Paid PhD Research Fellowship at UiO: Computational Medicinal Chemistry for Addiction Research

Paid PhD Research Fellowship at UiO: Computational Medicinal Chemistry for Addiction Research

Quick decision

How can computational structural evidence help explain individual vulnerability to addiction without turning a simulated difference into a clinical conclusion? This salaried PhD addresses that question within a wider interdisciplinary programme. Its distinctive value is a defined computational work package inside an interdisciplinary university–hospital environment, with advertised access to LUMI and complementary industry training. The eligibility screen is unusually important: publicly available programming evidence and cell-biology laboratory experience are both required. A strong coding background alone does not satisfy the stated criteria. The fellowship is three years; a fourth year with 25% career-promoting duties is conditional on qualifications and departmental need. The materials give 9 November 2026 as the application deadline but do not specify a closing time. Exact employer recruitment.

Research question and the doctoral contribution

DECODING ADDICTION examines how naturally occurring differences in the μ-opioid receptor relate to vulnerability and resistance to addiction. UiO describes an environment combining human behavioural genetics, systems neuroscience, molecular biology and computational modelling. The wider project runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2030, is financed by UiO:Life Science and is led by Siri Leknes. That consortium leadership is distinct from this candidate’s principal supervision. Official project overview. The project description identifies a naturally occurring R181C variant in the Norwegian population and states that it abolishes μ-opioid receptor signalling. Work package 4 is to build high-resolution models of the wild-type and R181C receptor from existing crystallographic data; use molecular docking for ligand optimisation; run molecular-dynamics simulations in fully hydrated lipid-bilayer systems with AMBER, NAMD or GROMACS; assess RMSD, RMSF and hydrogen bonds; use free-energy perturbation/thermodynamic integration (FEP/TI) to quantify binding-affinity and receptor–Gi coupling changes; and investigate a possible disulfide bond between R181C and Gi-protein C353. These computational findings would be interpreted with WP1–3 partners against human-behaviour, mouse-model and cell-biology evidence. The proposed coupling and disulfide effects remain questions to investigate; they do not establish individual addiction risk or a clinical outcome. The decision-relevant challenge is whether the candidate can make computational results inspectable and communicate their uncertainty across disciplines. Useful questions concern traceable input provenance, software versions, assumptions, uncertainty assessment, independent checking, and the division of responsibility between computational and experimental work packages. These are recommendations for research governance and reproducibility, not extra advertised admission requirements. The project offers industry secondments for complementary biophysical and medicinal-chemistry training, but the partners, duration, budget and final objectives are not published. Research work and secondments.

University, subject and doctoral programme

The University of Oslo is both the employer and degree-awarding university. The appointment is in the Department of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN), whose formal research education is one faculty-wide PhD programme. It is not an Oslo University Hospital joint degree. Pharmacy brings together pharmaceutical chemistry, health-related research, technology and wider health-system questions; the relevant disciplinary environment is therefore broader than a standalone molecular-simulation group. The ranking publisher lists UiO 86th in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities. This is an overall university measure, not a pharmaceutical-subject rank or supervision assessment. The same profile lists Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences among ranked subjects but does not expose a verified numerical pharmacy position in the read text; no subject rank is inferred. ShanghaiRanking 2026 profile. A Research Council evaluation dated December 2024 describes the department’s national pharmaceutical role and cross-sector links, while identifying teaching–research imbalance and questions about resources, research careers and infrastructure transition. Its forecast of a 2027 move is historical, not an updated schedule. External evaluation, selected profile/evaluation/recommendation pages. MN specifies three full-time years of research education, a 30–40-credit educational component, a thesis, trial lecture and public defence. The structure includes a mandatory induction conversation, an early career plan and a third-semester follow-up after 12–15 months. Individual research planning is developed with supervisors. Programme structure. Approved training may include doctoral and approved master-level courses; no semester fee is required for courses approved within the PhD component. Training and courses. MNSES9100 is an example of a 5-credit English-language course in research ethics, philosophy and science in society, with limited intake; availability is not a guaranteed reserved place. Course information. The supplementary regulations say employed faculty fellows are admitted from commencement and subsequently formalise their PhD agreement: submission to the unit within two months and forwarding to the faculty within three months, excluding July. The programme overview describes this more generally as applying within two months. The practical distinction between employment/admission and completing the agreement should be confirmed during onboarding, rather than treated as an additional pre-application admissions deadline. The agreement includes a 4–10-page project description developed with supervisors; the job advert does not separately request that full document as a recruitment attachment. The rules also require necessary academic/material resources and at least two active supervisors with regular dialogue. Faculty regulations.

