UiT The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) consists of Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NFH) and School of Business and Economics. The main task of BFE is to conduct teaching and research dissemination at a high national and international level within all relevant fields. Prioritized research areas are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, life in the arctic, marine bioprospecting, fish health, seafood products, business and macroeconomics, resources and environment, markets and management of marine resources.

The interdisciplinary profile of the faculty provides good opportunity to develop research projects involving several research groups at the faculty according to its strategy.

Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics

The position

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics at UiT The Arctic University of Norway has a two-year research position vacant in Gut Microbial Ecology. The position is attached to The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) and and the research group Seafood Science . The position is part of a strategic commitment to increase the knowledge of utilization and general health effects of seafood consumption. This includes mechanistic studies of possible health effects. In addition, the research group focuses on qualities of traditional and novel, wild and farmed, marine resources and products from such resources. The ambition of the research group is to provide relevant, complete and innovative knowledge for the development of the marine sector. We aspire to offer high-level research and education to acquire sustainable end economically viable utilization of marine resources.

The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) undertakes research and research-based teaching of high national and international quality in an interdisciplinary environment. Research activities are provisionally organized into the groups of Living Marine Resources, Food Science, Fish Health, Marine Drug Discovery, Marine Resource Management and Development, Environmental and Resource Economics

The position’s field of research

The multidisciplinary research project SECURE (“Novel Marine Resources for Food Security and Food Safety”) is looking for a keen scientist, with an excellent academic record and the ambition and potential to become an internationally acknowledged researcher. SECURE is financed by UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and deals with the utilisation of novel marine low trophic level food resources. The overall aim of the project is to develop knowledge enabling sustainable food security and safety by a multidisciplinary approach covering research fields from cardiometabolic health to legal framework.

The researcher will study the role of the oral and gut microbiome in the crosstalk between novel marine resources, gut microbes and host in relation to atherosclerosis using transgenic mice as an animal model.

Research Area

The successful candidate will reveal and document underlaying mechanisms and causal links in the crosstalk between novel marine diets, gut microbes and the host – and how this affects the development of atherosclerosis in transgenic mice. The candidate will test the hypothesis that novel low-trophic arctic marine raw materials will modulate the composition of the microbiome and consequently change the output of metabolites by the microbial “biofilter” of the gut and its protective effect on gut barrier function.

This will be done through

• Determining the effect of marine raw materials on the structure and composition of the gut microbiome in transgenic mice;
• Visualizing and determining the oral and atherosclerotic plaque microbial communities to examine responses to marine diets;
• Profiling genes expressed by the gut microbiome linking diet-microbes-metabolites and biomarkers for atherosclerosis in gut content and blood;
• Determining butyrate and acetate concentrations in gut contents and blood levels of LPS;
• Determining expression levels for specific genes involved in gut barrier integrity and microbial endotoxemia to examine the effect of the marine diet and its consequent changes in the gut microbiome on gut permeability.

The candidate will be engaged in planning and conducting laboratory experiments, scrutinizing the molecular and metabolic foundation of the microbial interactions in the gut related to diet and cardiovascular disease, analyzing molecular data using the most recent or self-developed bioinformatics tools, supervising PhD and MSc students, and contributing to high-impact publications.

Contact

Further information about the position and UiT is available by contacting:

Professor Edel O. Elvevoll

• phone: +47 99 24 65 79
• email: edel.elvevoll@uit.no

or Professor Monica Altskjær Sundset

• phone: +47 97 19 07 22
• email: monica.a.sundset@uit.no

Qualifications

We seek a highly motivated and committed candidate who is passionate about developing her/his own research. The candidate must have excellent communication and organizational skills in order to work in a multidisciplinary team, do project management and outreach, and supervise PhD and MSc students.

The position requires the following qualifications:

• PhD in Microbial Ecology, Bioinformatics or Animal Physiology.
• The suitable candidate must document (i.e. peer-reviewed or otherwise published) expertise in molecular methods applied to microbial communities/microbiomes (e.g. 16S amplicon sequencing, metatranscriptomics) and application of relevant bioinformatic tools.
• Experience in international collaboration.
• Experience from practical laboratory work relevant to the given project.
• Hands-on experience with animal experiments is an advantage.
• Language skills: Applicants should be fluent in English, both orally and written.

During the assessment, emphasis will be on your potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.

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).

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via www.jobbnorge.no and shall include

• application letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV - summarizing education, positions and academic work
• diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• reference letters (2-3) with contact details
• the academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment

The documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

We offer

• good welfare arrangements for employees
• involvement in an interesting research project
• a good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
• good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The appointment is for a fixed period of 2 years. Remuneration for Researcher is in accordance with the State salary code 1109. A compulsory contribution of 2% to the the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

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

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. UiT and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

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.

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