PhD Research Fellow in marine food webs and metagenomics

About the position

PhD Research Fellow in marine food webs and metagenomics available within the Center of Biogeochemistry in the Anthropocene, University of Oslo.

The fellowship period is 3 years. Starting date no later than 2024-06-01.

A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that may consist of teaching, supervision duties, and/or research assistance. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant and the current needs of the department.

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

Job description

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among top 10 threats for global health. AMR threatens human and animal health and welfare, the environment, food security, economic development, and equity within societies. This RCN funded projects overarching goal, is to generate new knowledge about measures that help us to understand, handle and prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from a One Health perspective.

This PhD project will focus on AMR spread and magnification in aquatic food webs. Understanding the combined effects of metal and organic pollutants, including drugs combined with the presence of potential pathogens in aquatic systems on AMR development is a goal of this project. Our project also takes this one step further by assessing the effects of spread of AMR in the human/environmental interface (for instance recreational areas) and impact on the human food chain (i.e. Aquacultures).

You will combine metagenomic sequencing and metabarcoding of the gut content with carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic characterization of the host. By reconstructing bacterial genomes in the gut of marine organisms and inferring marine food web structure we aim to gain insights into the dynamics of AMR biomagnification. This will be done across climate and anthropogenic pollution gradients. You will collaborate with two teams at the University of Oslo working on (1) metagenomics based identification of AMR and (2) reconstructing marine food webs using metabarcoding of the gut content and stable isotope analyses. In addition research teams at Norwegian Research Center (NORCE) and Institute of Marine Research (IMR), as well as collaborators across the globe, will provide samples and their characterization.

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.

Required qualification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in biology, ecology, genetics or marine 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
• Experience with R, Python and bash programming

Desired qualification:

• Field experience including handling and identification of marine animals, marine fish and crustations
• Knowledge of laboratory work ideally with experience in DNA extraction, quantification and library preparation
• Experience with stable isotope techniques (in particular compound specific stable isotope analysis) is an advantage
• Experience with experimental design and application of diverse statistics
• Experience with bioinformatics in particular handling of large sequencing datasets

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 here.

Personal skills

We seek a highly motivated, enthusiastic person with the ambition to gain insights and publish papers in leading, international journals, with strong interpersonal and organizational skills and the capacity to work in close collaboration with others.

Experience with and/or a strong interest in working in an interdisciplinary manner is considered an advantage. An interest in working with fish is also desirable.

We offer

• Salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 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 and transcripts of records
• Documentation of English proficiency if applicable
• 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.

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.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

For further information about the position please contact:

•  Professor Alexander Eiler, phone: +47 46501671, email: alexander.eiler@ibv.uio.no or 
• Odd-Gunnar Wikmark, phone: +47 46807320, e-mail: ogwi@norceresearch.no

For questions regarding Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Nina Holltan, +47 228 54424, e-mail: nina.holtan@mn.uio.no

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