About the project/work tasks:
The research project focuses on the mental health needs among the population in Gaza. Given the unpredictable situation in the area, the project will target locally and internationally recruited personnel who play key roles in the humanitarian work while also being exposed to highly demanding situations with risks to their own lives and health. The project will involve adaption of the Problem Management+ (PM+) intervention, where humanitarian workers are trained to provide psychosocial support to the local population and to peer humanitarian workers.
The PhD candidate will be based at the Department of Psychosocial science, but will also have supervision at the Department of Clinical Psychology. The place of work is Bergen, Norway. One or more trips to the region may be required during the fellowship period. The candidate will be part of the Society and Workplace Diversity Research Group.
Work tasks:
- Acquiring an overview of practices and research related to psychosocial interventions for local populations and humanitarian workers in emergency and conflict settings.
- Collect and analyse data from locally and internationally recruited humanitarian workers, utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Collaborate closely with actors in humanitarian organizations and local aid workers in all phases of the project.
- Publish and disseminate research results nationally and internationally.
- The PhD candidate is expected to contribute to all parts of research project.
Qualifications and personal qualities:
- Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent in psychology or other relevant health-related disciplines at the time of application.
- A minimum grade of B or higher on the master’s thesis is generally required for admission to the PhD program.
- Excellent proficiency in both written and oral English is required.
- Proficiency in Arabic is an advantage.
- Familiarity with the local culture in Gaza is an advantage.
- Experience with both quantitative and qualitative methods will be emphasized.
- The candidate must demonstrate the ability to work independently and in a structured manner, be flexible and adaptable, and possess strong abilities to collaborate in an interdisciplinary and international environment.
- The position requires resilience and ability to handle challenging situations involving others’ painful experiences.
- The position requires strong cultural sensitivity
- Personal qualities and suitability for the position will carry significant weight and may be given more importance than then the amount of documented research experience.
The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications. If the university has not received the assessment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 6-12 weeks after applying for an export license, any offer of employment will be rescinded.
About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):
About the PhD position: The duration of the PhD position is three years, with the possibility of a fourth year, consisting of 25 % career-promoting work (e.g. teaching responsibilities at the department) distributed over the employment period. The fourth year is contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department, and will be decided by the Head of department upon appointment.
About the PhD programme:
As a PhD Candidate, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. When your qualification for the position is evaluated, you will also be evaluated for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Psychology.
You will find further information about the PhD programme at the Faculty of Psychology here.
We can offer:
- Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
- An annual salary of NOK 540 500 before taxes (position code 1017) according to the state salary scale. Further promotions are made according to length of service. A higher salary may be considered for applicants with specialist education.
- Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
- Good welfare benefits
Your application must include:
- A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
- The names and contact information for three reference persons. One of these must be the main supervisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis.
- CV
- Transcripts and diplomas (higher education)
- Applicants with foreign education must enclose certified translations to English or Scandinavian if the original diploma and grade transcripts are not already in one of these languages.
- Important: Applicants with foreign education must also enclose a confirmation from HK-dir (or former NOKUT) that the education is recognized to be in accordance with the Norwegian master’s degree. The review from HK-dir may take some time and the application should be sent to HK-dir as soon as you have decided to apply for the position. If no answer within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir that they have received your application. Certain educational degrees from selected countries have an automatic recognition and the confirmation can be downloaded at HK-dir: Automatic recognition – a quicker alternative | HK-dir (hkdir.no).
- Relevant certificates
- A list of any works of a scientific nature (publication list).
- Any publications in your name you want to be included in the evaluation of your application
Please note that applications, along with the information and attachments linked to the application in JobbNorge, will be evaluated after the closing date for applications. Attachments must be in English or a Scandinavian language, and any translations must be certified. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all the necessary information has been submitted by the closing date for applications.
It is particularly important that each of the attachments that are to be taken into account in the assessment is uploaded in full as an attachment to your application.
General information:
Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:
- Professor Gro Mjeldheim Sandal, the Department of Psychosocial Science, Email: Gro.Sandal@uib.no, Phone: +47 55 58 86 85
Diversity is a strength that enables us to solve our tasks even better. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, worldview, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.
We encourage men to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.
We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. By indicating such circumstances in your application, you may receive favourable consideration. We ensure that at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups is invited for an interview as part of our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity. For further information about the recruitment process, click here.
