze the data
• Software and tools: describe the tools that will be used for the analysis (in the project, you have access to SPSS, STATA, R, Python)
• Ethical considerations: address any ethical issues related to data handling and reporting
• Result Management and Reporting: describe how the results will be presented and interpreted, including plans for tables, figures, and model summaries

The project description must also contain a timeline for the postdoctoral period and must be no more than 5 pages long.

Desired personal skills

• Ability to work interdisciplinary and independently
• Good communication skills in public dissemination of research
• Ability to work systematically and under pressure
• Ability to complete tasks
• Motivation to contribute to the research field

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population in our region, and we welcome all qualified applicants. We are actively working to continue developing as an inclusive workplace and to accommodate the workplace if you need it. If you have periods in your life where you have not been in work, education, or training, you are also welcome to apply with us.

Application Process and expert evaluation

If you wish to apply for the position, you must apply electronically by using the "apply for the position" button. As an applicant, you will be evaluated by an expert committee. Before the submission of application papers to the expert committee, all applications will be reviewed by the faculty. Applications from non-qualified applicants will not be forwarded for assessment.

By the application deadline, you must upload the following documents:

• Cover letter with a rationale for your application and why you are qualified for the position
• CV
• Copies of diplomas, transcript of records, and certificates. Note that foreign education should be pre-approved, and a letter of approval should be attached. For more information about this, see NOKUT's website
• Project description with a timeline (maximum five A4 pages)
• Complete list of publications
• Upload up to 10 scientific works or link to full-text articles that you consider most relevant for this project, including Ph.D. thesis
• Applicants who do not have English as their native language must document their language proficiency using an official language test (not applicable for applicants from Nordic countries)
• Names and contact information for two references

We process applications sent via our electronic recruitment system, exclusively, and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be processed. Documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language. Translations must be authorized. You must present originals at a possible interview. OsloMet conducts document verification so that you as a candidate can receive a real evaluation and fair competition. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The employment is carried out according to the principles in the Civil Service Act (lovdata.no) and laws regulating the export of knowledge, technology, and services. Background checks may be carried out to verify information provided in the CV and available documents. Background checks are not conducted without the consent of the applicant, and relevant applicants will receive more detailed information about this. OsloMet has adhered to the principles of the DORA declaration and committed the institution to follow the recommendations in it.

We can offer you

• An exciting job opportunity at Norway's third largest and most urban university
• Opportunity for professional development in a large and inspiring academic and research environment
• Participation in an active research group with regular meetings and a good external network
• A workplace in development
• Good pension conditions in the Government Pension Fund
• Good welfare arrangements
• Norwegian language course
• On-boarding assistance and other services

Employee benefits and information about relocating to Norway at the website Work for us.

The salary for the position is in accordance with the pay scale for Norwegian state employees, Postdoc 1352. State salary wage scale 60-74, i.e., NOK 584,500-745,000 per year. From the salary, 2% will be deducted in pension contributions for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK). A higher salary may be considered for particularly well qualified applicants.

Further information

• If you want more information about CIM or the position including overall project protocol and data information, you can contact Associate Professor Kåre Rønn Richardsen at kare-ronn.richardsen@oslomet.no.
• For questions of an administrative nature, contact Sofie Rabo Carlsen at soca@oslomet.no.

Deadline for application: 14 th of April 2024

Ref: 24/09037