Translated by UiOGPT
"We will look at the whole spectrum of different effects, from pain relief to nausea and discomfort, to euphoria and dizziness," she says.
The opioid effect
"Not least, we want to examine the variation in how people react when they receive strong opioid painkillers. Why do some people not get pain relief from these medications, while others experience fantastic effects? And why do some feel discomfort, while others feel that the world falls into place, perhaps for the very first time?"
Leknes recently learned that her project, SpectrO, has been awarded a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) worth 2.5 million euros, which translates to almost 30 million Norwegian kroner at the current exchange rate. In total, four researchers at UiO have received Consolidator Grants in this round.
Such grants are given to advanced researchers who completed their doctorates between seven and twelve years ago.
Leknes previously received an ERC Starting Grant in 2019 for the project OPIOIDREWARD, which will conclude next year.
She has also been a driving force for open research through the Department of Psychology's "Open Science Initiative."
"I hope that the grant will make it easier to be heard within the UiO system going forward, for example, in terms of recognizing the importance of open and robust research," she emphasizes.
Dynamic research environment
Head of department Bjørn Lau is impressed by the results Leknes and other researchers at the Department of Psychology have achieved.
"We are proud and delighted and congratulate Siri and her research group on the ERC grant. This is one of the most prestigious research grants in Europe, and it is a recognition of the groundbreaking research that Siri and her team are conducting," says Lau.
He also highlights the department's research environment, which has contributed to supporting Leknes along the way.
"This grant is also a confirmation of the quality of the research environment at the Department of Psychology. We look forward to following the project further."
With Siri Leknes' new Consolidator Grant, she enters an exclusive group of distinguished researchers who have received two or more ERC projects at the Department of Psychology (PSI) and the Faculty of Social Sciences. Of the six at the faculty, four belong to PSI.
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Also read about Andreas Moxnes (ØI) and Vegard Skirbekk (PSI), who both received ERC Advanced Grants earlier this year.
Passionate about the project
Leknes is now entering a phase where she will conclude her Starting Grant project and kick off the new Consolidator Grant. She is not afraid to take challenges head-on.
SpectrO consists, according to Leknes, of three sub-projects that are methodologically very different.
"In short, I have set out to do three different things that I don't know how to do yet. So this will be a lot of fun and at the same time challenging to learn."
Eighteen months have passed since she started writing the project application, and she emphasizes the good help from colleagues in the research group along the way.
"I have felt increasingly sure that I really want to do exactly this project. At the same time, I have been very anxious about whether it could become a reality."
"The joy was correspondingly great. Since the notification came while we were on vacation, I had the chance to share it with three generations of close family, which was wonderful," concludes the psychology professor.