Supervisors and research conditions

The advert names Associate Professor Osman Gani as primary supervisor, Professor Trond Vidar Hansen and Dr. Deo Pandey as co-supervisors. Gani’s current profile confirms computational medicinal chemistry, structural bioinformatics, cheminformatics and statistical understanding of computational methods. Gani profile. Hansen’s institutional profile confirms Professor in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and relevant complementary expertise. Hansen profile. The exact project links Deo Prakash Pandey; his hospital page identifies him as a PhD-qualified principal investigator/project-group leader in the Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital. His hospital affiliation does not itself determine the candidate’s workplace or degree. Pandey identity. The HR adviser is an administrative contact, not a scientific supervisor. The MedChem Group explicitly integrates computational, medicinal and organic chemistry and identifies Gani and Hansen among its contacts. Its public Gani computational subsection is still under construction, so it cannot establish a detailed dedicated facility inventory, supervisory capacity or meeting frequency. The wider group’s collaborations and recent trainee activity are useful context but are not guaranteed placements for this appointee. MedChem environment. The advertised workplace is the new Life Science Building in Oslo. UiO’s saved building page says move-in is staged and began in March 2026. This is later evidence than the old projection, but it does not confirm that every office or research facility relevant to the project is commissioned. Building status. LUMI is in Kajaani, Finland; its use is computing access, not a requirement to relocate there. Sigma2 documentation describes AMD GPU accelerators and a different software ecosystem from CUDA-only workflows. That makes software compatibility and support useful interview questions. LUMI overview. Sigma2’s access guidance requires project allocation and PI-authorised access for an existing LUMI project. The advert names a resource, but no candidate-specific GPU hours, storage allocation, renewal guarantee or software-licence budget is stated. Access and allocation support.

Three Recent Original Studies: Contributions and Evidence Limits

Three distinct Gani-associated original papers provide relevant, differently limited evidence. One was assessed through the complete publisher abstract; two through substantive primary-source indexed passages after direct pages or PDFs failed. None is presented as a fully read or reproduced study, and their findings are not an explanation of this project’s addiction outcomes. 1. Daniel Haga Hasselstrøm; Majd Awad; Trond Vidar Hansen; Osman Gani. “Molecular Dynamics and Free Energy Calculations Predict Binding Mode and Affinity Determinants of Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators at GPR101.” ACS Omega 11(29), 43166–43176 (2026). DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.5c13583. Accepted 6 July 2026, online 12 July 2026, issue 28 July 2026. Gani is last and corresponding author; Hansen is third. Publisher record. The actual reading covered publisher-indexed abstract, publication history and data-availability passages, together with the university record. Direct ACS access returned 403 and PMC remained at a browser check after a later retry. Thus there is no direct-fulltext claim. At a high level, the work demonstrates GPCR computational research and assessment of modelling evidence in a different receptor context. It does not establish the addiction project’s biological conclusions. The publisher states that trajectories and input structural files were deposited at Zenodo; repository contents and execution were not independently audited. Detailed individual CRediT tasks were not verified. The publisher page range corrects a 43176–43176 truncation on the staff profile; a third-party author-order variant is not adopted. 2. Jens M. J. Nolsøe; Jarl Underhaug; Åshild Moi Sørskar; Simen Gjelseth Antonsen; Karl E. Malterud; Osman Gani; Qiong Fan; Marit Hjorth; Thomas Sæther; Trond V. Hansen; Yngve H. Stenstrøm. “Biological Evaluations, NMR Analyses, Molecular Modeling Studies, and Overview of the Synthesis of the Marine Natural Product (−)-Mucosin.” Molecules 29(5), 994 (2024). DOI: 10.3390/molecules29050994. Accepted 21 February 2024, published 24 February 2024. Publisher record. Despite “Overview” in its title, this is an original Article presenting new evaluation and analytical data alongside a retrospective synthesis overview. Primary indexed abstract, selected conclusion, contributions and data statements were actually read. Direct publisher/PDF attempts failed, as did a university-hosted PDF; PMC returned a browser check. This is selected indexed-text reading, not a claimed direct fulltext read. Gani is sixth author, credited for methodology, software and revision; Hansen has conceptualisation, supervision and project/funding roles. The contribution illustrates complementary computational and experimental interpretation, including unresolved analytical inference. It is not an opioid or addiction study. Data are described as contained in the article and supplement, which were not independently audited. 3. Mina Bathen; Svanur Sigurjónsson; Karl E. Malterud; Daniel H. Hasselstrøm; Osman Gani; Anders Vik; Haraldur G. Gudmundsson; Gudmundur G. Haraldsson; Trond V. Hansen. “A modular semi-synthetic approach to form a DHA-like polyunsaturated ether lipid with 15-lipoxygenase-1 substrate activity.” Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 24(17), 3772–3780 (2026). DOI: 10.1039/D6OB00245E. Accepted 30 March 2026, first published 22 April 2026; the indexed issue date is 6 May 2026. Publisher abstract and bibliography. The original assessment read the complete abstract, all nine ordered authors and publication metadata. Full article content failed to load despite the page displaying an access indicator; methods and discussion were not read. Gani is fifth author and Hansen last/co-corresponding; individual formal contribution allocation was unavailable. The original work demonstrates cooperation between computational and experimental pharmaceutical research, at an enzyme system rather than the project’s receptor. It is relevant to communication across specialties, but abstract-level evidence cannot validate all advertised PhD methods or establish clinical efficacy. These studies support a current computational–experimental collaboration, with the 2026 GPCR paper the closest methodological match. They should not be inflated into three direct publications on addiction or a mature, already validated computational explanation of individual susceptibility.

