Job description

A 3-year Ph.D. position is available at the Centre for Embryology and Healthy Development (CRESCO; recently launched Norwegian Centre of Excellence). The candidate will work in the Stem Cells, Ageing and Cancer group under the supervision of Deputy Centre Director and Associate Professor Lorena Arranz, located at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo. The project entitles "Imaging Ageing Endothelium at the Nanoscale" and the position is funded by the EU Horizon Europe MSCA Program "Doctoral Networks" (DN) ImAge-D. The co-supervisor will be Professor Friedemann Kiefer from Universität Münster.

The position needs to start as soon as possible and no later than 01.09.2024.

More about the position

The MSCA-DN ImAge-D has particular emphasis placed upon the application of high-resolution optical methods that enable functional and kinetic studies of the morphology of brain, bone marrow and liver endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro and in situ. Because the size of many relevant features is well below the spatial resolution of conventional optical microscopes, they have so far mostly escaped our ability to directly follow their dynamic transport processes and cell to cell interactions in vitro and in vivo. Thanks to a close collaboration with the Physics Dept. and the Medical Biology Dept. at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and the Biophotonics Dept. at the University of Bielefeld, we now have new optical tools available that can overcome the fundamental limit of spatial resolution in optics, the diffraction limit.

This Ph.D. project will focus on using highly resolving optical methods that enable the direct and dynamic visualization of ultrastructure in sinusoidal ECs in the bone marrow, their changes with ageing and impact on blood stem cell function, the blood system and age-related frailty.

In addition to the use/development of optical super-resolution methods to study sinusoidal ECs in the bone marrow as monocultures and co-cultures with stem cells, in situ and (if possible) in vivo, the candidate will learn and perform mouse stem cell function work ex vivo and in vivo, including gold standard techniques such as transplantation. The candidate will work with experts in the field of stem cell biology and microscopy and will enjoy a close collaboration within a dynamic and ambitious team recently transitioned to the University of Oslo. Our labs are physically located at SINTEF, Forskningsveien 1, Oslo. 

The candidate

We seek a highly motivated candidate excited to work on cutting-edge methodologies and stem cells with applications in translational medicine. The ideal candidate is collaborative and creative, has formal training in microscopy, strong stem cell biology skills, and is willing to work in an international team. The candidate must be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and have demonstrated the ability to deliver results according to set timelines. FELASA certificate (or similar) and willingness to work with mice are requirements for this position. 

Qualification requirements

• Master’s degree in cell biology/medical biology. Applicants shall, at the time of recruitment at UiO, be within the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when the applicant obtained the degree entitling her/him to embark on a doctorate, (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited) even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged.
• FELASA certificate to work with mice (either completed or commitment to complete it during first year of the PhD)
• Experience with stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells in particular, including FACS-sorting, CFU-C, etc.
• Documented experience with microscopy
• Experience with working in multi-disciplinary teams
• Professional written and verbal English language competency

The following qualifications will be considered desirable:

• Experience with deep learning algorithms for imaging
• Spatial transcriptomics at the single cell level and other omics
• Experience with mouse models

Mobility requirement

Candidates can be of any nationality. However, the candidate is required to undertake transnational mobility i.e. move from one country to another, when appointed. This is a requirement of the MSCA Doctoral Networks program, which is funding this position. In the case of Norwegian nationals, or persons who have previously resided in Norway, these can be eligible for this position provided they have resided or carried out their main activity outside of Norway for more than 24 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment.

We offer

• An ambitious and stimulating research environment
• Salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 per annum in a position code SKO 1017 depending on qualifications
• Favorable pension arrangements (Statens Pensjonskasse)
• Advantageous welfare conditions

More information can be found here.

How to apply

The application must include the following:

• Master degree transcript
• Cover letter stating your motivation, scientific background, and research interests,
• A detailed CV, 2-3 references (name, institution, e-mail, telephone number, and relation to the candidate)

The application with attachments must be submitted in English and uploaded in pdf format in our electronic recruiting system linked in the announcement. Please follow the link “Apply for this job”

While the recruitment system includes a basic CV, we ask candidates to include a detailed CV in pdf format with their application. Applications without a cover letter and detailed CV will be rejected.

Eligible applicants might be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

For any informal inquiries regarding the position, please contact;

• Associate Professor Lorena Arranz, e-mail:lorena.arranz@medisin.uio.no

For questions regarding the application process, please contact;

• HR senior adviser Mija Nikolaisen, tel. +47 22844687, e-mail: mija.nikolaisen@medisin

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