PhD in Global Public Health and Primary Care

About the position

A position as Doctoral Research Fellowship in Global Public Health and Primary Care is available for a highly skilled and motivated candidate. You will be part of the research project "Reducing alcohol use among adolescents through a community-based, multi-component intervention: an implementation research approach" (link for the project and group of researchers). This project is funded by The Research Council of Norway and is, furthermore, a collaboration between Østfold University College and University of Bergen. You will have partial in-field work for a maximum of 180 days every year in Mozambique (Maputo) in cooperation with the Mozambique Institute of Health.

Project description

The development and implementation of interventions aimed at reducing alcohol use among adolescents are complex since drinking behaviors are influenced by risk factors from different levels, such as individual factors, parental and peer influence, and alcohol policies. In Mozambique, despite the higher risk of early onset of alcohol use by adolescents no study or program aiming to reduce or prevent alcohol consumption in this target group has been conducted thus far. The project aims to

• conduct a situational analysis of existing policies and interventions for the prevention and reduction of alcohol consumption among adolescents in Maputo City, current challenges and gaps that respond to local needs for the prevention and reduction of alcohol consumption among adolescents in Maputo City.
• adapting a multicomponent community intervention for the prevention and reduction of alcohol consumption among adolescents in Maputo City context derived from previous randomized trials conducted in Brazil (partner in the GACD calling).
• evaluating the feasibility of an implementation of a multicomponent community intervention for the prevention and reduction of alcohol consumption among adolescents.

Qualification requirements

The successful candidate is required to have

• completed a master's degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits according to Norwegian standard definitions) either in public health or biostatistics, or epidemiology, before the application deadline.
• been awarded a grade B or better for the Master thesis - in terms of the Norwegian grading scale
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and fluent oral and written communication skills in Portuguese, given that this project involves in-field data collection in Mozambique and qualitative data analysis of interviews from the project. For international candidates (outside of the EU/EEA area), approved TOEFL English proficiency test with min score 90 or IELTS test with min. score 7.5.
• At least one manuscript published in a peer review journal as a first or second author.

Desired Qualifications

We would like you to have

• an average grade point for courses included in the master's degree of B or better in the Norwegian grading scale.
• relevant work and/or academic experience (e.g., conducting interviews, cleaning and structuring data sets, design of experiments or surveys) from sub-Saharan Africa.
• notions about quantitative methods applied to health/psychology (e.g. univariate statistical analysis, epidemiological designs [cross-sectional design, cohort design, randomized controlled trial]).

Personal qualifications

The successful candidate has

• motivation and potential to deal with different stages from the research from in-field data collection to data analysis
• has good communication and collaboration skills and can join interdisciplinary academic communities and yearly attend GACD conference (costs covered by the project)
• experience from work on health policies and health policy research
• teaching experience from a higher learning institution
• experience with coordinating project teams in health area
• experience with stakeholder analysis and engagement
• interest in and ability to learn both statistical (e.g. Stata) and qualitative software programming (e.g. NVivo).

About the Research Fellowship

The Doctoral research fellowship is a full-time (100%) fixed-term position for three years funded by the Research Council of Norway.

You will be employed at the Faculty of Teacher Education and Languages, Østfold University College, which is located in Halden and has in total about 2700 students and 215 employees. The Faculty has three departments, and you will be associated with the Department of Education, ICT and Learning, where Professor Hugo Cogo Moreira is employed.

You are expected to apply for admission and be accepted to the Doctoral Programme at the University of Bergen, Faculty of Medicine (see https://www.uib.no/en/med/150691/admission-requirements-faculty-medicine#requirements-for-the-project-description)

Estimated decision on the appointment: 1 September 2024

You are expected to actively take part in inter- and multidisciplinary research activities relevant to the GACD group and disseminate research results from the project through high-quality scientific publications. From the University of Bergen, it is expected at the end of the PhD three publishable manuscripts where you will be the first author).

• Moreover, as part of the international initiative, you must participate in the in-field data collection (qualitative and quantitative designs) in Mozambique once per year for not more than 180 days. Research activities in Mozambique will have direct contact with the stakeholders (i.e. public policymakers, school principals, and parents), who are critical components under the project's perspective using implementation science as the primary approach. Interviews and focal groups will constitute in-field data collection; also, structured and validated questionnaires will be used to measure the impact of the intervention on alcohol consumption among youth. Therefore, Portuguese language skills are necessary and fundamental for the success of your exchange when in Mozambique. Air tickets to Mozambique-Norway, once per year, will be covered by the project.
• You must obtain by the University of Bergen as part of the PhD program, reporting the progress of the PhD work to the main supervisors: Prof. Hugo Cogo-Moreira (Østfold University College, principal investigator for the Norwegian arm of the project) and Prof. Ingvild Fossgard Sandøy https://www4.uib.no/finn-ansatte/Ingvild.Fossgard.Sand%C3%B8y (University of Bergen), the PhD host-supervisor. Also, at least once per year, a report of your progression and future plan activities must be submitted to Øyvind Gjems Fjeldbu (PhD) as the manager of PhD research fellows at the Faculty of Teacher Education and Languages at Østfold University College.

We offer

• a gross annual salary of minimum NOK 532 200,- and automatically development with a 3 % yearly increase during the period. In addition to taxes, a further 2% is deducted from the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• An exciting job opportunity at Østfold University College with an international mentorship embracing Norway and Mozambique (Institute of Health, under the collaboration of Dr. Palmira Fortunato Santos (https://cipsi.co.mz/en/speaker/palmira-fortunato-dos-santos-2/ )
• Beneficial pension arrangements with the Norwegian State Pension Fund.
• Good employee welfare arrangements.

The application must include the following:

• Please submit your application electronically via our recruitment system Jobbnorge.no. All attached documentation must be in a Scandinavian language or in English.
• A short (1-2 page) cover letter describing your motivation, suitability, relevant qualifications, and research interests for this position.
• The cover letter must also state your reasons for applying to the project and what makes you exceptionally qualified to carry out this PhD. Due to the GACD calling, applicants should indicate plans for capacity building within their project, especially, but not exclusively, for early career researchers and team members from lower-resourced environments, such as LMICs or Indigenous communities.

A brief high-level project proposal (maximum 6 pages, including references) for a PhD project according, where the candidate must state three research questions to generate three future publishable manuscripts.

Admission and appointment

Admission to the Doctoral Programme at the University of Bergen, Faculty of Medicine is a condition for appointment as a research fellow at Østfold University College.

The final plan for research training shall be approved and regulated by contract at the latest six months after the start date of your employment.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the State Employees law, the act relating to Universities and Universities Colleges and the national guidelines for appointment as a PhD student, a postdoctoral fellow or a research assistant.

Contact details

You are strongly encouraged to contact the main supervisor to discuss the position, relevant references, and the project.

• Main supervisor: Professor Hugo Cogo-Moreira, phone: +47 938 30 629, e-mail: hugo.c.moreira@hiof.no

For other information, please get in touch with:

• Vice-Dean of Research Øyvind Gjems Fjeldbu, e-mail: oyvind.g.fjeldbu@hiof.no
• Senior Advisor (HR) Birgitte Nyborg, e-mail: birgitte.nyborg@hiof.no

Other information

Østfold University College is committed to fostering a diverse and gender-balanced workforce. We seek employees with diverse skills, academic backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in applicants’ CVs, or applicants with immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these groups for an interview. In accordance with the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25, paragraph 2, information about the applicant may be disclosed even if the applicant has requested not to be included on the list of applicants. If you disclose that you have an immigrant background, disability, or gaps in your CV, this information, in anonymized form, may be used for statistical purposes.