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About the position
At the Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Norwegian University of Life Science (NMBU) is a vacant PhD position. This is a temporary position with a duration of 3 years, and with the possibility of extension for up to one year given allocated teaching obligations for undergraduate veterinary students. The project collaborates with The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh (Prof. Daniel J. Macqueen – lab website here).
This PhD project, entitled “PhD scholarship within cell biology and fish immunology”, will focus on melano-macrophages in salmon. Melano-macrophages are cells that are highly active in several immune responses in ectothermic vertebrates. Their presence during inflammation in salmon muscle causes the condition “Melanized focal changes” that are the most common quality deviations in fillets of farmed Atlantic salmon, resulting in significant economic losses each year. However, the actions, responses and immunological significance of the melano-macrophages are poorly understood.
The selected candidate will build upon our previous investigations and be responsible for conducting experiments to further characterize the melano-macrophages and their role in the development of the melanized foci. Experiments will involve investigations of cell lines and primary cell cultures under different experimental conditions, using cell sorting, single-cell transcriptomics, and cell-resolved RT-qPCR.
The results will be used to generate RNA probes and antibodies to assess the inflammatory response in the fish. The project will collaborate with the FHF (Norwegian Seafood Research Fund) project (‘FatSpot’) which will provide material from wet-lab experiments and production fish, aiming at elucidating the impact of dietary oils on the development of melanized focal changes. Collaboration with an existing PhD student in this project will be exploited. Part of the laboratory work may be conducted at The Roslin Institute in Scotland, and a stay abroad in the UK is to be expected during the project period.
The PhD student will be part of the research group “Immunoanatomy in fishes” at the Unit of Anatomy. The group consists currently of one professor, one associate professor and three PhD students. The group has extensive national and international collaboration with relevant research groupings and a well-recognized international standing within the field of fish immunology.
The applicant is made aware that an application for a PhD position at NMBU is at the same time an application for admission to a PhD programme at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment.
Main tasks
Perform cell culture work and isolate melano-macrophages
Perform flow cytometry and/or cell sorting and characterization using different experimental approaches including sequencing and RT-qPCR experiments
Perform in situ hybridization and other morphological experiments
Validate results and write papers for international publications
Share results at conferences and with the aquaculture industry in various forums
Complete the mandatory training component in accordance with the Regulations for the degree of PhD at NMBU
Prepare and publish scientific manuscripts in international peer-reviewed journals, and compile these into a doctoral thesis in accordance with the Regulations for the degree of PhD at NMBU (tillegg).
The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with the aim to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period.
Competence
To be eligible for the position, the candidate must meet the requirements for admission to one of the PhD programmes at NMBU.
Admission to a PhD programme requires that the applicant has a relevant academic background; a master's degree, a cand.med.vet. degree, or an equivalent qualification, in accordance with the descriptions in the national qualifications framework. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background relevant to the position and be able to demonstrate proficiency in English, both written and spoken. For more detailed information about the admission criteria, PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description.
Required qualifications:
Veterinary degree with authorization for practice in the issuing country of graduation or a relevant MSc degree, for example in immunology, cell biology or molecular biology or proteomics
Be proficient in English, both written and spoken
Be amenable to travel to the UK
Applicants completing their degree during spring 2026 may also apply but cannot assume the position until the degree has been completed.
Newly graduates are encouraged to apply.
Qualifications considered an advantage:
Experience within
Cell culture
Single cell omics and RT-qPCR
Immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and confocal microscopy
Flow cytometry
Aquaculture and fish health/fish diseases
Teaching and supervising students
Previous experience with research and/or publishing in scientific journals
Be proficient in Norwegian, both written and spoken
Personal qualities
Creative and independent with high ambitions and strong motivation for academic work
Be able to handle variations in workload and be flexible when needed according to the project’s needs
Good communication and collaboration skills
Proficiency in Norwegian may be considered an advantage and will open up for the PhD candidate to participate in teaching with concomitant extension of the contract beyond three years. The Unit of anatomy has significant teaching obligations in the veterinary curriculum, and the possibility for the successful PhD candidate to participate in these obligations will be evaluated favourably. The teaching of the veterinary students at the faculty is conducted in Norwegian.
Remuneration and further information
The position is placed in position code 1017 PhD. Fellow, NOK 550 800-660 000. PhD candidates are normally placed at salary level NOK 550.800. This is a temporary position with a duration of 3 years. Seniority promotion in the position.
Admission to a PhD program is a prerequisite for appointment to the PhD scholarship position.
Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars, and in accordance with the Civil Servant Act, the Security Act, and the Export Control Act.
This position is a training/educational position. Grant-funded travel abroad may be expected.
Interested in learning more about the position? We are happy to tell you more. Contact Associate Professor Håvard Bjørgen, phone: +47 413 66 569, e-mail: havard.bjorgen@nmbu.no or Professor Erling Olaf Koppang, phone: +47 913 24 145, e-mail: erling.o.koppang@nmbu.no
Send application electronically via the link "Apply for this job" at the top of this page. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form. Applications that are not submitted electronically through Jobbnorge by the deadline will not be considered.
Application Deadline: April 17, 2026
Your CV must be entered in Jobbnorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is in order to be able to comply with the regulations to the Public Administration Act §15.
In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.
Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.
The following documents must be attached to the application:
MSc applicants must fill in the following form Appendix 1 to the application . This form is not required for Veterinary applicants.
Motivation letter
CV
Certified copies of relevant academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.
Name and contact information for two references.
About the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at NMBU is the country's only veterinary professional education and provide expertise in veterinary medicine and veterinary public health. The Faculty educates veterinarians, animal nurses and doctoral students in Veterinary Science and researches in veterinary medicine and related biomedical fields. We have 500 students and 430 employees.
The faculty consists of the departments of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Paraclinical Sciences, Production Animal Clinical Sciences and Companion Animal Clinical Sciences. We also run the Animal Hospital, which is closely linked to our research and education, and receives patients from all over the country.
