About the position

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Epidemiological modelling focusing on the epidemiological modelling of how the plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) might have been transported from outside Europe to Europe during the period between 1300 and 1900 CE.

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at CEES, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo.

Starting date will be January 2026.

The appointment is a fulltime position and is for a period of three years (10% of which will be devoted to required duties).

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.

Project description

Are you passionate about advancing our understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of plague (Yersinia pestis), the bacterium which caused the Black Death followed by several waves of plague outbreak among people in Europe - a disease which during the Black Death killed about half of the European population? We invite applications for a postdoctoral research position to join a pioneering project dedicated to the study of plague through history.

About the project and the research team

The position is associated with the ERC-funded interdisciplinary research project “Reconstructing the environmental, biological, and societal drivers of plague outbreaks in Eurasia between 1300 and 1900 CE (Synergy-Plague: https://www.synergy-plague.org)”. The overall aim of the project is to reconstruct the environmental, biological, and societal drivers  behind plague outbreaks in Eurasia between 1300 and 1900 CE. A short description of the project can be found here: https://www.synergy-plague.org/research/introduction/.

The project is funded through the European Research Council’s Synergy Grant scheme and has four PIs. In addition to corresponding PI Professor Nils Chr. Stenseth (who will be the main supervisor for the appointed postdoctoral candidate) at the University of Oslo, there are three co-PIs; Florent Sebbane at, INSERM, Lille, France, Philip Slavin, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK, and Ulf Büntgen, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge, UK. The appointed Postdoctoral Research Fellow is expected to visit and work together with the other three PIs and their team members - as well as a large number of international partners.

The Oslo plague-team led by Professor Stenseth includes the following postdoctoral research fellows: Bornali Das, Maria Muller Theissen and Simon Plakolb . In addition there are two historians in the Oslo plague-team: Einar Wigen (Professor - Middle East/Ottoman Studies) and Carlo Trombino (Postdoctoral fellow - Middle East/Ottoman Studies).

Your Contribution

The appointed Postdoctoral Research Fellow will have focus on how Yersinia pestis might have circulated in Europe and/or been repeatedly imported to Europe from outside Europe. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow’s research will contribute to the overall aim within the broader framework of the Synergy-Plague project. Your role will be critical in advancing the project's goal of leveraging, together with other team members, not least historians and climatologists, the spatio-temporal dynamics of the plague bacterium across an extensive geographic region (e.g., such as from Asia or North Africa to Europe).

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period. It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Qualification requirements:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in epidemiology, biostatistics, computational biology, or a related field, with a strong quantitative background. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment.
• Demonstrated experience in epidemiological modelling and infectious disease dynamics.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Proven skills in statistical analysis and mathematical modelling tools.
• Excellent knowledge of programming languages such as R, Python, Julia, etc.
• Familiarity with AI algorithms and Machine Learning
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with research on epidemiological modelling, with an emphasis on zoonotic diseases.
• Experience with integrating socio-economic factors and spill-over dynamics from one host species to another host species in disease models.
• Ability to provide insights into pathogen epidemiology and model parameters.
• Experience in working with uncertain and historical data.
• Familiarity with the application of AI in disease modelling.

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our team. The candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. Additionally, we are seeking someone with the ambition to contribute to leading international journals and the drive to gain valuable insights in their field of study. If you are passionate about research and are eager to collaborate with a dynamic team, we encourage you to apply.

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

We can offer you

• 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.
• Committed colleagues in a good working environment. 
• 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 Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 674 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund. 

Inclusive work life and diversity at UiO

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

We hope that you will apply for the position.

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.  

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• Letters of recommendation
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

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.

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)

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 can't, you will hear from us.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.