Eligibility, English and recruitment materials

Required qualifications include a Master’s in pharmacy, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics or a closely related subject; completed foreign MSc-level education equivalent to at least four years in the Norwegian system; strong relevant modelling/simulation or computer-aided pharmaceutical-research background; programming competence evidenced through publicly accessible GitHub/GitLab or similar repositories; cell-biology laboratory experience; and fluent spoken/written English. These are assessed together with analytical ability, curiosity, responsibility, motivation, independent/team work and constructive communication. The advert allows only one UiO PhD Research Fellowship period per person. Required criteria. Desired qualifications include familiarity with the named simulation tools, GPU/HPC, the relevant biological field and interdisciplinary work; Scandinavian-language teaching ability is preferred, not mandatory for every applicant. The grade norm is Bachelor coursework C or better, Master coursework B or better and Master thesis B or better on the Norwegian scale. Faculty regulations allow the department/supervisor to make a documented case for exceptions; this does not give an applicant automatic exemption. Chinese percentage grades should not be converted into a universal cutoff without institutional assessment. MN accepts TOEFL iBT 90, IELTS Academic/Online 6.5 overall, PTE Academic 62, or the listed Cambridge certificates. Exemptions include EU/EEA/EFTA applicants, one year of completed university study in specified English-speaking countries including Singapore, an IB diploma, and an English-taught Bachelor’s/Master’s in a Nordic country or the Netherlands. An English-taught degree in China is not itself one of those listed exemptions. Documentary approval is required before doctoral admission, and the job specifically says the appointee cannot start until approved English evidence is submitted. Confirm any exceptional case with MN rather than assuming interview fluency replaces proof. Exact English and academic rules. The application needs a motivation/research-interest letter, CV, Bachelor/Master diplomas and transcripts, English documentation, publications/academic work to be considered, and 2–3 reference contacts including relationship, email and phone. Recommendation letters are optional. Foreign applicants must include an official grading-system explanation; documents must be English or Scandinavian. Use the recruitment system linked from the exact vacancy. Deadline 9 November 2026 is date-only; “as soon as possible” commencement remains subject to English and appointment/permit requirements. Public applicant lists may disclose names; a reasoned exemption request may be refused. UiO also flags employee research-result rights agreements. Application terms. Recommended preparation, not extra eligibility: provide a well-documented existing code repository explaining individual contributions, dependencies, tests and limitations, while respecting confidential or restricted data. Explain prior cell-lab experience honestly at a high level and how it supports communication with experimental colleagues. The advert does not prescribe a new drug-design exercise or a separate recruitment-stage full research proposal.

