Optimized monitoring of patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (DC1)

This PhD project is embedded in Work Package 1: Hormone Dynamics of the ENDOTRAIN network and aims to investigate how endocrine rhythms are affected in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency using real-world, continuous data streams. 

The rationale is to investigate how cortisol levels influence tissue glucose, blood pressure and sleep (sleep radar) and how it correlates with patient reported data. The goal is to define the optimal range of tissue cortisol in primary adrenal insufficiency and define time in range of cortisol compared to healthy subjects.  

The project includes: 

• Case control study collecting wearable-based data and hormone profiles from healthy subjects (20) and PAI patients (20) at two different doses of hydrocortisone
• Integrate wearable-derived physiological data (e.g., activity, heart rate, temperature) with 24h dynamic hormone profiling, proteomics and patient-reported data.
• Contribute to multimodal datasets feeding into the broader development of digital diagnostic tools in endocrinology.
• Secondments with technical and clinical partners within the consortium
• Close collaboration with other Doctoral Candidates within WP1.
• Participation in the doctoral training network including workshops, courses in topics relevant for the project 

Research fields:

Endocrinology, Digital Health, Medical Sensors, Systems Physiology, Internal Medicine 

Secondments:

• University of Ulm (D): To work with algorithms for wearable data
• University of Manchester (UK): To learn mathematical modelling of hormone rhythms. 

University of Bergen (UiB), in collaboration with Haukeland University Hospital (HUH), offers a leading environment in clinical and translational endocrinology. The PhD candidate will be based at the Department of Clinical Science and will be member of the Endocrine medicine Research Group (An endocrine umbrella | Endocrine Medicine | UiB). The group have members with diverse competences including clinical researchers, molecular biologists, geneticists and experts in bioinformatics. The candidate will benefit from an excellent work environment including access to state-of-the-art biobanking, wearable technologies, hormone analytics, and extensive international collaborations. 

The candidate should work full-time on the project and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Norway for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Applicant must fulfil eligibility criteria for Norwegian PhD positions and will be enrolled in the structured PhD programme of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen (Prospective PhD candidates | Faculty of Medicine | UiB). 
 
Participation in the interdisciplinary training of the ENDOTRAIN network is mandatory, including workshops, retreats, transferable skills courses, and cohort-wide meetings across Europe. 

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with: 

• Master’s degree in medicine (MD) 
• Strong interest in translational endocrinology and digital health technologies 
• Basic programming or data science skills (R, Python) and interest in wearable data analysis are an asset
• Experience from relevant research projects will be considered as positive
• The candidate should be able to work independently and possess good communication skills and capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration   
• Ability and motivation to carry out a PhD project
• The applicant must be fluent in oral and written English

• Salary according to Norwegian regulations
• Full social security coverage in Norway
• Travel and secondment budget included
• Opportunities for international networking, industry exposure, and career development 

Applications will only be accepted through the Jobbnorge portal.

Applications without the mandatory attachments (application, CV, mobility declaration, motivation templates) will not be considered.