PhD student in psychology

Published: 2021-11-11

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 45,000 students, more than 7,000 employees and a turnover of around SEK 7 billion.

Applications are welcome for a fully funded 4-year PhD position at the Department of Psychology , Uppsala University, Sweden.  The PhD student position is embedded in the Cerebellum and Emotional Networks (CEN), a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network of leading universities from UK, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden and different industry/charity partners, funded by the European Research Council.

CEN will address the contribution of the cerebellum in the control of emotions, in particular fear and anxiety. The PhD projects within CEN span cellular, circuit, computational and neuroimaging approaches to study cerebellar contributions to emotional behaviors in health and disease. CEN offers the unique opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in an outstanding interdisciplinary and international training and research environment. You will benefit from close network interactions across the consortium, including joint meetings and laboratory internships. You will also get experience of private biotech companies, NGOs, rehabilitation clinics and national and international patient self-help groups to broaden your horizons. Marie Sklodowska-Curie PhD positions offer a highly competitive salary from an international perspective.

The PhD student will be working at the Department of Psychology, Uppsala Affective Neuroscience Group , with professor Tomas Furmark as the main supervisor. We employ neuroimaging research methods and make use of experimental designs to examine the pathophysiology of anxiety conditions, like social anxiety disorder, and neural treatment mechanisms.  Uppsala university, and Sweden in general, offers many opportunities for building an independent line of research. The supervisory team will be supportive and keen to maximize opportunities for your career development.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University

Duties: The PhD student will assist in patient recruitment, collect data on brain activations mainly with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and analyze a rich neuroimaging dataset. The purpose is to increase our understanding of the cerebellum, and its interactions with limbic brain regions, in the causes and cures of anxiety/affective disorders. While the PhD position is tied to Uppsala University, data collection may be conducted in Stockholm or at other sites, and several research visits are planned to collaborators at other research sites within CEN. Several possibilities for data collection and analyses are available; we try to take the particular strengths and interests of the PhD candidate into account when formulating the individual study plan.

For a description of the planned research activities (ESR14 and 15 which will be a conjoint collaboration between Uppsala university and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm) – see https://cenproject.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/phd-projects/

Requirements: To qualify for a doctoral position in Psychology at Uppsala University, the applicant must have a master´s degree either including or in addition a minimum of 90 Swedish study credits in psychology. Applicants who have obtained qualifications equivalent of or comparable to the criteria described above abroad are also eligible to apply.

For more information: https://psyk.uu.se/admissions/phd-studies/application/

Innovative Training Networks are limited to researchers (Early Stage Researchers; ESRs) who, at the time of recruitment by the host organization are in the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when the researcher obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctorate (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited), even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged.

Mobility rule: You must not have resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of your host organization (Sweden) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and procedures for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not counted.

Additional qualifications: Previous experience with neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI or PET), general computer programming, quantitative data analysis and statistical approaches relevant for brain imaging (e.g., SPM) is highly merited. Because the research involves contact with patients, clinical experience or past experience of clinical trials is also a merit. Due to the international and interdisciplinary nature of the research group, good collaborative and communication skills are essential, as well as excellent English writing skills.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines .

The application must be written in Swedish or English and consist of:

• An application for admission to postgraduate studies
• Attested degree certificate/s that confirms eligibility
• Record of completed courses included in your degree/s
• Contact information to academic references are desirable

Selection: The selection will be based on an assessment of the applicant’s aptitude for successful completion of graduate studies, made by the professors at the department.  https://psyk.uu.se/digitalAssets/499/c_499876-l_1-k_ny-antagningssprocedur-eng-version_final.pdf

About the employment: The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Placement: Uppsala. 

Starting date April 1st 2022 or as otherwise agreed.

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Tomas Furmark, phone: +46 18 4712153, e-mail: [email protected]

Please submit your application by December 15, 2021. UFV-PA 2021/4229.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden .  

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Placement: Department of Psychology

Type of employment: Full time , Temporary position longer than 6 months

Pay: Fixed salary

Number of positions: 1

Working hours: 100 %

Town: Uppsala

County: Uppsala län

Country: Sweden

Union representative: ST/TCO [email protected]
Seko Universitetsklubben [email protected]
Saco-rådet [email protected]

Number of reference: 2021/4229

Last application date: 2021-12-15

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