Are you passionate about understanding how early-life chemical exposures affect child development? 

We are offering a 3-year postdoctoral position for a motivated researcher to lead investigations into translational environmental health research on plastic-associated chemicals, endocrine disruption, and neurodevelopmental traits in children and youth. This position emphasizes domain expertise in neurodevelopment, toxicology, epidemiology, and interdisciplinary health research, and is ideal for candidates with a background in neuroscience, psychology, toxicology, epidemiology, or medicine. 

The position is part of the MoBa-PlastChem project, funded by the Minderoo Foundation (Australia), and seeks to investigate plastic-associated chemical exposures and endocrine disruption during foetal life and the impact on neurodevelopmental and reproductive health outcomes in children and youth.   

The position is located at NIPH’s Department of Child Health and Development in the Division of Public Health and Prevention. The department consists of about 20 employees, working with research projects covering a broad range of topics related to risk- and protective factors for child health and development. The department coordinates the work within NIPH’s strategic developmental plan for mental health and prevention in children and youth and has extensive collaborations with other NIPH departments and national and international researchers.  

About the project.  The researcher will be affiliated with the project “Prenatal exposure to plastic chemicals and health outcomes in children and adolescents from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa-PlastChem)”. The objective of MoBa-PlastChem is to investigate whether prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants, originating from plastic production or products, is linked to endocrine disruption and later reproductive health problems or neurodevelopmental traits/diagnoses in children and adolescents. The project uses data and biospecimen from MoBa, as well as linkage to national health registries. This study will employ novel methods for causal inference using genetically informed approaches, alongside advanced machine learning techniques for data modelling and analysis. 

The candidate will analyse project data and have a leading role in the development of scientific publications, collaborating closely with team members. The candidate’s research will primarily focus on neurodevelopmental traits and diagnoses linked to prenatal exposures to plastic chemicals and their mixtures, including sex-specific differences and the mediation by sex steroid hormones. Utilizing both conventional methods and innovative approaches, the work aims to strengthen causal inference. 

The research team consists of researchers within multiple disciplines, such as toxicology, endocrinology, analytical chemistry, epidemiology/genetic epidemiology, pediatrics, psychology, and statistics. The project groups at NIPH also collaborates with research groups in USA, UK and Australia. The candidate will work together with researchers from its own and other departments at NIPH, including The PsychGen Centre for Genetic Epidemiology and Mental Health, in addition to national and international partners.   

Kvalifikasjoner:

• PhD in neuroscience, psychology, biology (toxicology), medicine, public health, global health, epidemiology, or other relevant disciplines. Candidates who have submitted their doctoral thesis for evaluation before the application deadline may apply, but cannot start in the post-doctoral position until after the dissertation is approved
• Experience in quantitative statistical analyses, analyses of large data sets and use of the statistical software R is essential.
• Good communication and writing skills in English is required. 
• Experience with genotyping (or other -omics data) and GWAS studies is an advantage 
• Thematic relevant (e.g. toxicant exposure, neurodevelopmental outcome data, endocrine disruption, causal informative approaches) research experience or practical knowledge/experience is an advantage 
• Experience with cohort and/or health registry data is an advantage 
• Communication skills (written / oral) in Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language) is an advantage. Candidates who do not speak Norwegian must be willing and motivated to learn. 

Personlige egenskaper:

• Strong collaboration skills in interdisciplinary teams 
• Structured, flexible, efficient and ability to deliver 
• Ability to work independently, structured, long-term, and goal-oriented 
• Contributor to an inclusive work environment  
• Skilled in communication of results (oral and written) 
• Personal qualities will be emphasized  

Vi tilbyr:

• A three-year position as a post-doctoral researcher in Oslo, Norway 
• The start date will be decided together with the candidate (preferably within September 2025) 
• Good welfare schemes and flexible working hours 
• An interesting job within an important field of research, with the possibility to develop expertise and potential for career development 
• Ethical and respectful work environment 
• Salary by agreement, within the state's wage regulation 
• Excellent pension benefits through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Flexible working hours and attractive welfare benefits, including opportunities for exercise during working hours
• Modern office facilities, with a mix of open-plan areas, smaller offices, and well-equipped meeting rooms that support collaboration

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health is a unique workplace with a strong sense of social responsibility and an important role in promoting the health and well-being of the population. We are committed to building strong professional communities and emphasize the development of each individual employee, as well as their ability to influence their own workday. Here, you will work alongside dedicated and highly competent colleagues in a supportive and friendly environment.