Researcher

About the position /

The Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo (UiO) invites applications for a temporary Researcher position in the NFR FRIPRO-funded project FEMALE: Phenotyping fetal microchimeric cells in the mother: revealing potential fetal contributions to long-term female health. The project has been awarded NOK 12 million in FRIPRO funding.

The successful candidate will have their work base at Rikshospitalet, with the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Division of Surgery and Specialized Medicine (Prof. Bente Halvorsen`n research group) . 

Preferred start date is 1 september 2026 until the end of june 2029

Project description

During pregnancy, a small number of fetal cells can pass into the mother’s bloodstream. The FEMALE project investigates what happens to this cell transfer when the placenta does not function optimally, and how fetal cell transfer may influence the mother’s health later in life. In particular, the project asks whether fetal cells transferred to the mother may help explain why pre-eclampsia is associated with increased long-term cardiovascular risk. The overarching goal is to provide the first detailed characterization of fetal cells in maternal circulation and improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying female-specific disease development.

The research is anchored in a research group at the Women’s Division, UiO, and builds on the group’s prior FRIPRO-funded work in microchimerism (including the earlier project BRIDGE), with a strong emphasis on human pregnancy and pregnancy complications.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to achieving the scientific objectives of the FEMALE project, including:

• Planning and conducting research activities aimed at identifying and characterizing fetal microchimeric cells in maternal blood and relating findings to pregnancy complications and long-term maternal health outcomes.
• Contributing to rigorous methodological development and quality assurance for research on extremely rare cell populations (microchimerism).
• Data analysis and interpretation in collaboration with the project team.
• Writing scientific manuscripts and presenting results at scientific meetings.
• Collaborating across disciplines and contributing to the project’s overall progress and reporting.

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• A PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant field (e.g., medicine, biology, molecular/cellular biology, immunology, genetics, or related disciplines).
• Documented experience with high-quality biomedical research and scientific writing/publications.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a research team.
• Excellent communication skills in English (written and spoken).
   

Desired qualifications (assets)

• Experience relevant to human pregnancy research, placental biology, pregnancy complications (including pre-eclampsia), and/or mechanisms linking pregnancy complications to long-term maternal health. 
• Extensive knowledge of biological mechanisms relevant to the development of cardiovascular disease, with a particular understanding of how epigenetic factors contribute to disease progression.
• Experience with research on rare cell populations and/or methodological development where specificity, sensitivity, and false positive control are critical.
• A broad methodological background including experience with flow cytometry, single cell sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization.
   

Personal qualities

We are looking for a candidate who is:

• Highly motivated, structured, and able to drive tasks forward
• Curious and solution-oriented, with strong attention to detail
• A constructive team player who thrives in interdisciplinary collaboration

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.

We need different perspectives in our work 

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports.

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found

here.

We hope you will apply for the position with us. 

We offer / We can offer you / Why should you choose us?

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• A unique opportunity to contribute to a FRIPRO-funded research project addressing fundamental questions in women’s health and pregnancy biology.
• A stimulating research environment at UiO, with close links to clinical research and access to strong academic networks.
• Professional development through collaboration, publishing, and conference participation.
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities. 
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.

• Salary in position as Researcher, position code 1109 in salary range NOK 660 000 - 780 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Application

Your application should include:

• Application letter.
• CV.
• A complete list of publications.
• Transcripts and certificates.
• Contact information for 2-3 references.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us.

Please refer to  Rules for the use of research posts SKO 1108, 1109, 1110 and 1183 at UiO.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.