PhD Fellow at the Department of Community Medicine

The position

A PhD position is available within the project "Cupping massage vs tactile massage for the treatment of chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled pilot study investigating pain mechanisms" (MeCNeck study) at the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences. The position is affiliated with the National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM) and the research group Health Service Research.

The Department of Community Medicine employs approximately 200 persons and is currently divided into six research groups: System Epidemiology, Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases, Arctic Health Research, General Practice, Health Service Research and Medical Humanities. In addition, there are associated research centres that are part of the Department: The National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Centre for Sámi Health Research, the National Center of Rural Medicine and, General Practice Research Unit. The main part of the teaching is for medical students and the Master of Public Health programme, as well as some PhD courses.

The position is for a period of three years. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD programme, application form and regulations for the degree of Philasophiae doctor (PhD) is available here.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The project / The position’s field of research

Chronic pain affects nearly one in three adults in Norway, often reducing quality of life and causing long-term sick leave or disability. Neck pain is particularly common, with up to 50% of adults experiencing it annually, and 10% suffering persistent symptoms that disrupt daily life. While painkillers are widely used, they carry risks like side effects and dependency, prompting interest in non-pharmacological treatments such as massage.

The MeCNeck study, led by Professor Frauke Musial at NAFKAM, explores how different massage techniques can alleviate chronic neck pain. Funded by Ekhaga Stiftelsen and NAFKAM, the study uses Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) to measure pain thresholds and nervous system changes, providing insights into treatment effectiveness and underlying mechanisms. This research aims to identify non-pharmacological, evidence-based alternatives for managing chronic neck pain, benefiting both patients and healthcare providers. Read more about the study here.

Your main tasks will be to work within the framework of studies involving Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST), collaborating closely with the project manager and the research team. The role includes acquiring QST as a skill, partially conducting QST investigations, performing data analysis, writing and publishing scientific articles, and undertaking a doctoral project.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Frauke Musial: 

• Phone: (+47) 77 64 92 82 
• E-mail: frauke.musial@uit.no 

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• A master degree in public health (MSc) or Candidate of Medicine degree (MD), or generally an MSc in Health Sciences (nurses, medicine, psychology, other). An equivalent degree in engineering or other technical courses of education may be considered, if experience in health science research / clinical trials technology is proven. International equivalent degrees must be approved by the Norwegian certification authorities.
• Knowledge of experimentation and research methodology.
• Proficiency in quantitative research methods and familiarity with relevant computer programs, such as SPSS, SAS, or STATAl.
• Documented fluency in English for work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document this by attaching their high school diploma.

Desired qualifications:

• Expertise/experience in research areas such as e.g. psychophysiology, biopsychology, in pain, or clinical studies in humans.
• Work experience as a health professional and familiarity with the Norwegian healthcare system.
• One of these Scandinavian languages: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish.

In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. In addition, professional experience and other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme will be taken into consideration.

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:

• Have good collaboration skills
• Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Wants to contribute to a good working environment

Beyond experience and qualifications, we will emphasize the candidate's motivation and interest for the research project. The applicant must elaborate on these factors in the application form. We are looking for a person who is well organized, goal oriented, self-efficient, analytic and has good communication skills.

The successful applicant must fulfil the requirements for admission to the faculty's PhD programme, cf. Regulation for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway with supplementary provisions for the Faculty of Health Sciences.

As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

Admission to the PhD programme 

For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:  

• A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS. 
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS. 
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS. 

Applicants must have a grade of C or better on the master's thesis and have a grade point average of C or better for the master's degree. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position. 

Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 550 800 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Application 

Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.

Your application must include: 

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Official diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language 
• Official transcripts of grades/academic record for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language
• Official translation of diplomas and transcripts of records (ToR) to English or a Scandinavian language, if applicable
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency (if available)
• Documentation of proficiency in Norwegian or a Scandinavian language (if available)
• References with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. 

Assessment 

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants. 

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. 

General information 

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. 

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years. 

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.