Ledig stilling ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet
Researcher within Fish immunology
Deadline: 18.10.2020
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.
NCFS undertakes research and research-based teaching of high national and international quality in an interdisciplinary environment. Research activity is provisionally organized into groups focusing on fish immunology and health, living marine resources, seafood science, marine drug discovery, resource management, marine management and resource economics.
The position´s field of research
For development of efficient vaccines for Atlantic salmon it is crucial to gain more in-depth knowledge about adaptive immunity. Presently the understanding about how viral pathogens initiate A.salmon B- and T-cell responses that can lead to protective immunity is elusive. In the project we aim at characterizing A.salmon B- and T cells from different tissues upon viral infection by RNAseq and epigenetic methods.
The successful candidate should do basic research in the field of fish immunology / vaccinology with particular emphasis on Atlantic salmon B cell (or lymphocyte) populations, and a main goal is to characterize the lymphocytes at different immune sites upon viral infections or vaccination. Available antibodies will be used for sorting of B cells from different tissues and RNAseq will be used to compare the transcript profiles of B-cells enriched from immune sites of virus-infected fish. The project will have a strong focus on developing novel molecular techniques such as Assay for Transponase Accessible Chromatin high through sequencing (ATAC seq) to answer important questions related to distinct functionalities of different B cell populations in Atlantic salmon. The candidate will have access to state of the art cell-and molecular biology labs at NCFS and the Bio-imaging core facilities at the Faculty of Health Science, where flow cytometers for cell sorting is available. The immunization/infection experiments will be carried out at the Tromsø Aquaculture Research Station and the sequencing at the Norwegian Sequencing Centre on the Illumina Hiseq platform. Collaborators on this project are prof. Espen Rimstad’s and ass. Professor Simen Sandve’s groups at NMBU, and dr Maria Dahle at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.
The candidate will be engaged in:
Planning and conducting laboratory and challenge experiments to study Atlantic salmon lymphocyte localization and functions upon viral infections or vaccination
Implementing the ATAC seq method and analysing RNAseq data
Contributing to high-quality publications.
Supervising PhD and MSc students at NCFS
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
Associate Professor Ingvill Jensen: telefon: +47 77 64 68 64 e-post: ingvill.jensen@uit.no eller
The successful candidate is expected to hold a Norwegian doctoral degree within a field relevant for the research theme of the position (i.e. (fish) immunology, molecular biology), or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.
We are looking for a keen scientist with a genuine interest in comparative immunology, who has an excellent academic record and the ambition and potential to become an internationally acknowledged researcher.
The suitable candidate must document (i.e. peer-reviewed or otherwise published) expertise in:
Immunology / fish immunology
Molecular biology / cellular biology /virology
Application of bioinformatic tools.
Language skills - the candidate must show a good command of English, both spoken and written. Proficiency in a Norwegian/ Scandinavian language is considered an advantage.
It is considered advantageous if the candidate has previous hands-on knowledge of viruses, immunological methods including FACS analysis, bioinformatics tools, working with live fish / challenge experiments. Applicants with a doctoral degree in fish immunology will be given preference.
We are seeking for a highly motivated and committed candidate who is passionate about developing her/his own research. Candidate should have excellent communication and organizational skills in order to work in a multidisciplinary team, do project management and outreach, and supervision of students. Emphasis is given to personal suitability.
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).
During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidates potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.
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 from completed degrees
2-3 reference letters with contact details
Documentation of proficiency in English language and Norwegian/ Scandinavian language if applicable. How to document.
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 only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.
We offer
Good welfare arrangements for employees
Involvement in an interesting research project
A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
A large degree of independence in work
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.
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.
More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: Welcome to UiT!
