The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.  

The Department of Psychology has approximately 160 employees, and conducts extensive educational and research activities in collaboration with the surrounding society. The research that is conducted is assessed by international reviewers as very good and the search pressure on our education has been high for many years. See www.gu.se/psykologi for more information. University-wide information about what it means to be a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral pages: https://medarbetarportalen.gu.se/doktorand/  

Project description

We are looking for a doctoral student who will work on a project entitled: “Re-wiring the brain: examining the dynamics of rapid brain plasticity with high-resolution MRI”.  

Motor skill learning is a widely used model of skill learning, able to induce morphological modifications in the human brain. These include changes in circuit connectivity, synaptic strength, and neuronal excitability. The nature and timescale of these changes are still elusive, partly because of an incomplete understanding of the underlying circuitry in the human brain. Mounting evidence suggests that structural brain plasticity may manifest much faster than previously believed, and changes in the volume of grey matter may occur on a timescale of minutes.  

The announced PhD positionfocuses on using structural and functional MRI at 7 Tesla, to investigate the time-course, maintenance, and individual predictors of brain plasticity when learning a new motor task.  

Job assignments

As a doctoral student, you have a central role in designing, running and coordinating the research project. Your tasks include planning the tasks and the main study, carrying out data collection, as well as analyzing the data, writing scientific reports and articles as well as an overall responsibility for the administration of the project. You are expected to communicate scientific results orally as well as in written form. You will also read courses within the framework of the doctoral education. Very good knowledge of English (both spoken and written) is required. Basic knowledge of Swedish is a plus.  

Within the framework of your doctoral employment, you can have departmental service to the extent of a maximum of 20% of full-time distributed throughout the training period. Institutional service usually includes teaching at first level and advanced level.  

Eligibility

To be eligible for the position, the applicant must meet both general and specific entry requirements.

To meet basic eligibility requirements, the applicant must have:

• -completed a second-cycle degree
• -completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are in second-cycle courses
• -or have acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad  

To meet specific eligibility requirements, the applicant must have:

• -completed at least 90 higher education credits of first-cycle courses in psychology, in addition to
• -at least 60 higher education credits of second-cycle courses, of which at least 15 higher education credits are in scientific methods, as well as a thesis of at least 15 higher education credits, or knowledge equivalent to that listed above, acquired in another manner  

Assessment criteria

The applicant must be able to work independently, and have the ability to collaborate within a research group.. Great importance will be placed on personal suitability, ability to reason scientifically, and ability to write and understand scientific text Previous experience in research work, especially related to brain imaging and MRI, knowledge in statistics and programming, and experience in managing and analysing research data, is also meritorious for employment.  

Applicants who are shortlisted will be called to an interview. This will be carried out in English, in some cases via the Internet.  

Application

Please register your application electronically under ‘Apply online’. All applications should be written in English. For the application to be considered, it must include:  

• A cover letter of 1.000 words maximum (approx. 2 pages). Justify your application and why you are applying for this position, as well as summarize your skills. 

• CV including a list of publications (if applicable). If scientific work is attached where the applicant is not the sole author, the applicant must indicate his own contribution to the work).
• A copy of the applicant’s Master’s thesis. 

• Verified copies of academic transcripts and evidence of other relevant qualifications, if applicable.

Please note that you need to submit detailed academic transcripts that specify your finished courses, credits and degrees. If English is not the original language, you need to submit both the original and an English translation. For degree transcripts from universities within the EU, please provide a diploma supplement. Please note that you need to provide transcripts for your previous studies on both bachelors and masters level.  

• Applicants may be asked to provide recommendation letters later in the process. Please do not submit any recommendation letters before we contact you and explicitly ask you to do so. However, it might be a good idea to get in touch with two persons who may write a recommendation letter for you.  

It is up to the applicant to make sure that the application is complete. No changes or additions are allowed after the last date of application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.  All electronic documents must be submitted in PDF format.  

Closing date 16^th March 2024.  

Employment

After being admitted to the PhD programme, you will receive a doctoral employment (doktorandanställning) at the University of Gothenburg. Employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 5. The initial appointment may apply for no longer than one year. An appointment may be renewed for no more than two years at a time. A person may be appointed to a doctoral studentship for a total of eight years. The total employment period may, however, not exceed the time corresponding to full-time third-cycle study for four years.

Salaries for doctoral students are regulated in a local agreement at the University.  

Contact information

Gaia Olivo, assistant professor E-Mail: gaia.olivo@psy.gu.se Phone: +46 76 618 42 65 

Questions about the employment procedure can be directed to doctororal student officer Ann Backlund, ann.backlund@psy.gu.se 

Unions

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg: http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/union-representatives The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.  In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.  In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.

 

 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.