Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Catalysis and Organometallic Chemistry
Deadline: 01.04.2026
Publisert
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500 students and 7 200 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.
The Department of Chemistry is Norway's largest institution within research and education in chemistry. Our research excels internationally and we educate students to a wide variety of jobs in industry, academia, research institutions, schools and public administration.
Our research ranges from the core topics of chemistry to applied science within in environmental, health, energy and materials. The Department has extensive contacts with industry, research and educational institutions at home and abroad. As partner in the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology our researchers contributes to a significant interdisciplinary efforts in cooperation with the Department of Physics. The Department of Chemistry has its own school laboratory as a great resource for teachers, public outreach and the didactics of chemistry.
The fellowship period is three years. A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25% which is devoted to career promoting work, usually in the form of teaching, supervision duties, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the Department of Chemistry.
No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.
Place of work is the Department of Chemistry/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology at Blindern/Gaustad, Oslo.
Project description
The successful candidate will play a key role in establishing an experimental research line within Associate Professor Ainara Nova’s research group in the Section for Catalysis and Organic Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry. The group has extensive experience in computational modelling, reaction mechanisms, and machine learning for catalyst design and discovery. Nova is also a Principal Investigator at the Hylleraas Centre for Quantum Molecular Science, a Norwegian Centre of Excellence dedicated to the development and application of advanced computer simulations, including AI-based methods.
The project associated with this position aims to take advantage of a virtual library of more than 1 million organometallic bifunctional catalysts, optimised for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. The successful candidate will select and synthesise ligands and organometallic complexes from the library, including pincer ligands, and evaluate their catalytic performance in hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and hydrogen transfer reactions. Detailed characterization and kinetic studies will be performed to test computational predictions and microkinetic models, and to refine machine learning models.
The successful candidate will collaborate with other groups in the Section for Catalysis and Organic Chemistry to incorporate these catalysts into solid networks (MOFs), taking advantage of the section’s expertise and facilities. In addition to conducting research, this position will involve laboratory management and supervision of MSc and PhD students conducting experimental work. The position will begin in the new Life Science Building, with access to state-of-the-art equipment and a large interdisciplinary environment spanning chemistry, pharmacy, bioscience, and medicine.
The Section for Catalysis and Organic Chemistry comprises of approximately 35 members, divided into six groups, focusing on the synthesis, characterisation, and performance testing of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, including metal-organic frameworks and zeolites.
The Section for Catalysis and Organic Chemistry is part of the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology (SMN). The SMN is a highly interdisciplinary centre within the Faculty of Chemistry and Physics, focusing on renewable energy, materials science, and nanotechnology.
The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.
Francesco Saggio/UiO
What skills are important in this role?
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.
Required qualifications:
Full degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in chemistry with a focus on organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis or a closely related field. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
Documented research output (peer-reviewed publications) in relevant areas to the position
Solid experience with air- and moisture-sensitive synthesis (Schlenk line and/or glovebox)
Proven experience in the synthesis and characterization of organometallic complexes or coordination compounds
Proficiency with multinuclear NMR spectroscopy
Experience with standard analytical methods (e.g. GC, HPLC, MS, IR, UV–Vis) for reaction monitoring and product analysis
Hands-on experience with kinetic studies: time‑resolved experiments, determination of reaction orders, TOF/TON, and basic mechanistic interpretation
Familiarity with laboratory safety, particularly for high-pressure hydrogenation, flammable gases, and air-sensitive reagents.
Willingness and ability to contribute to teaching at BSc/MSc level (e.g. exercises, lab courses, project supervision) within chemistry and/or related programs.
Desired qualifications
Experience in the synthesis of pincer ligands and/or bifunctional organometallic catalysts
Experience working with high‑pressure reactors/autoclaves
Experience with borrowing‑hydrogen (hydrogen autotransfer) reactions
Familiarity with microkinetic modelling and computational chemistry (e.g. DFT) applied to catalysis
Experience in organizing and maintaining a research laboratory (equipment maintenance, inventory, coordination of shared facilities)
Documented contributions to writing scientific manuscripts, grant applications, or project reports
All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.
What are we looking for in you?
Personal skills:
Ability to work independently and proactively while contributing to a collaborative research environment
Strong problem‑solving skills, scientific curiosity, and a systematic, careful approach to experiments and documentation
Positive attitude and motivation to work in an interdisciplinary environment
Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.
We can offer you
Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development
Committed colleagues in a good working environment
Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
Salary in position as Postdoctoral Fellow, position code 1352 in salary range NOK 595 000 - 690 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund
We need different perspectives in our work
UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.
We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?
We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.
If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).
The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. We hope you will apply for the position with us.
How to apply
The application must include:
Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job".
When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.
General information
The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.
If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months ( thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years)
Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.
