Doctoral Student In Medical Science - Sleep Research In Gothenburg And Reykjavik

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Doctoral position in Medical Science

Project title: Cognitive impact of sleep disorders

The Institute of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, is announcing a doctoral student position in collaboration with Reykjavik University Sleep Institute/Department of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Iceland. The PhD project is carried out within the framework of a large European collaborative project called "Sleep Revolution" at the same time at both universities. Supervisors from both universities are included. The PhD student should have the possibility to work on the project at both universities and is expected to spend a minimum 12 months in total at Reykjavik University. The doctoral student will be admitted to doctoral (PhD) studies at both universities. Once the student has been admitted, the student will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The studies lead to a double PhD degree (Degree of Doctor).

At the Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at Sahlgrenska Academy, research in several different areas are conducted, such as endocrinology, hematology, gastroenterology, hypertension, pulmonary medicine and allergology and clinical nutrition. Research is focused on body composition and energy metabolism. Research is conducted in close cooperation with health care at both the Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Mölndal hospital.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages https: // medarbetarportalen.gu.se/doktorand/?languageId=100001&skipSSOCheck=true

Duties

The PhD education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https: // www. gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies

Project: Although sleep is one of the pillars of human well-being and the incidence of sleep-related disorders is estimated to occur in up to 40% of the world population, there are still relatively few studies on the impact on cognitive functions. The knowledge about the impact of sleep disorders on cognitive functions is limited due to a lack of adequate test batteries. In particular, reliable diagnostic tools to analyze alertness, reaction time, and the ability to stay wake over extended periods over time are insuffieciently explored. This Ph.D. program aims to reduce this knowledge gap by the following four substudies.

Aims and planned procedures: 1- Test the clinical feasibility of 3 nights Self-Applied home sleep studies to have a more accurate and "real" picture of sleep quality in patients with sleep apnea. The future use of Self-Applied home sleep study should help, in addition to reducing the costs and time of administration of the studies, also to better characterize patients sleep disorders without the error induced by the “first night effect”. 2- Validation of an extensive cognitive battery designed to test the impact of sleep disorders on cognitive domains. Given the lack of such tools in sleep medicine, creating and testing a new tool that can cover the broadest range of cognitive domains possible is necessary. 3- Use of the cognitive battery and physiological data to improve differential analysis in sleep studies. The main aim is to develop and validate a cognitive battery that can help improve the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients. 4- Evaluate the effect of OSA treatment on the various cognitive domains. Patients will be subjected to the cognitive battery before, during, and after the three months of therapy for OSA; the aim is to evaluate any effects on their cognitive abilities.

Education at third-cycle level comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree. As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.

Eligibility

Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.

The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are: 1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or 2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or 3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: having completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies.

Assessment criteria

The selection of applicants who are considered to have the ability required to benefit from the study programme and who meet the general and specific eligibility requirements are assessed based on the following documented qualifications: - specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields - experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology - scientific analysis and presentation verified through thesis, degree project, scientific journals or the like.

Documented experience in sleep research including management of sleep diagnostic equipment including polysomnography is advantageous. Experience of working in scientific projects with several collaborators is desirable.

Employment

Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.

Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, and Reykjavik University, Iceland. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Contact information

For more information about the project please contact:

Principal supervisor Ludger Grote, Lecturer, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Medicine, phone: +46 709798111, e-mail: [email protected]

Assistant supervisor Dr. Erna S. Arnardottir, Associate Professor, Dept of Engineering and Dept of Computer Science, Director of The Reykjavik University Sleep Institute (RUSI), Reykjavik University, e-mail: [email protected]

Unions

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https: // www. gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande

Application

You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.

You must include the following, in pdf format

Personal letter

CV

Diploma and transcripts showing that you meet with the general entry requirement

Proof of completion of English 6 course or the acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier .

If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https: // www. universityadmissions.se/en/entry- requirements/english-language-requirements/

Applications must be received by: 2023-02-13

Information for International Applicants

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:

https: // www. gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services https: // www. movetogothenburg.com/

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.