PhD Candidate in Translational Cognitive Neuroscience

The Norwegian Health Association Centre for Dementia Research (Nasjonalforeningens Demensforskningssenter, NDS) has a vacancy for a 100% position as a PhD candidate within translational cognitive neuroscience. The aim of the NDS is to identify neural mechanisms in the hippocampal-entorhinal system related to Alzheimer’s disease, through translational collaboration across fundamental neuroscience, human cognitive research and clinical medicine.

The successful candidate will work with behavioural and / or neuroimaging studies on neural mechanisms for space, time and memory, in collaboration with neuroscientists and neurologists. The studies will include healthy human participants as well as participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease or other diagnoses with impact on cognition. We offer an international and multidisciplinary environment in which creativity and scientific discourse is valued and stimulated.

The tentative start date is 1 February 2026 and the period is over 3 years.

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Develop and test novel cognitive tasks
• Plan and conduct behavioural and / or neuroimaging studies related to memory, in healthy controls and clinical patients
• Analyse behavioural and / or neuroimaging data and relate the results to clinical parameters
• Disseminate academic publications and popular science contributions
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

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.

• You must have a relevant master’s degree in Neuroscience or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. The master’s degree must be completed at the time of application.
• 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.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s Doctoral Program
• Very good oral and written skills in English language. Good oral and written skills in Norwegian language, minimum equivalent to level B1.
• Programming skills and experience with neuroimaging, behavioral or clinical data analysis
• Research experience from studies involving human participants
• Experience with patient contact (from research, clinic or care-related practice)
• To fully engage with research community on daily bases, we’re looking for someone who is based in Trondheim

• High quality academic achievements
• Experience with cognitive testing or MR scanning
• Experience with transdisciplinary scientific work and multimodal data analysis, ability to assess different perspectives and drawing well-founded conclusions
• Knowledge about and experience from the topic of the project: memory, time, space and Alzheimer’s disease

• High curiosity and motivation for the subject
• Collaborative skills and ability to work in an interdisciplinary research team
• Good communication skills and suitability for research involving healthy participants and patients
• Ability to work independently and responsibly, and to accomplish tasks

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)

As a PhD Candidate at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

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 already have a good gender balance in the project group and encourage people of all genders to apply.

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.

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 program throughout the period of employment.

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 professional 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.

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 Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed based on 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:

• 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.
• Short letter of motivation (ca 400 words/1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Possibly certificates
• Names and contact information of up to three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor’s and Master’s education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint work will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

All documents should be combined in one pdf with FirstNameLastName.pdf filename.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU’s social mission).

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact associate professor Tora Bonnevie, email tora.bonnevie@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Komel Afridi, HR consultant at NTNU, komel.afridi@ntnu.no.