项目介绍

2026年4月23日

PhD position

The Faculty of Medicine, Department of  Clinical Science (K2), is offering a full-time PhD-position for a duration of three (3) years.

The position is part of the projects “Genetic Foundations of Appetite and Obesity in Early Life” and “Identification of factors affecting early growth to reveal biological mechanisms that may be targeted to prevent later obesity and diabetes” at the Mohn Research Center for Diabetes Precision Medicine (PRECISE-DIA)”, funded by the University of Bergen.

About the project

Childhood obesity is a growing global health concern, with strong evidence pointing to genetic predisposition as a key factor in individual susceptibility to an increasingly obesogenic environment. Our team aims to uncover the genetic architecture underlying weight gain, appetite, and satiety regulation from infancy through adolescence and use this knowledge to understand the life-long impact of these early-life factors on metabolic health and diabetes. 

The candidate will be given the opportunity to work with data from the uniquely rich Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) with detailed information from genomics, phenotypic, and questionnaire-derived data from approximately hundred thousand pregnancies (fhi.no/en/ch/studies/moba). The parents and their children in MoBa have been followed since their inclusion in the study (recruitment between 1999 to 2008) 

offering unique opportunities to study the life-course of disease and health development across two generations. These results will be combined with data from international collaborations with a broad ethnic representation to enable the discovery of both common and rare genetic variants influencing early-life body composition, eating behaviour across the life-course, and life-time health.

The project will be performed at the Mohn Research Center for Diabetes Precision Medicine (PRECISE-DIA) (uib.no/en/diabetes) located at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway. 

The candidate will work in a cross-disciplinary (medicine, genetics, statistics, epidemiology, cell biology, informatics) and highly internationally oriented team. We have a strong focus on the personal development of the candidate and will provide guidance and training both within the core team and through formalized co-supervision from international collaborators. The candidate will be given the opportunity to conduct research exchanges abroad. 

Work tasks

Areas of work will include to

• Identify early-life-trajectories (both genetic and non-genetic factors) that characterize both healthy and unhealthy weight- and life development.
• Study the impact of both rare (NGS-data) and common variation (GWAS) on growth development and eating behaviour
• Participate in international collaborative work on early life genetics
• Identify genetic effects that have different properties when inherited from the mother compared to the father – so called parent-of-origin effects.
• Participate in cross-disciplinary research work in the team and centre
• Conduct research exchange abroad

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• The applicant must possess a Master`s degree or an equivalent in the field of molecular genetics, medicine, genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics, medical data science, or bioinformatics. 

The applicants must also provide an accompanying text where they describe their research interest and motivation for the project. Here they must:

• Demonstrate a strong interest in the project and analysis of large amounts of data
• Demonstrate strong motivation for the project 
• Demonstrate the ability to work independently and in a structured manner, while also being able to, and interested in, collaboration with others
• Exhibit both the ability and motivation to undertake a PhD project.
• Be fluent in both oral and written English, see documentation requirements for further details.

Will be considered as positive

• experience from relevant research projects
• experience from analyzing large omics data
• be proficient in informatics 
• experience from international collaboration

The applicant’s personal suitability for the position is a significant factor in the evaluation.

About the PhD position

Applicants whose educational qualifications are from countries other than Norway must provide a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original documents are not in any of these languages. It is also required that the applicant submit a review from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) to verify whether the education in question (bachelor and master’s degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see https://hkdir.no/en/ for more information about HK-dir’s general recognition. The review process by HK-dir may take some time. Therefore, please submit your application to HK-dir as soon as you decide to apply for the position. If you do not receive a response within the application deadline, you must include documentation from HK-dir confirming receipt of your application. Please note that the automatic recognition offered by HK-dir insufficient and will not be accepted as basis for admission to the PhD programme. Applicants with education from a Nordic country or those with a medical degree from the EEA area and a license to practice medicine in Norway are exempt from the requirement for HK-dir assessment. For more information please refer to the Admission requirements at the Faculty of Medicine | Faculty of Medicine | UiB

Additionally, please review the documentation requirements for language qualifications: http://www.uib.no/en/med/115526/english-language-requirements-phd-admission

Organized research training (PhD program):

The selected candidate will be required to enroll in the University of Bergen’s approved PhD programme, aiming to complete the degree within three years. Admission to the organized research training (PhD program) at the Faculty 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.

The PhD-position:

PhD-positions are fixed-term appointments. Candidates cannot be employed in a PhD position for more than one fixed-term period at the same institution, nor have held a similar position at any institution within the region.

We can offer:

• Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
• Salary NOK 570 000 (code 1017) in the state salary scale. For applicants with at least one year of employment in a position as a General Practitioner or Dentist, salary NOK 585 000 (For applicants who are licensed as medical doctors or dentists, documentation of Norwegian authorization must be submitted with the application.). Medical specialist starts on salary NOK 605 000 (For applicants with specialist training, a certificate of specialist approval from the Norwegian Directorate of Health must also be included.)
• Good welfare benefits
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant`s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
• Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts of grades
• Applicants whose educational qualifications are from countries other than Norway must provide a certified translation of their diploma and transcript of grades into English or a Scandinavian language if the original documents are not in any of these languages. Additionally, applicants are required to submit a review from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) to verify whether their education (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) is of a scope and level that corresponds to a Norwegian master’s degree. For more information about HK-dir’s general recognition process, please see: https://hkdir.no/en/. The review process by HK-dir may take some time. Therefore, please submit your application to HK-dir as soon as you decide to apply for the position. If you do not receive a response within the application deadline, you must include documentation from HK-dir confirming receipt of your application.
• Documentation of language skills (English)
• Complete list of publications and scientific work you want to be evaluated
• Any publication in your name
• Two references (name and contact information)