Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Microbiology / Bacteriophage Research

The position

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available at The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS), Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) within the Marine Bioprospecting group of the Centre for new antibacterial strategies (CANS-UiT).

Recently the group started research lines focused on viruses of microbes and this will be the focus of this position. The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer. 

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant can carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

The project

This project aims at the expansion of our nascent bacteriophage collection, the characterization of the phages and the investigation of host-pathogen interactions. Since 2022 we are isolating phages from different sources: marine samples using Arctic bacteria, aquaculture-related samples using bacteria with relevance for Norwegian aquaculture and sewage samples using potential bacterial pathogens for humans.

The candidate for this position is expected to lead phage isolation efforts, perform imaging/sequencing/genome analysis and make functional assays. Of note are the description of novel marine psychrophilic phages, -omics analysis of phage-bacteria interactions under mucosal conditions, mass spectrometry of phage-infected cells, and work on phages with relevance for clinical use in Norway. With novel phages in hands and with different perspectives to explore them, it is expected that the candidate will have many opportunities to achieve a good track record in phage research during this position. Specific tasks will be set before the project starts based on the candidate interests and the group needs. Expect to lead a main project and help in guiding secondary projects during the position.

A 4-page project proposal must be submitted as part of the application for this position. The objective of the project proposal is to understand the candidate goals, knowledge on the research topic and guide us during the evaluation process. This means that the activities proposed on the project proposal may not be the activities to be done once the candidate is selected. The project proposal should contain: an introduction, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, references and a brief career plan. For the career plan focus on what you expect to achieve with this position, what you need/want to develop while working at the UiT and what your goals are after this position is finished.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Gabriel Almeida: 

• phone:  +47 77646537
• email: gabriel.d.almeida@uit.no

or Professor Klara Stensvåg:

• phone: +47 41239918
• email: klara.stensvag@uit.no

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• This position requires a PhD in Microbiology or related areas.
• Wet-lab experience in Microbiology: cultivation of microorganisms, culture media preparation and working in aseptic conditions.
• Bioinformatic skills: basic knowledge on viral genome analysis (assembly, annotation, phylogeny).
• Applicants must document fluency of in English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with viruses and with molecular biology are considered advantages.
• Experience with metagenome and transcriptome analyses in virus-infection contexts are considered advantages.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals documenting the required experiences are considered advantages.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:

• Have good collaboration skills
• Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Wants to contribute to a good working environment

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Qualification with a PhD is required before commencement in the position. If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. You must have dissertated before the start-up date of the position.

Inclusion and diversity  

UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.  

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics. 

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund  

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility 

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Project proposal (max 4 pages)
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• 2 reference letters (if applicable)
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. 

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority. 

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.