Doctoral Candidate (PhD student position in medical science) at the University of Oslo, Norway [...]

Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Odontology, University of Oslo

Organisation / Company University of Oslo Department Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Odontology, University of Oslo Research Field Biological sciences » Biological engineering Medical sciences » Health sciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Norway Application Deadline 7 Oct 2025 - 00 : 00 (Europe / Oslo) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Reference Number Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Join the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network SHIELD (Strategies for Healing Implant-associated infections and Enhancing Longevity in Devices) and contribute to cutting-edge research aimed at combating implant-associated infections. This doctoral fellowship is hosted at the Department of Biomaterials (BIOMAT), Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo (UiO) under the supervision of Professor Håvard J. Haugen .

Objectives : DC15 will develop and validate innovative non-antibiotic debridement tools to enhance infection control in dental implants, in close collaboration with Corticalis (O4) . The project will investigate both the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of these new technologies, with particular focus on their biocompatibility with human oral tissues , ensuring the absence of cytotoxic effects and supporting healthy cell proliferation.

Research activities include :

• Work with in vitro anaerobic polymicrobial biofilm model consisting of six species (2 early, 2 middle, 2 late colonisers) relevant to peri-implant infections (O5).
• Evaluating the biocompatibility of novel debridement strategies with human oral tissues.
• Developing an animal model of implant-associated infection that closely mimics human peri-implantitis, in collaboration with the Institute of Veterinary Medicine, to study biofilm mechanisms and host responses (O5).
• Assessing the effectiveness of debridement tools in collaboration with DC10 at UGOT and DC11 at Anthogyr (O6).
• Translating experimental findings into clinically relevant protocols to guide future pilot human studies.

Training and mobility :

Corticalis (O4) (industry partner, Norway)

Interested candidates should send an application containing the following documents in English (and, when necessary, a certified translation of official documents) :

Applications must be submitted via UiO’s electronic recruiting system. All documents must be in English or a Scandinavian language. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.

Note : If you are applying for a different DC position within the SHIELD Doctoral network, please follow the instructions provided by the hosting organisation. These instructions can be found in the specific link associated with each DC position.

Research Field Biological sciences » Biological engineering Education Level Master Degree or equivalent

Skills / Qualifications

Research Field : dentistry, medicine, biomaterials, biomedical engineering, microbiology, or related life / health sciences.

Documented experience in one or more of the following :

Languages ENGLISH Level Excellent

Research Field Biological sciences » Biological engineering

Additional Information

The appointment will be temporarily for a maximum period of 36 months (PhD student, regular full-time employment contract), with an attractive salary plus allowances package according to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie / Innovative Training Networks rules.

Eligibility criteria

For additional information about this DC position, please get in touch with the scientist-in-charge / supervisor :

Some background material about the host institution & research group can be found here :

This PhD position is part of the European Doctoral Network “ SHIELD ” ( Strategies for Healing Implant-associated infections and Enhancing Longevity in Devices ). SHIELD offers an exciting opportunity for 16 early-career researchers to contribute to transforming the management of infections associated with medical implants. Focused on addressing the challenges posed by implant-associated infections (IAIs), SHIELD aims to deepen our understanding of IAI mechanisms and develop innovative antibacterial biomaterials to improve patient outcomes.

Structured around three core scientific pillars— regenerative medicine , biomaterial science , and translational research models —SHIELD supports research on therapeutic strategies, novel antimicrobial materials, and experimental models that bridge laboratory discoveries to clinical applications. The program emphasises interdisciplinary collaboration across orthopaedics , otology , and odontology , integrating basic research with preclinical and clinical studies.

SHIELD offers the opportunity to 16 talented doctoral candidates (DCs) to pursue a PhD within the Network at different universities and industrial companies from 26 institutions across 11 countries (France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States)

Background information on all DC positions and theSHIELD Doctoral Network is available on :

SHIELD (Strategies for Healing Implant-associated infections and Enhancing Longevity in Devices) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No .

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