PhD position in Musculoskeletal Health and Registry-Based Research

Job description

Faculty of Health Science, The Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology (RHT) at the Faculty of Health Sciences (HV) has a vacancy for a three-year fixed-term post as a PhD candidate in the field of musculoskeletal health and idiopathic scoliosis, associated with the research project “Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis in a Life-course perspective: improving short- and long-term health outcomes (The AIS-Life project)”.

Field of research 

The research project aims to investigate the health and welfare of people with idiopathic scoliosis throughout the entire life course, including the transition from youth to adulthood. Registry data for the entire population of Norway from the period 2008 to 2024 will be used to analyse the use of health services, medicines and sickness absence. The source data include linked data from the primary and specialist health services – the Norwegian Control and Payment of Health Reimbursements Database (KUHR) and the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR), the Norwegian Prescription Database (“Reseptregisteret”), and the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration NAV. Prognostic factors for long-term effects on health and welfare will also be explored. The PhD candidate will be in charge of cleaning, linking and statistically analysing data from the various registries, and will be expected to write and publish at least three scientific articles during the fixed-term appointment that will be included in the doctoral thesis.

The project is affiliated with the Centre for Intelligent Musculoskeletal Health (CIM). The successful candidate will be employed at the Interaction, Development and Innovation Section at RHT, which consists of about 40 employees, the majority of whom are PhD candidates. This section works actively to foster an inclusive environment that promotes academic, professional and social networking.

As a PhD candidate at OsloMet, you will have the opportunity to apply for a grant for an extended research stay abroad.

The preferred start date is 1 November 2025, but the exact date can be agreed upon.

Required qualifications

• second degree level subject/master’s degree worth 120 ECTS in health sciences, kinesiology, or similar
• excellent working knowledge at master’s degree level of quantitative research methods and statistics
• experience with quantitative data analysis
• excellent written and spoken English
• in order to qualify for admission to PhD programmes at the Faculty of Health Sciences, applicants must have achieved a grade of B or better in their master’s thesis/second degree level subject dissertation and an average grade corresponding to B or better in their master’s degree. In exceptional cases, applicants with a grade of C may be considered. In such cases, importance will be attached to relevant experience from own research projects and/or scientific publications. There is more information about the criteria on the admissions website
• admission to the doctoral programme in health sciences is a prerequisite for the position
• the final plan for organized research training must be approved and agreed no later than three months after taking up the post

The general criteria for appointment as a PhD candidate are set out in the Regulations (Regulations to the Universities and University Colleges Act – Lovdata).

It would be advantageous for applicants to have

• a background in health sciences (e.g. medicine, physiotherapy, etc.) or epidemiology
• experience with analysis of data from national health registries or administrative registries
• interest in and motivation for research into musculoskeletal health, spinal disorders and/or use of registry-based methods
• knowledge of and clinical experience in treating patients with spinal disorders, ideally idiopathic scoliosis
• experience with data analysis using software such as Stata or R
• experience with processing and managing large data sets
• excellent academic writing skills

Personal characteristics

• excellent analytical skills and the ability to innovate
• excellent implementation skills
• ability to work independently and in a focused manner over time, on work that requires analytical and writing skills
• excellent communication and collaboration skills

Importance will be attached to personal suitability.

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population in the region, and we would like to invite all qualified applicants to apply. We are working actively to further develop as an inclusive workplace and will adapt the workplace as required. We also welcome applications from people who have had periods in which they were not in employment, education or training.

We offer

• an exciting educational post at Norway’s third-largest university
• access to further professional development in a creative academic and research environment
• participation in an active, interdisciplinary research community with regular meetings and a strong external network
• an evolving workplace
• excellent borrowing and pension arrangements with the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• excellent welfare schemes

The post is remunerated in accordance with the Norwegian State Salary Scale and OsloMet’s salary policy under code 1017 as a PhD candidate, with a starting salary of NOK 532,200 per annum.

The application process

If you would like to apply for this position, you must submit an electronic application. Start by clicking on the “Apply for position” button. All applicants will be assessed by a sorting committee at the Faculty.

You must upload the following documents before the application deadline: 

• your application, CV and copies of all pages of degree certificates, transcripts and diplomas
• education from abroad requires prior recognition, and the proof of recognition must be enclosed. Information can be found via this link: Recognition of foreign education
• personal statement
• second degree dissertation/master’s thesis
• any scientific works or links to full articles
• list of any publications or presentations at international seminars/conferences

We only process applications submitted via our electronic recruitment system, and all documents must be uploaded in order for your application to be processed. Documents must be submitted in English or a Scandinavian language. Any translations must be certified. Original versions must be presented if you are invited to attend an interview. OsloMet will verify documents to ensure that all candidates are subject to a proper evaluation and fair competition. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

The appointment process will adhere to the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Service Act (lovdata.no) and legislation governing the export of knowledge, technology and services. Background checks may be carried out in order to verify information provided in CVs and submitted documents. Background checks will not be carried out without the applicant’s consent, and relevant applicants will receive further information about the process.

OsloMet has endorsed the principles set out in the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), and the institution is committed to adhering to the recommendations therein.

Further information

If you would like further information about the position, please contact:

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Bjørnar Berg, tel. + 47 480 673 19
• Head of Section, Interaction, Development and Innovation (SUI), Ingrid Eitzen, tel. +47 907 09 965
• for administrative questions, Senior Adviser HR, Sana Jafri, email: sana.jafri@oslomet.no

Application deadline:    August 2025
Ref:                        25/05020