LEDIG STILLING VED UIT NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
PhD Candidate in Microbiology
Deadline: 20.03.2025
Publisert
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus research university and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.
Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.
The Faculty of Health Sciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway represents a newly created entity gathering almost all possible health study programs. This facilitates an unique interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with the services in the North to solve tomorrow's challenges.
The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties for the Faculty of Health Sciences. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.
The field of research is microbiology, immunology and microbiome analyses by the use of bio-informatic tools.
The PhD candidate will investigate the microbial composition in milk and skin swab samples both by growth dependent and independent (metagenome sequencing) methods, immunological markers will be analysed by Luminex analyses. Data from questionnaires will be included in the interpretation and final analysis of the development of mastitis. See more information about the project below.
The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.
The project
In this project in microbiology the candidate will work with analyses of the microbial composition of milk and skin swab samples from breastfeeding mothers before and after development of mastitis. Mastitis is a common complication during breastfeeding, occurring most frequently in the first six to eight weeks after birth. Bacterial mastitis due to S. aureus infection is well-established in clinical guidelines. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that opportunistic pathogens which form part of the normal milk microbiome may also have a role in mastitis and breast inflammation. We have an incomplete understanding of breast inflammation and mastitis and how the condition manifests and progresses.
With this project, we propose to fill in the gaps regarding the causes and progression of breast inflammation and mastitis among lactating women in Norway. We have started recruiting mothers collecting milk samples and skin swab samples at different time points to analyse markers of inflammatory status and use both culture-dependent and culture-independent microbiological techniques to study the microbial composition of milk. In addition, we collect data from detailed questionnaires. Together, this will give us insight into both the inflammatory response and longitudinal changes in the microbial community, and if this changes during a mastitis episode.
The candidate wilk work with culture dependent and culture independent analyses of milk samples and skin swab to characterise the milk and skin microbiome. Bio-informatic analyses will be performed to compare if there is a shift in the milk microbiome during episodes of mastitis. Finally, metadata collected from questionnaires will be analysed in correlation to the microbiome data.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
This position requires a Master's degree in Microbiology. The master's degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your Master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis. You must document completion of your degree before commencement in the position.
Applicants must document fluency of in English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
Desirable criteria:
Documented experience/skills from work with bioinformatic and statistical analysis and experience with R will be considered an advantage in selecting the candidate for the position.
Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language is also beneficial.
In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.
We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position.
We are looking for candidates who:
Have good collaboration skills
Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
Wants to contribute to a good working environment
As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.
Admission to the PhD programme
For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.
Admission normally requires:
A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS.
A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
Applicants must have a grade of C or better on the master's thesis and have a grade point average of C or better for the master's degree. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.
If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position.
Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.
If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.
We offer
Involvement in an interesting research project
A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
A large degree of independence in the work
Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
Pension scheme through the state pension fund
PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 536 200 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase
Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.
More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here.
Application
Your application must include:
Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
CV - summarizing education, positions and academic work
Diploma and transcripts from all degrees
Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
Documentation on English profiency. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
2-3 references with contact details
Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.
Assessment
The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants.
The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. The invited applicants will also be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview.
General information
The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.
Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.
A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.
We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.
