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Video: https://youtu.be/i4SDcLir6OcPhD-position in Optimized monitoring of patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) (DC1) at the Department of Clinical Sciences

At the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Science | University of Bergen, there is a vacancy for a full-time PhD-position for a period of three (3) years or max 4 months after completed the PhD-degree, if this is achieved within a shorter time than three years. The position is part of the Doctoral Network: ENDOTRAIN (Digital Endocrinology Training Network to Combat Adrenal Diseases), and is scheduled to start in August 2026. The position is funded by European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (Grant Agreement No.: 101227148)

The position is one of 19 PhD Fellowships available in Digital Endocrinology in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (ENDOTRAIN).

About the project/work tasks:

This PhD project is embedded in Work Package 1 of the ENDOTRAIN network and aims to investigate how endocrine rhythms are affected in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency using real-world, continuous data streams. 

The rationale is to investigate how cortisol levels influence tissue glucose, blood pressure and sleep (sleep radar) and how it correlates with patient reported data. 

The goal is to define the optimal range of tissue cortisol in primary adrenal insufficiency and define time in range of cortisol compared to healthy subjects.  
• Optimized monitoring of patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (DC1)
Location: Haukeland University Hospital (HUH) and University of Bergen (UiB), Norway 
• Supervisors: Prof. Marianne Øksnes, Prof. Walter Karlen
• Duration: 3 years (with possibility of extension) 

The project includes: • Case control study collecting wearable-based data and hormone profiles from healthy subjects (20) and PAI patients (20) at four different doses of hydrocortisone  
• Integrate wearable-derived physiological data (e.g., BP, tissue glucose, activity, heart rate and sleep) with 24h dynamic hormone profiling, proteomics and patient-reported data. 
• Contribute to multimodal datasets feeding into the broader development of digital diagnostic tools in endocrinology. 
• Secondments with technical and clinical partners within the consortium 
• Close collaboration with other Doctoral Candidates within WP1. 
• Participation in the doctoral training network including workshops, courses in topics relevant for the project.

Research Fields 

Endocrinology, Digital Health, Medical Sensors, Systems Physiology, Internal Medicine  

Secondments : 
• University of Ulm (D): To work with algorithms for wearable data 
• University of Manchester (UK): To learn mathematical modelling of hormone rhythms. 

For further details, please visit our webpages Optimized monitoring of patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (DC1) and the programme webpage: ENDOTRAIN

Host Institution 

University of Bergen (UiB), in collaboration with Haukeland University Hospital (HUH), offers a leading environment in clinical and translational endocrinology. The PhD candidate will be based at the Department of Clinical Science and will be member of the Endocrine medicine Research Group (An endocrine umbrella | Endocrine Medicine | UiB). The group have members with diverse competences including clinical researchers, molecular biologists, geneticists and experts in bioinformatics. The candidate will benefit from an excellent work environment including access to state-of-the-art biobanking, wearable technologies, hormone analytics, and extensive international collaborations. 

About the PhD position :

Doctoral Programme The candidate should work full-time on the project and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Applicant must fulfil eligibility criteria for Norwegian PhD positions and will be enrolled in the structured PhD programme of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen (Prospective PhD candidates | Faculty of Medicine | UiB). 
 
Participation in the interdisciplinary training of the ENDOTRAIN network is mandatory, including workshops, retreats, transferable skills courses, and cohort-wide meetings across Europe. 

Organized research training (PhD program):The candidate must take part in the University of Bergen approved PhD programme leading to the degree within a time limit of 3 years. You must have admission to the organized research training (PhD program) at the Faculty in order to qualify for the position. 

Application for admission to the PhD programme, including a project plan outline for the training plan must be submitted no later than three months after the date of commencement.

The PhD-position:PhD-positions are fixed term positions. You cannot be employed in a PhD-position for more than one fixed term period at the same institution or have had similar employment at an institution in the region. 

Special requirements for the position The University of Bergen is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with:
• Master’s degree in medicine (MD)
• Strong interest in translational endocrinology and digital health technologies 
• Basic programming or data science skills (R, Python) and interest in wearable data analysis are an asset
• Experience from relevant research projects will be considered as positive
• The candidate should be able to work independently and possess good communication skills and capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration 
• Ability and motivation to carry out a PhD project 
• The applicant must be fluent in oral and written English, see documentation requirements

The applicant’s personal suitability for the position is a significant factor in the evaluation.

Applicant whose education is from another country than Norway, need to also attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is also required that the applicant enclose a review from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) whether the education (bachelor and master degree) in question is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see for more information about HK-dir’s general recognition. 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, you must enclose documentation from HK-dir that they have received your application. Please note that the automatic recognition offered by HK-dir is not sufficient and will not be accepted as basis for admission to the PhD programme. Applicants with education from a Nordic country or medical degree from the EEA area and a license to practice medicine in Norway are exempt from the requirement for HK-dir assessment, see documentation requirements for language qualifications.

We can offer:
• Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
• A gross annual salary NOK 570 000 (code 1017 in the basic collective agreement) . For applicants with at least one year of employment in a position as a General Practitioner or Dentist, salary NOK 585 000 (For applicants who are licensed as medical doctors or dentists, documentation of Norwegian authorization must be submitted with the application). Medical specialist starts on salary NOK 605 000 (For applicants with specialist training, a certificate of specialist approval from the Norwegian Directorate of Health must also be included.)
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits  and social benefits including pension-saving in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, occupational injury insurance, full salary during sick leave for 52 weeks, and paid parental leave.
• Norwegian language courses free of charge. 
• High standards for working hours, holidays, place of work, health, and safety.

How to apply:Before starting the online application process, please familiarise yourself carefully with our application requirements on our ENDOTRAIN webpages

It is essential that all required attachments (listed in the next section) are uploaded via our electronic recruiting system Jobbnorge. Before uploading any documents in the portal (to minimise repetition of information) see next section.

Your application must include:

Mandatory attachments: 

At the ENDOTRAIN webpages - including 
• 1. Application form 
• 2. CV
• 3. Mobility declaration
• 4. Motivation Letter

In the "Jobbnorge-CV form: 

Only fill in the basics of your 1) personal details, 2) short information about your degrees (in the field "Education / academic qualifications") - in order to minimise repetition with the CV attachment. You do not need to fill in any other sections in Jobbnorge, as all the information we need will be provided by you when attaching the mandatory elements listed in the next section.

Transcripts of diplomas in English must be uploaded in Jobbnorge. If you have not yet completed your master's degree, you can apply provided completion of the final master exam before the position start date. Please submit a statement from your institution confirming the expected date of award of your master's degree.

It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded (documentation must be provided).

General information:

For more information on the positions, please contact:
• Professor Eystein Sverre Husebye
• Professor Helge Ræder
• Project manager: Elizabeth Farmer

For more information regarding technical matters connected to the application process, please contact HR Adviser Selina Sia Hausberg 

Diversity and InclusionMSCA -Endotrain has a gender equality plan where gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. We encourage women 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.

About MSCA Doctoral Networks 

The MSCA Doctoral Networks aim to train creative, entrepreneurial, innovative and resilient doctoral candidates, able to face current and future challenges and to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic and social benefit. The MSCA Doctoral Networks raise the attractiveness and excellence of doctoral training in Europe. Read More about the MSCA Doctoral Networks.