This text has been translated from Norwegian with the assistance of GPT UiO.
Vice-Dean for Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lars T. Westlye, is delighted that the Department of Psychology will lead three research groups across the university.
– This is extremely good news, and congratulations are in order to all the project leaders and partners across the various faculties and departments.
– The competition for these funds is fierce. It is therefore impressive how important PSI’s strong research environments have become to UiO’s life sciences initiative, emphasises Westlye.
A tendency to addiction
– We will find out how endorphins, the brain’s own opioids, influence drug effects and the risk of substance misuse, says Siri Leknes.
She is one of the project leaders awarded funding from UiO:Life Science to bring together a strong research environment across UiO’s disciplines.
– We will do this with the help of a unique mutation that is not uncommon in Norway. It essentially knocks the endorphin system completely out of action. This allows us to study people with the mutation to understand mechanisms in the brain and body, she continues.
The environment “Decoding Addiction - Unraveling Individual Variability to guide Prevention” has, according to Leknes, received around NOK 18 million over four years for four positions distributed across four research groups.
She hopes the award will make it possible to get to the bottom of major and important questions about substance use and the endorphin system more generally. The convergence environment unites research expertise from psychology, molecular biology and data modelling all the way down to the receptor level.
– What’s especially exciting is that we have already set this interdisciplinary collaboration in motion. In fact, we were in a meeting with one of our partners when the news came through, says Leknes.
Do contraceptives affect mental health?
– I was incredibly happy and proud, both as the leader of this new convergence environment and on behalf of the whole team, which contributed significantly to the application. I’m really looking forward to continuing the work with this group.
So says Christian Tamnes, who will lead the convergence environment “ContraMent - Hormonal contraceptives and mental health: A convergent, interdisciplinary approach”.
They have received NOK 17 million for four positions over four years from UiO:Life Science, he notes. The interdisciplinary convergence environment consists of researchers from psychology, pharmacy, epidemiology, neuroscience and medicine.
– We will investigate how hormonal contraceptives affect women’s mental health, with particular emphasis on depression, he says, adding
– To determine whether the associations between different contraceptives and mental health problems are causal, or better explained by other factors, and how these associations vary across the life course.
They will also examine the underlying mechanisms and women’s own experiences of contraceptive choices, side effects and mood changes, Tamnes adds.
Why are neurodevelopmental conditions rising?
The third convergence environment coming to PSI, “NeuroPathways - A Multidisciplinary Convergence Approach to Understanding and Supporting Neurodevelopmental Variability”, is led by Rosa Cheesman.
They will study why diagnoses of neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism are increasing, and how best to support those affected.
– What is driving this trend, and how can we best support people with neurodevelopmental conditions, asks Cheesman.
She further explains that such conditions vary across a wide spectrum and often come with strengths that deserve recognition, not only challenges.
– Our goal is to generate evidence that helps society respond effectively and inclusively, she says.
The convergence environment brings together researchers from psychology, pharmacy and education, and the new staff will be based at all three institutions, but will work together on common questions in this interdisciplinary project. According to Cheesman, they have received about NOK 17 million for two doctoral and two postdoctoral positions.
– This funding gives us a rare chance to do true interdisciplinary science. It provides the time and resources needed to learn from each other’s fields, integrate our methods, and tackle questions none of us could answer alone.
– It allows us to build a team, train young researchers, and take on challenges that genuinely matter for neurodivergent individuals and their families, says Cheesman.
High quality and broad scope
Life science is one of UiO’s biggest strategic priorities, and this is the fourth round of new convergence environments. A comprehensive application process with quality assurance and evaluation in several stages has been carried out to ensure funding for the best projects.
– We can be confident that the funds are going to very strong projects and outstanding research groups that can help strengthen interdisciplinary life science research at the university, underlines Vice-Dean for Research Lars T. Westlye.
He also points to the thematic breadth of the projects and the fact that the Department of Psychology (PSI) has competitive research groups across a range of fields with high scientific interest and value to society.
– It is especially gratifying that our researchers not only participate in such interdisciplinary initiatives, but also take the lead and coordinate the new convergence environments. This indicates a high level of trust among colleagues, and that our researchers are willing to take responsibility. We look forward to following all the projects, concludes Westlye.
⇒ Read: Eight new convergence environments will address major societal challenges in life sciences