Postdoctoral position in Seaweed Biorefinery and Product Characterization

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

About the job

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The Biopolymer NMR Group (https://folk.ntnu.no/aachmann/) is looking for a candidate to be hired for a least two-year postdoctoral position in the “GP Seaweed - New products from cultivated seaweed for blue-green value-chains”. The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway and hosted by the Norwegian Biopolymer Laboratory (NOBIPOL) at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, NTNU. NOBIPOL is a multidisciplinary research group within NTNU devoted to the field Biopolymer Engineering, with focus on the science and technologies of marine polysaccharides. Based on more than 60 years of continuous research in the field, NOBIPOL possesses unmatched competence and experience in all aspects of science and technology of marine polysaccharides.

The postdoctoral position is part of the GP Seaweed project (https://www.sintef.no/en/projects/2023/gp-seaweed/), which aims to expand Norwegian seaweed farming to industrially scale production of new, sustainable, and climate-positive products. These products span four areas: food ingredients, animal feed, bioplastics, and soil improvement/biochar. The focus for the postdoctoral is to develop pre-processing and processing methods for seaweeds, with an emphasis on developing fractionation techniques for targeted end products in food and feed ingredients, as well as seaweed-based biomaterials. Additionally, the postdoctoral fellow is expected to conduct and further develop characterization of the side streams and materials generated from seaweed biorefinery processes. Collaboration with other project partners is anticipated, and the postdoctoral fellow will also engage with other seaweed-related projects at NTNU.

The supervisor will be Prof. Finn L. Aachmann.

Duties of the position

•  Develop biorefinery strategies for seaweeds
•  Target fractionation of end products
•  Develop Seaweed-based biomaterials
•  Characterisation of end products (mainly polysachharides) using NMR, SEC-MALS, HPEAD-PAD, SEC, FT-IR, and other methods
•  Analysis of collected data
•  Preparation of manuscripts, and participation in grant application writing
•  Supervise students, take part in project management, and participate in dissemination activities

Required selection criteria

• A doctoral degree within biorefinery, preferably on seaweed, recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.
• Documented practical experience with pre-processing and processing of seaweed or related biomass.
• Good analytical skills
• Experience with analytical chemistry, preferable on polysaccharides.
• Strong documented experience with biophysical techniques on characterizing polysaccharides (e.g. NMR, SEC, SEC-MALS, HPEAD-PAD, CD, MS and ITC).
• Documented excellent oral and written English skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Chemoenzymatic processes
• Basic Scandinavian language skills
• Relevant practical experience
• Competence with computer based analytical tools

Personal characteristics

The applicant should be motivated, creative and ambitious, with a strong ability to work problem-solution orientated both in teams and independently. The candidate should also be flexible, enjoy interdisciplinary research, and both be able to work independently as well as being a team player. The applicant should be genuinely interested in scientific research and its industrial applications as well as scientific dissemination.

In the evaluation of which applicant is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, and personal suitability, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in this position announcement.

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 Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500,- 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 2 years. The Postdoctoral Fellow should start as soon as possible, but no later than 01.07.2024.

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 on a daily basis.

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 applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include:

• A personal motivation letter (up to one page)
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your Ph.D, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or that your PhD thesis has been submitted
• A copy of the doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 5 items)
• Name and contact information of three referees
• 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. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

 
Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief 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 a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

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 Professor Finn L. Aachmann, email: finn.l.aachmann@ntu.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: 26.03.2024