PhD position in Sports Performance

The Position

The position
The Department of Physical Performance at NIH offers a three-year PhD fellowship from September 2024. The fellowship is offered in Sports Performance in a specific project with the title:

Trends and Relationships between Physical Tests and Sports Performance Among Norwegian Athletes

The Norwegian Olympic Center (“Olympiatoppen”) has a large test database of Norway's elite athletes since 1988, covering VO2max, lactate profiles, strength (1RM), sprints, jumps, and DXA (body composition measurements).

This project aims to analyze historical test data to determine the impact of physical tests on sports performance, evaluated by rankings and medals, across different sports for both female and male athletes. It seeks to track the progression of physical capacity over time, examining trends at the group level, between sexes, and in individual athletes through repeated measures.

This research will require substantial data processing and will employ artificial intelligence methods, notably machine learning, anticipated to play a significant role in advancing sports science and performance. Applications could include training planning, identifying factors limiting performance, and injury prevention.

The predefined project will be under the supervision of Gøran Paulsen. The candidate will also collaborate closely with staff at the Department of Physical Performance at NIH, the Norwegian Olympic Center, and OsloMet.

The successful candidate will be requested to formally apply for enrolment as a PhD student at NIH. Employment as a PhD fellow will be conditional on successful enrolment in the PhD program.

Job Description

Your main tasks as a PhD student at NIH are to:

• Complete an independent research project under supervision.
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent educational activities corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Actively participate in research environments, including collaboration with fellow researchers.
• Dissemination of results from your PhD project, both at international conferences and in scientific journals.
• Write a PhD thesis based on your project.
• Optional: The candidate may gain teaching experience, depending on the department's teaching needs and the candidate's competencies.

Required Qualifications

• The applicant must be eligible for admission to the doctoral program at NIH: Ph.d.-program - Norwegian School of Sprt Sciences (nih.no). This means that the applicant must have completed and passed a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS) in sports science or have other education at the same level with sports/exercise in the subject area.
• The applicant must have achieved a minimum average grade of B or better in the master's degree to qualify for admission to the doctoral program. It is the applicants’ responsibility to document and transform the grade to the Norwegian standards if needed.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Competence in the Norwegian language is needed or must be acquired.

Applicants will be evaluated and selected based on an overall assessment of the following qualification requirements and desired experience:

Selection criteria

• The successful candidate will have a solid technological, natural science, sport science and sports practical background.
• The candidate must demonstrate competence in conducting independent research within the area of sports sciences combined with competence in data processing and coding.
• The candidate is expected to have experience with and understand the societal implications of collaboration between academia and elite sports environments.
• Quality of the master's thesis and the relevance of the master's thesis to the planned project, both academically and methodologically.
• Experience in human studies and experience in scientific writing, i.e. publications in scientific peer reviewed journals, are considered an advantage.
• Good collaboration skills, communication skills, and ability to be solution oriented.

The purpose of the educational position is for the candidate to obtain a doctorate during the scholarship period. Admission to the doctoral program is therefore a condition for employment as a research fellow. It is a prerequisite that the candidate can complete the project during the scholarship period.

It is a prerequisite that the candidate submits a project description and application for admission to the doctoral program no later than 6 weeks from employment. The final plan for the project and research training must be approved and agreed no later than three months after employment.

Working Conditions

• The starting salary is NOK 532 200, - per annum before tax. Position code is SKO 1017, "stipendiat".
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Attractive welfare benefits
• Working place will be at the Department of Physical Performance at NIH.
• The position is available for a three-year period, with possibilities for a prolongation if teaching is undertaken.

How to apply

The application must be submitted in English and must include the following:

• A cover letter stating your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project (max. one page)
• Full CV
• Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc including grade transcripts)
• Other information to consider: Publications, if any and relevant references and recommendations

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Please note that all documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language. International applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their university’s grading system.

International applicants, or applicants who hold an international degree, are advised to apply the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills for recognition of education from abroad: https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/education-from-outside-of-norway/recognition-of-foreign-higher-education-bachelor-master-and-phd

The further process

After the application deadline expires, an expert committee is appointed to assess the selected applicants.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the applicant's academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project.

Selected applicants are called for interviews, and a final decision is expected late August.

The applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

Formal regulations

Please see the rules and regulations for appointments to Ph.D. Research fellowships at NIH.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

NIH personnel and recruitment policy aims at taking into account the diversity of the Norwegian population to the greatest possible extent.

NIH explicitly aims to achieve age and gender balance and recruit competent applicants from minority backgrounds. Women and individuals from minority backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background are encouraged to apply.

Contact information

• Supervisor, Professor Gøran Paulsen, goranp@nih.no
• Head of Department, Klavs Madsen, klavsm@nih.no
• Contact administration: Elisabeth Olsen (HR-department), elisabethol@nih.no