Open PhD position in the MCSA Doctoral network “VoCS – Voice Communication Sciences”

Job description

Applications are invited for a 3-year position as a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. The expected start date is around August/September 2025. The position is part of the HORIZON Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Network “Voice Communication Sciences” (VoCS. The fellowship is devoted to carrying out the DC1 (DC=Doctoral Candidate) "Neural processing of scream calls and rough sounds".

The research fellow will be enrolled in the PhD program at the Department of Psychology at the Faculty for Social Sciences and is expected to complete the project within the three-year period. The candidate is responsible for applying for admission to the PhD program within given deadlines The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The recruitment process for all Doctoral candidates in the MSCA-DN-2024 VoCS follows a common recruitment strategy, which is based on the European Commission’s Code of Conduct of Recruitment.

Job offer description

• The PhD project will determine the neural mechanisms for processing affective nonverbal voice signals with different valences in humans and dogs to understand the capability of the mammalian brain to differentiate between different scream calls. 
• Main supervisor: Prof. Sascha Frühholz
• Planned secondments and research visits: Prof. Attila Andics (Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary), Prof. Kasia Pisanski (Jean Monnet University, France), Dr. Dorothea Wendt (Eriksholm Research Center, Denmark)

Qualification requirements

• Background: Applicants must hold a Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or an equivalent qualification in Psychology, Biology, Cognitive or Computational Neuroscience, or a related field minimum grade B (ECTS grading scale) or equivalent. Candidates with an average grade of C in their master's degree may be considered individually upon application.
• Degree: At the date of the recruitment, candidates must be in possession of a Master’s degree in a relevant field and should not have been already awarded a doctoral degree. Applicants must have submitted their master’s or equivalent thesis, and the thesis has to be approved as successfully passed at the time of the application. The diploma/certificate must be forwarded as soon as it is received. 
• Mobility: Recruited researchers can be of any nationality but must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organization (Norway) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.
• Skills and expertise: 
  • Previous training in brain imaging and biosignal analysis is required (e.g. fMRI, EEG, fNIRS data)
  • Previous experiences especially with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is required in terms of fMRI data acquisition and analysis
  • Experience with statistical analysis and programming in at least one of the following languages is required: Matlab, R, Python
  • Excellent communication and collaborative skills (team player) is required
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English 

Preferable additional qualifications

• The candidate’s prior work already relates to research activities of the lab in the fields of auditory neuroscience, affective neuroscience, and/or cognitive neuroscience
• Experience with cross-species research (humans, primates, mammalians) is a preferable skill
• Previous experience with the analysis of multimodal brain imaging data is an advantage
• Previous experience with the analysis of animal and human vocalizations is preferred

Candidates who are creative, motivated, and organized will be preferred

Personal skills

All of the qualifications listed above are assessed based on the documentation submitted. In addition, the following soft and personal skills are assessed during the interview:

• High motivation for doing a PhD in a MSCA Doctoral network, and specifically in the VoCS network
• Flexibility and team-mindedness

We offer

• Doctoral candidates will be part of an international and interdisciplinary network.
• Recruited researchers will benefit from training modules, transferable skills courses, secondments, and participation in workshops and conferences.
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with rich cultural and outdoor opportunities.
• Personal research funds according to set rates at PSI
• Financial package: 
  • PhD salary funding for 36 months (NOK 536 200-579 400 per annum, depending on qualifications). The salary includes living allowance of EUR 3400 (gross amount, subject to a country correction coefficient, which adjusts the salary based on the cost of living in the host country. The final amount may vary depending on the location of the host institution) and mobility allowance EUR 600. 
  • Family allowance (EUR 660) is applicable under these conditions: "Family" means persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognized by the legislation of the country where this relationship was formalized) or dependent children who are actually maintained by the researcher

How to apply

The applicant must submit the following items:

• Letter of motivation
• Project proposal describing how the candidate would approach the given PhD research topic
• CV (summarizing education, positions, and academic work)
• Complete list of publications and academic works
• Proof of language proficiencies
• List of two reference persons to be contacted by the selection committee (name, relation to candidate, e-mail address and phone number)
• Copy of MA degree diploma(s) and academic transcripts

Applicants may be asked to submit their Master's thesis or further information later

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system Jobbnorge, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In addition candidates are required to submit their application via the VoCS application form: https://www.vocs.eu.com/index.php/vocs-application-form/

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

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.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

Professor Sascha Frühholz, e-mail: sascha.fruhholz@psykologi.uio.no 

For questions regarding the electronic application: HR officer Dordi Stavik, e-mail: : dordi.stavik@psykologi.uio.no