PhD Candidate in Microbial Biotechnology

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

About the job

We have a vacancy for a PhD position in the Division of Microbial Biotechnology at IBT.  For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.This PhD position will be part of the NRC funded project “From the Ocean to Sustainable Biorefinery: The Dormant Potential of Seaweed (WeedNERY)”, led by NTNU. The WeedNERY project aims to develop knowledge and methods for valorization of brown and red seaweeds into high quality value-added compounds thought microbial bioprocesses, and thus contribute to sustainable bioeconomy. The research focus of the PhD position will be on the microbial utilization of seaweed derived sugar monomers and the degradation of seaweed derived polymers, which includes microbial molecular biology, bioprocess engineering and biomass upgrading. Hence, the overall project goal is to engineer microbial cell factories that can grow using seaweed-based carbohydrates while producing added-value compounds.

The project group comprises a strong interdisciplinary consortium with scientists having complementary background from microbial biotechnology, metabolic engineering, bioprocesses, industrial biotechnology, and sustainability, together with industry partners representing both the seaweed industry and white biotechnology. The PhD candidate will be a part of this team.

Your immediate leader will be researcher Fernando Pérez-García from the Division of Microbial Biotechnology of the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science at NTNU.
 

Duties of the position

• Upgrading and testing of red and brown seaweeds as microbial feedstocks.
• Use metagenomic and bioinformatic tools to characterize endogenous seaweed microbial communities.
• Development of microbial cell factories by using genetic engineering.
• Apply analytics to characterize microbial cell factories.
• Perform microbial cultivations at different volume scales.
• Supervise master students who want to specialize in the topic of biotechnology.
• Disseminate research results in the form of peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and reports.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a relevant educational background in Biotechnology, Life sciences or a related field.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before the starting day.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program (https://www.ntnu.edu/phd).
• You must have experimental experience in molecular biology work, particularly in microbial biotechnology.
• You must have good written and oral English language skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Knowledge and skills in microbial ecology
• Knowledge and skills in bioprocesses / fermentations at different cultivation scales
• Knowledge and skills in bioinformatics and computational science

Personal characteristics

• Motivated and ambitious personality with a general interest in science.
• Ability to work both independently and in collaboration with others.
• Analytical mindset and good problem-solving skills.
• Ability to clearly communicate ideas and knowledge.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years. The PhD should start as soon as possible, but no later than 01.06.2024.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Biotechnology (https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/phbiot) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• An up to 1 page motivation letter stating why you wish to have this particular PhD position
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted
• Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position
• Name and contact information of three referees
• If you have publications or other relevant research work (e.g., a copy of the master's thesis)

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Researcher Fernando Perez-Garcia, email: fernando.perez-garcia@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 22.03.2024