About the position

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at the Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2024.

The fellowship period is 3 years. A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that may consist of teaching, supervision duties, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

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

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

Job description / Project description / Development plan:

We invite applications for a postdoctoral research position to join a pioneering research project focused on the impact of mixoplankton, specifically phago-mixotrophy, in the carbon cycle. 

The project aims at unveiling the dynamics and contribution of small (pico and nano) eukaryotic phago-mixotrophic phytoplankton to the biological carbon pump. Traditionally, marine plankton surveys report and classify plankton using a relatively simple dichotomic view of the marine food web structure, distinguishing between the photo-autotrophic "phytoplankton" and their heterotrophic grazers, the "zooplankton." However, it is now recognized that many of the protists classified as "phytoplankton" and "zooplankton" are capable of both photo-autotrophy and phago-heterotrophy which is suggested to promote nutrient transfer to higher trophic levels, especially under nutrient limitating conditions. However very few studies have shown phago-mixotrophic in natural protist populations and their gene expression dynamics between photosynthesis and phagotrophy during the natural light-dark cycle and across seasons remains poorly known. 

About the Project: 

The work will involve group-specific primary productivity and grazing experiments combined with sorting by flow cytometry and metabarcoding (metaB) of marker genes to access taxon specific contribution to both production and grazing. To track the variation of phytoplankton communities’ trophic mode in situ, we will perform high-resolution sampling through the diel-cycle and obtain meta transcriptomics (metaT) data to examine the pathways that lead to nutrient acquisition and the balance between photosynthesis and phagotrophy

Research Team:

 As a postdoctoral researcher, you will be working alongside a diverse group of experts, including Adriana Lopes dos Santos, the project PI and the primary supervisor for the position, and Andrés Gutiérrez-Rodriguez from the Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón (IEO-CSIC), Gijón, Spain, as well as a well-developed international network. 

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.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Qualification requirements:

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.

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Environmental Science. 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
• Proven skills in R language, molecular ecology methods and statistical analysis as well as routine documentation with GitHub 
• Demonstrated knowledge on ‘omics` laboratory methods 
• Experience working with biological oceanographic methods (primary production, sediment traps, grazing, in situ growth-rates, etc)

Desired qualifications:

• Experience with research on marine plankton ecology, with an emphasis biological carbon processes and mechanisms
• Ability to provide insights into methods and data analysis
• Experience with teamwork and interdisciplinary research

Personal skills:

We are looking for enthusiastic individual to join our team. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. If you are eager to work with a dynamic and diverse team, we encourage you to apply.

Personal suitability for the position will be emphasised.

We offer:

• Salary NOK 575 400 – 657 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Professionally stimulating working environment
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Postdoctoral development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

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)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations:

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)

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.

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

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 persons:

For further information about the position please contact: A/P Adriana Lopes dos Santos, e-mail: a.l.d.santos@ibv.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Nina Holtan, e-mail: nina.holtan@mn.uio.no

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