Pay, fees, housing and international arrival

The position-code 1017 gross salary range is NOK 550,800–595,000 depending on competence and experience, with 2% statutory pension deduction. The exact advert’s salary sentence does not explicitly print a pay period; obtain the period and starting placement in the written offer before making an annual or monthly budget. UiO’s payroll page confirms monthly payments on the 12th and holiday-pay arrangements based on earned entitlement. Gross figures are not disposable income and the first-year payment pattern should be checked. UiO payroll guidance. Doctoral candidates are exempt from tuition at Norway’s public higher-education institutions, including non-EU/EEA candidates; MN also explicitly removes semester fees for approved PhD training courses. Ordinary international Bachelor/Master fee tables should not be turned into a personal PhD debt. Confirm any optional training outside the approved plan and secondment expenses separately. Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education guidance. For local housing context, SSB’s 2025 survey reports average monthly rents of NOK 10,090 for a one-room dwelling and 15,260 for two rooms in Oslo/Bærum. These are dwelling categories including living rooms, not a shared-room quotation; they reflect a survey of existing leases, not a 2027 new-lease offer. Utilities vary and no future rent or savings are guaranteed. SSB tables and definitions. UiO warns that researcher-housing demand exceeds supply and recommends private alternatives from the start; department-arranged university housing has 2–12-month contract limits. Researcher accommodation. Plan current rent/deposit, food, utilities, transport and arrival costs against the actual net offer. Official tax guidance distinguishes PAYE from ordinary taxation; eligibility and deductions vary, so a single fixed rate should not be projected across the whole appointment. The available evidence was the Tax Administration’s indexed guidance; its live URL failed. Tax scheme comparison. UDI’s relevant indexed guidance distinguishes full-time research paid by a Norwegian employer from own-funded research and points employed researchers to the work/skilled-worker framework. The live guideline was inaccessible; HR should confirm the current nationality-specific checklist. Do not apply a generic student savings threshold or student work-hour allowance to this employee appointment. UDI employment distinction.

Career value and questions for the team

The most transferable outcomes are inspectable scientific programming, quantitative uncertainty judgement, research computing, interdisciplinary interpretation and scientific communication. Industry secondments may add exposure, but partner identities and arrangements remain unknown; neither permanent employment nor a specific industry salary is promised. UiO provides PhD career-plan templates and access to career guidance throughout the research period. Career planning support. Before applying, prioritise the code and cell-experience requirements, foreign-degree/grade documentation, approved English evidence and deadline clock. At interview, ask about weekly supervisory responsibilities, experimental-data handover and governance, candidate-specific computing/software support, reproducibility expectations and industry secondments. Before accepting, obtain the annual salary basis/placement, exact start and contract, any fourth-year decision and distribution of duties, travel/research expense coverage, building readiness and researcher-permit support. The four-year convergence-project calendar does not itself guarantee a fourth employment year.

Evidence and Sources

The recruitment and paper-assessment information summarized here is dated 22 October 2026. Evidence strength differs by study: the ACS Omega discussion uses the publisher-indexed abstract, publication history and data-availability text; the Molecules discussion uses selected indexed primary-source passages; the OBC discussion uses the complete abstract and publication information. These scopes support bounded summaries, not full-text reproduction or a repository audit. Reported page-access failures describe those retrieval attempts; they do not mean the papers contain no fuller information.

Recruitment, University and Training

• Exact UiO Computational Medicinal Chemistry for Addiction recruitment
• DECODING ADDICTION official convergence environment
• MN supplementary PhD regulations
• MN PhD programme structure
• MN courses and educational component
• UiO early career researcher career plan
• ShanghaiRanking UiO 2026 institutional profile
• UiO salary payment administration
• UiO Life Science Building current staged move
• MNSES9100 Science Ethics and Society

Supervisors and Research

• Osman Gani current UiO profile
• Trond Vidar Hansen current UiO profile
• UiO MedChem Group
• Sigma2 access and allocation support
• Sigma2 LUMI hardware and support overview
• Bathen et al. 2026 original OBC paper
• Hasselstrøm et al. 2026 original ACS Omega paper
• Nolsøe et al. 2024 original Mucosin paper
• Oslo University Hospital Deo Prakash Pandey profile

Evaluation, Funding and Living Conditions

• Research Council external Department of Pharmacy evaluation December 2024
• SSB rental survey 2025
• UiO international researcher accommodation
• Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education tuition rules
• UDI employed versus own-funded researcher distinction
• Norwegian Tax Administration foreign-worker PAYE