项目介绍

2026年7月9日

About the position

The Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science (INB) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) invites applications for a 3-year full-time (100%) PhD position.  

The successful candidate will be employed at the Norwegian Centre for Headache Research (NorHead). The position is funded by the Norwegian Centre on AI for Decisions (aiD), a research centre funded by the Research Council of Norway, in which NorHead is a key partner.  

NorHead is a Centre for Clinical Treatment Research (FKB), hosted by NTNU, that carries out world-leading research on headache disorders by systematizing and improving current treatment knowledge, to develop new and innovative therapies for the benefit of patients suffering from headache disorders. aiD is an interdisciplinary centre involving 3 academic institutions, 6 research organizations, and over 50 professional organizations (POs) that develop safe, trustworthy, and effective AI systems for complex decision-making in areas such as energy, healthcare, logistics, and industry. It is led by Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and SINTEF.  

PhD candidates will be part of an interdisciplinary research environment, working closely with other PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and senior researchers, both locally and abroad.  

For more information about NorHead, visit: https://www.ntnu.no/norhead/  

For more information about the aiD, visit: https://aid-centre.no/what-is-aid 

About the project

Migraine and primary headaches are among the most common, disabling and costly diseases worldwide. Current clinical practice still relies on heuristic, trial‑and‑error treatment choices, leading to high societal and economic burdens

This project will exploit NorHead’s nation‑wide, high-dimensional and multimodal research database (registry, health surveys, genomics, metabolomics, clinical trials, headache diaries, etc.) in order to create causal‑machine‑learning (causal ML) tools that predict the societal and economic impact of treatment decisions. The candidate will apply causal ML to estimate individualized and population-level treatment effects (ITE/CATE) on outcomes such as sick‑leave days, health‑care utilization, and productivity loss 

We are looking for a motivated PhD student who will be part of a methodologically strong, interdisciplinary and international research environment at NorHead. Our collaborators include leading research groups in Norway (NTNU, UiB), the UK, Denmark, and Spain – including the world-renowned High-Dimensional Neurology Group at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London. More aiD  partners include Equinor, Hydro, DNV, Kongsberg Maritime, Elkem and Statsbygg among others

Your immediate leader is Trine Aakvik Strand

Duties of the position

The main duties and responsibilities of the position are: 

• The successful candidate will join the NorHead research group and is expected to take initiative in shaping and advancing the project’s research activities
• Complete doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the outlined framework
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination 
• Participate in the research group’s weekly and/or monthly meetings 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences, workshops, and presentation opportunities

Required selection criteria

• The applicant must have a Master`s degree or an equivalent in medicine, data science, artificial intelligence, statistics, biostatistics, pharmacology/pharmacy, public health or epidemiology
• The applicant must demonstrate strong quantitative and analytical skills relevant to statistical or machine learning methods
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education 
• Meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Programme  
• Proficiency in both written and spoken English language skills 

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with, or documented ability to work with Nordic health registers or similar data sources is an advantage 
• Experience with machine learning analysis (cross-validation, hyperparameter tuning, etc.) and familiarity with causal ML models (e.g., meta-learners, graphical causal models) and frameworks (e.g., EconML and CausalML) is highly valued
• Experience in Python (scikit‑learn, pandas, PyTorch/TensorFlow) will be viewed positively

Personal characteristics

• Demonstrate curiosity and strong motivation for the position
• Able to work independently in a structured manner
• Shows strong collaboration and teamwork skills
• Maintain a constructive and steady performance under pressure or in the face of adversity
• Flexible and open to adjusting project plans as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities, and applicant’s suitability for the position will be an important part of the assessment

Organized research training (PhD program): 

The selected candidate will be required to enrol in the NTNU’s approved PhD programme, aiming to complete the degree within three years. Admission to the organized research training (PhD program) at the faculty of medicine is essential for this position. Application for admission to the PhD programme, including a project plan outline for the training plan, must be submitted no later than three months after the date of commencement. 

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”. 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position. 

We offer

• Exciting job with an important mission in society. 
• Open and inclusive working environment with close interaction among PhD candidates and senior researchers, both locally and internationally. 
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period. 
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits. 

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population’s collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse, and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals  

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability, and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time 

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality  

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 550 800,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.  

The employment period is 3 years.

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Medicine and Health Sciences within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding. 

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them. 

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis. 

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English.  

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request. 

The application must include:  

• A short motivation focused cover letter (maximum 1-2 pages)
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• CV
• Copy of Master’s thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master’s thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master’s degree must be presented before taking up the position
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work (up to 10 works) 
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees