UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway 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.

Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology / Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology

The position

At the Department of Building, Energy and Material Technology (BEaM) a position is available for a Postdoctoral research fellow in Bioenergy and Microbial fuel cells. The position is affiliated with the research group Building Energy and Materials Research Group.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant is able to carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

The appointed Postdoctoral Fellow must have its daily workplace at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Narvik.

The project's field of research

BEaM currently requires a Postdoctoral Research ellow to contribute to our research and development activities within an ongoing project on bio-energy and microbial fuel cells (MFC). The role involves evaluating novel designs and materials for optimizing the microbial electrosynthesis process. Working closely with members of the group, you will contribute to generating ideas for further research in biotechnology applications in the field of green energy and waste management. As a postdoctoral, you will be expected to participate in the supervision of MSc/PhD students.

Within the current project, you will design, manufacture, and test MFC and establish functional correlations for characterizing the device's performance, communicating effectively with all partners in the project to discuss results and provide further recommendations. You will have to analyze the experimental data and publish them in peer-review scientific publications. You will contribute to extending our understanding of the MFCs, and key players in the field. The role also requires preparation and participation in new projects.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Head of Department, Bjørn Reidar Sørensen, Phone: bjorn.r.sorensen@uit.no, E-mail: +4776966256 or
• Professor Raj Calay, Phone: +4776966118 E-mail: rajnish.calay@uit.no

Qualifications

For appointment as Post-doctoral research fellow, the applicant requires a Norwegian doctoral degree or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

Applicants must have:

• a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering or a relevant field.

Applicants with strong background knowledge in chemical engineering, bioprocesses and equivalent work experience gained in a relevant R&D environment, particularly with microbial fuel cells and bio-electrochemical techniques, would be beneficial. In addition, hands-on experience within one or more of the following areas would be beneficial: design and synthesis of microbial fuel cell, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and demonstrable interest in the synthesis of functional materials and their evaluation in some device format. Ideally, you will also have some experience in process optimization and Design-of-Experiments. The required qualifications include practical experience in conducting laboratory experiments, excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

You should have a methodical approach to work, good attention to detail, good manual dexterity, and strong organization and time management skills. Innovative thinking, a can-do attitude and excellent communication skills are essential for this role.

Computer literacy and familiarity with chemical engineering software packages are essential. This role is offered on a 3 year fixed term contract.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

Documented fluency in English is required and working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language is desirable.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidates motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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
• Excellent career opportunities
• The research group provides a dynamic work environment offering opportunities for learning and developing as an independent researcher.
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• CV (containing a complete overview of education, professional training and work)
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• The academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment

The documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. We only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.

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.

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole. UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority.

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.

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: International staff

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