PhD Position in Sports Science

The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH) is Sweden's leading knowledge center for sports, performance development, physical activity, and health. GIH hereby announces a PhD position in the field of sports science focusing on physical activity and health with an emphasis on epidemiology and neuroscience.

Project Description:

As the brain ages, several changes occur: the number of brain cells decreases and memory deteriorates. This process can be accelerated by factors such as prolonged stress and lack of physical activity. In this project, we will investigate the relationships between prolonged stress and early brain aging, assessed through MRI markers. Additionally, we will examine which types of activities and lifestyle factors can counteract prolonged stress and its impact on brain aging. The project is part of the excellence center E-PABS at GIH, where brain health is studied in relation to lifestyle and physical activity from the perspectives of epidemiology, neurophysiology, and behavior change. Within E-PABS, GIH co-produces knowledge together with partners from industry, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and the education sector.

The PhD work will include brain imaging, data analysis, analyzing results, and writing reports and scientific articles. You will be part of an international research group consisting of passionate and talented colleagues.

Eligibility for Doctoral Education

To be eligible for doctoral education in sports science, the applicant must have:

• completed a degree at the advanced level, fulfilled course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level, or in some other way acquired equivalent knowledge within or outside the country,
• the ability otherwise needed to complete the education.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6 (Link).

The basic eligibility must be fulfilled by the time of admission to doctoral education, 2025-06-04.

Application

The application for admission must include the following certified documents in PDF format:

• Degree certificate or other documents that verify eligibility. A copy of the degree certificate must be attached in the original language as well as in an English translation by an authorized translator (does not apply to Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English). If the studies are not completed at the time of application, the applicant must also attach a certificate issued by the educational institution indicating the expected graduation date,
• Certificate of eligibility equivalent to English B/6 (link),
• Thesis at the advanced level (master's thesis). Accepted languages are Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, English,
• CV with a brief written motivation for the application based on educational background,
• Suggestions for at least two references.

Selection

Selection among applicants will be made with regard to the ability to benefit from doctoral education. An important assessment criterion is the focus on higher education credits at the advanced level and the quality of the independent work at the advanced level. The assessment will be based on the following established criteria:

• familiarity with relevant prior knowledge in the field of physical activity and health, epidemiology, and/or neuroscience
• theoretical awareness and familiarity with appropriate methods,
• analytical ability,
• ability for critical thinking and problem formulation,
• written and oral communication skills in English, and
• familiarity with ethical issues.

For this PhD position, the following will also be considered:

• great emphasis is placed on good collaboration skills, initiative, perseverance, and independence,
• great emphasis is placed on previous experience working with R, MATLAB, Python, or Stata,
• great emphasis is placed on previous experience working with MRI markers, brain health, or stress-related diseases,
• great emphasis is placed on documented ability to write scientific work in English,
• significant weight is placed on previous experience in data processing or data organization,
• weight is placed on previous experience in participating in scientific work or report writing.

Admission and Employment

Regulations for admission to doctoral education are governed by Chapter 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance and GIH's admission regulations. Regulations for employment as a PhD student can be found in Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance. Only those who are admitted to doctoral education may be appointed to the position of PhD student. In the appointment process, emphasis will primarily be placed on the degree of ability to benefit from the education.

Other Conditions

As part of preparing PhD students for a continued professional life within higher education, GIH would like the PhD student to allocate their employment over five years with 20 percent so-called institutional service. The department should ensure that the PhD student gains teaching experience and that they can credit courses in the pedagogical development area in their doctoral education.

For more information about the positions as a PhD student and doctoral education at GIH, please refer to our webpages on doctoral education at GIH.

For information about what it means to be employed at GIH, see our employee and leadership policy.

GIH promotes diversity and equality, and we welcome applicants with different backgrounds and experiences.

Duration/Working Hours

Fixed-term employment for four years full-time (corresponding to 100 percent working hours) according to Chapter 5, Sections 1–7 of the Higher Education Ordinance, with a start date no later than 2025-08-15.

Salary

The salary is regulated by local collective agreements.

Application Deadline

The application must be received by GIH no later than 2025-04-14.

Claimed merits must be verifiable upon request.

GIH promotes diversity and equality in all employment categories. We welcome applicants with different backgrounds and experiences.

We kindly ask for no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or advertisers.