PhD student in Medical Sciences in the field of Psychoneuroendocrinology

Uppsala University

Application deadline

January 8, 2023



PhD student in Medical Sciences in the field of Psychoneuroendocrinology

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.

The project: Women’s mental health
The hormonal fluctuations experienced during pregnancy and postpartum can affect the brain, behaviour and mental health of women. The doctoral project will make use of precollected data but also contribute to collect new epidemiological, biological, and neuroimaging data on women participating to a large, longitudinal, population-based cohort study (https://mom2b.se). The focus of the doctoral project will be to identify factors of relevance to peripartum depression (PPD). A multidisciplinary approach will be employed to consider biopsychosocial factors of relevance to PPD. Among the methods, registers, self-reports, behavioural assessments, and magnetic resonance imaging are used to study PPD. The purpose is to advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of PPD, thus contributing to identify predictors for targeted preventive strategies. The research groups operates within an international framework, as for example in the context of research schools on women´s mental health during the reproductive years (IRTG 2804 and WOMHER).

Duties 
As a doctoral student, along with healthcare professionals with experience in diagnosing PPD, the doctoral student will collect and analyse multimodal data. The successful candidate will delve into doctoral studies in the relevant subject area. Experienced supervisors will be on hand to guide the student throughout the process from study planning to implementation and manuscript writing.

The doctoral program includes four years of full-time studies. Other duties at the department that pertains to education and administrative work may be included (maximum 20%), which extends the employment by the corresponding time.

Requirements 
Eligible for admission to postgraduate education is anyone who has completed a degree at advanced level, corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge outside Sweden. The applicant must have a basic education in medicine, biology, bioinformatics, psychology, chemistry, or related subjects. The applicant must be able to work independently and be well organized. The person should be highly motivated, thorough, goal-oriented, and good at both independent and group work. Good knowledge of English both orally and in writing is required: knowledge of Swedish is a merit. Emphasis will be placed on documented experience of experimental work and previous publications.

Information on eligibility requirements, education at postgraduate education level and admission regulations can be found at:
http://www2.medfarm.uu.se/utbildning/forskarniva/ och https://www.uu.se/utbildning/utbildningar/forskarutbildning/

Additional qualifications 
We are looking for a person who has a genuine interest in psychoneuroendocrinology. It is an advantage if the candidate has experience of brain imaging research and good experience of processing large amounts of data as well as good basic knowledge in biostatistics and molecular biology. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability when it comes to who is judged to have the best conditions to develop and implement the planned project.

Last updated: 2022-12-02

Content Responsible: Disa Hammarlöf(disa.l.hammarlof@scilifelab.se)