Two three-year PhD fellowships in Fish Nutrition are available at the Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University (Bodø, Norway) from January 1, 2022. FBA invites applications from outstanding candidates for two three-year PhD fellowships connected to ongoing and future financed projects related to the study of novel feed ingredients in salmon diets.
Nord University
Global challenges demand new insight, innovative solutions and local legitimacy. Nord University is a young university with strong regional ties and a global perspective. We are committed to delivering relevant educational programmes and research, with a focus on blue and green growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, and welfare, health and education. Nord University has 11,500 students and 1,350 employees at nine study locations in central and northern Norway.
Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture (FBA) educates people with the aim of promoting sustainable and innovative development to meet global challenges in food production, climate and environment. The faculty is an international arena for education, research and knowledge dissemination, with employees and students from 25 different countries. The faculty offers a PhD in Aquatic Biosciences. FBA has 900 students and 160 employees in Bodø and Steinkjer. The professional community is organised into the following divisions: Aquaculture, Ecology, Genomics and Animal Science, Production and Welfare, and Algae and microbial biotechnology.
Read more: www.nord.no/en/fba
The demand for high quality feed is increasing with the growth and intensification of salmon farming. Current salmonid feeds are based on plant ingredients, fish meal and fish oil. Future feeds should be based on more sustainable ingredients such as microbial ingredients and insect meal produced from recycling of nutrients from ‘waste streams’.
PhD position A will focus on the nutritional quality of these ingredients, including the evaluation of growth performance and overall health status of the live fish, from freshwater to post smolt stage as well as the quality of the final product. PhD position B will focus on the effects of the studied feed ingredients on the salmon mucosal health. The study will be based mainly on the use of different histological methods (i.e. histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry), although other approaches, such as the study of proteome and gene expression, will also be included.
The PhD candidates will actively participate in the planning and running of in vivo studies conducted under controlled or farm conditions, the collection of different samples for various analyses, the performance of different in vitro methods that are required for the assessment of the different ingredients. The two candidates will have a close collaboration in the execution of the fish experiments, samplings, data analysis etc.
Qualification requirements
Requirements for both PhD positions:
MSc degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline, namely namely fish nutrition, digestive physiology, fish physiology, fish health management or general fish Biology. Grade average of B or better (or equivalent score) both for the programme in total and the master’s thesis
Hands-on experience in conducting field and/or laboratory fish experiments
Proficiency in oral and written English is essential and must be documented either by the Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification or internationally recognised certificates, such as TOEFL, IELTS, APIEL or similar
Knowledge of a Scandinavian language is beneficial
Specific requirements for the two positions:
Position A:
Knowledge of salmon physiology and smoltification is advantageous because the position is connected to a project addressing feeding of salmon in early life stages through smoltification and post smolt stages
It is advantageous to have knowledge of or experience in chemical analysis and molecular biology techniques
It is also an advantage with hands-on experience with fish studies, preferably on feeding experiments and evaluation of nutrient digestibility and growth performance
Position B:
Practical experience in fish histology/histopathology
It is advantageous to have experience in proteomics and gene expression
The successful candidate will join the PhD program in Aquatic Biosciences at Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture and is expected to complete the study within the period.
The candidate should fulfill the admission requirements and participate in the training component stipulated in regulations of the PhD program. Application for admission to the program must be submitted within three months after taking up the position. For admission requirements and regulations, see our web page.
We offer
The annual salary for doctoral researchers (code 1017) is set at wage level 54, LR 20, NOK 482.200,- in the Norwegian State Salary Scale. Suitably qualified candidates may be placed in code 1378.
The person who is appointed must abide by the applicable laws, agreements, and directives. The responsibilities and duties associated with the position may change with future reorganization at Nord University.
The public sector workforce is expected to reflect the diversity of the population in general. Nord University therefore encourages qualified candidates with disabilities, gaps in their CV, immigrant backgrounds or different life experience to apply. Nord University practices moderate allocation according to gender quotas in accordance with the Basic Agreement for State Employees.
If applicants indicate they have disabilities or gaps in their CV, their details may be used anonymously for the purposes of governmental annual review
Contact information
Further information about the position can be obtained by contacting:
All documents must be uploaded as attachments to the electronic application form.
It is the applicant's responsibility to submit the complete documentation within the deadline.
After the application period has expired a list of applicants will be published. Note that, in special cases, the identity of particular applicants to a position may be made public even when that applicant has requested that their application be processed confidentially. Applicants requesting an exemption from publication of their identity must explain their reasons for doing so in their application. In this case, advance notice will be given in the event of a decision to make any information about the applicant public.