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PhD Research Fellow in Comparative Physiology and Epigenetics

Deadline: 10.11.2021

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 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.


Education across these topics is offered for around 350 bachelor, 250 master, and 120 PhD students. With 52 permanent professors/associate professors, post-docs, researchers, technical, and administrative personnel, the Department has a total staff of 340 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.

Job description

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Comparative Physiology and Epigenetics available at Department of Biosciences (contingent on external funding).

The fellowship period is 3 years, or for a period of 4 years, with 25 % compulsory work (e.g. teaching responsibilities at the department) contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department.

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

Project description:

The position is part of the larger project “Epigenetic mechanisms and cell-type specific gene expression during anoxia and re-oxygenation in crucian carp brain”, funded by the Research Council of Norway and placed at the Department of Biosciences (IBV). The crucian carp (Carassius carassius) is a champion when it comes to surviving without oxygen, and much is known about the physiological mechanisms involved. However, molecular mechanisms regulating the physio-logical responses are unexplored. Preliminary research has indicated that many thousands of genes change their expression in the brain in response to anoxia and re-oxygenation. The magnitude of this transcriptional response has led us to hypothesise that the response may be orchestrated by epigenetic mechanisms such as differential DNA methylation and expression of long, non-coding RNA.

The objectives of the candidate’s research project will be to: 1) identify differentially DNA methylated regions in response to anoxia and re-oxygenation in the brain of crucian carp, using whole-genome bisulphite sequencing, 2) identify differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs and correlate their expression with that of their target genes, and 3) Investigate the expression of DNA methylating enzymes.

The main project is led by Associate Professor Sjannie Lefevre from the Section for Physiology and Cell Biology at Department of Biosciences, and collaborators include Prof. Timothy Ravasi from the Marine Climate Change Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (Japan) and Prof. Øivind Andersen at NMBU. Main supervisor for the student will be Sjannie Lefevre, with co-supervision primarily by Øivind Andersen. The PhD will be part of the comparative physiology group.

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.

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in Biology
  • Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English is required, skills in a Scandinavian language is favourable.
  • English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements:
  • Practical experience with command-line programs (e.g. Unix, R) is required
  • Practical experience with basic molecular biology methods and laboratory practices is required
  • Practical experience with bioinformatics and analyses of large sequencing datasets is desired
  • Background and interest in organismal biology or comparative physiology (e.g. through courses or projects) is desired
  • Experience with whole-animal experiments (and FelasaC-equivalent certification) is desired
  • Previous research and interest in themes related to the project is desirable (anoxia/hypoxia tolerance, epigenomics)

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

  • the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements:

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

http://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/ and http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

Personal skills

  • Ambition to plan, carry out and interpret original experiments
  • Ability and willingness to collaborate and co-author work with other members of the research group, when appropriate
  • Strong motivation for academic development and scientific writing
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position

We offer

  • Salary NOK 491 200 – 534 400 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Career development programmes
  • Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include

  • Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
  • CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
  • Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records
  • Documentation of English proficiency
  • List of publications and academic work 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.

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

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

According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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 etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.

If there are qualified applicants with special needs, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview.

Contact information

For further information please contact: Sjannie Lefevre, phone: +47 48 36 47 45, e-mail: s.l.nilsson@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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