The Department of Pharmacy at the University of Oslo is hiring a PhD research fellow in the DECODING ADDICTION project, which studies the mu-opioid receptor (μOR) and a naturally occurring mutation, R181C, found in the Norwegian population. This work package (WP4) uses computational methods to explain the structural and functional effects of the mutation.
The role
- Build high-resolution models of the wild-type and R181C receptor and run molecular docking.
- Run extensive molecular dynamics simulations (AMBER, NAMD, GROMACS) in lipid bilayers and analyse structures (RMSD, RMSF, hydrogen bonds).
- Calculate free energies (FEP/TI) to quantify changes in binding affinity and receptor-Gi coupling.
- Work with experimental partners in behaviour, mouse models and cell biology, and use the LUMI supercomputer.
- Three-year fellowship; a fourth year with 25% other duties (teaching, supervision, research assistance) may be added. Secondments to industry partners are included.
Requirements
- A master’s degree in pharmacy, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, bioinformatics or a closely related field; a foreign degree must correspond to at least four years in the Norwegian system.
- A strong background in molecular modelling, molecular dynamics or computer-aided drug design, with public code on GitHub, GitLab or similar, and cell biology lab experience.
- Grades: bachelor’s average C or better, master’s average B or better and master’s thesis B or better on the Norwegian scale.
- Fluent English. Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must document English proficiency and cannot start before it is approved. Ability to teach in a Scandinavian language is only an advantage.
- Send a cover letter, CV, bachelor’s and master’s diplomas and transcripts (with an explanation of the grading system if foreign), English documentation, a publication list and 2 to 3 references.
About the employer
The Department of Pharmacy has 130 employees and is in UiO’s new Life Science Building. The project is part of the UiO Life Science Convergence Environment.
Salary and deadline
- PhD research fellow, position code 1017: NOK 550,800 to 595,000 a year depending on competence and experience; 2% goes to the State Pension Fund.
- Start as soon as possible. Deadline: 9 November 2026, through Jobbnorge (ad 309983).
Source: Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, “PhD Research Fellow in Computational Medicinal Chemistry for Addiction Research”, read on 25 October 2026. Summary by AVIDE; see the original page for the full, current text.