Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Soil Invertebrate Ecotoxicology
Deadline: 28.01.2026
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.
Department of Biosciences (IBV) is one of nine departments at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Research in the department is organised in five sections covering topics within biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, cell biology, genetics, aquatic biology, toxicology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. The Department also operates Finse research station, the Biological research station in Drøbak and UiO's research vessel. Education across these topics is offered for around 300 bachelor, 170 master, and 75 PhD students. With 48 permanent professors/associate professors, post-docs, researchers, technical, and administrative personnel, the Department has a total staff of 260 from more than 30 different countries. The Department aims to maintain high international standards within both research and teaching. The new bachelor program in bioscience is the first of its kind to include programming and computational modelling as core elements.
About the position
Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Soil Invertebrate Ecotoxicology available at the Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo.
Starting date as soon as possible after April 7th, and no later than mid-August 2026.
The appointment is a full-time position for a period of 3.25 years (15% of which is devoted to career promoting work, in the form of teaching activities and administrative tasks related to the project).
No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo.
Project description
Global climate change and pollution are major threats to ecosystem integrity and biodiversity, and challenge a sustainable future. Climate change affects the accumulation and effects of pollutants in organisms, so-called climate-induced toxicant sensitivity. In the SoilStress project funded by the Research Council of Norway (project number 358314), we address mechanisms underlying cumulative effects, recovery, and ecophysiological tipping points from multiple stressor disturbances (climate change and pollution). We will study complex questions of WHY key biological responses to multiple stressors (climatic stress and agricultural used pesticides) differ between populations, micro-climate, and climatic regions; WHY tolerance to pesticide exposure decreases with temperature stress; and IF the tipping point to disturbance by temperature and pesticides, and recovery from disturbance removal, depends on the populations phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic adaptation. As our model system, we study springtails (Collembola), key terrestrial ectothermic invertebrates of the soil community.
The postdoc will be mainly responsible for conducting long-term laboratory experiments investigating why pesticides exhibit increased toxicity to springtails at higher temperatures, exploring mechanisms such as enhanced bioaccumulation leading to elevated internal concentrations, metabolic scaling effects, and the rising costs of repair and homeostasis maintenance under pesticide-induced stress. This involves analyzing toxicokinetic processes in the ecologically relevant species Hypogastrura viatica and its diet across varying temperatures and exposure concentrations, while considering how temperature influences uptake, elimination, biotransformation, and the formation of potentially more toxic metabolites. The role emphasizes sublethal effects on fitness, using demographic modeling to assess impacts from genes to populations, and testing hypotheses related to metabolic rate increases, energy allocation shifts, temperature-dependent bioaccumulation, and varying toxicity across biological levels.
We seek a highly motivated, enthusiastic candidate who has completed a PhD degree (or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree) in ecotoxicology or related fields. Candidates with experience in experiments with soil invertebrates, especially springtails, and publishing papers in leading journals are highly encouraged to apply.
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.
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 qualificatios:
Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence at are eligible for appointment. The degree must be equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in ecotoxicology, ecology, or related fields
Demonstrated experience and ability to conduct ecotoxicological, ecological or physiological experiments targeting sublethal effects in animals
Demonstrated experience in toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic studies
Proven skills in statistical analysis
Fluent oral and written communication skills in English or a Scandinavian language
Desired qualifications:
Driver license Level B
Proficiency in statistical analysis to evaluate sublethal effects, preferentially under combined stressors exposure like temperature and pesticides
Experience with bioinformatics (omics interpretation).
Experienced in working with soil invertebrates, particularly springtails
Familiarity with life history theory and energy allocation issue
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:
Good communication and collaboration skills
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
Ability to work precise in a structured manner and swiftly adapts to new tasks
Good data management skills and structured workflow
Positive attitude and the ability to handle hectic periods
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 research statement focusing on a research plan that may fit the postdoc position (maximum 2 pages)
A complete list of publications and up to 3 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee. A summary of up to 100 words per selected article to highlight each study's important findings
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 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)
No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoctoral fellow financed with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).
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.
