About the position and work environment

With this competitive two-year postdoctoral fellowship, the Natural History Museum in Oslo (NHMO) aims to bring in a talented researcher to enhance our STADIS Hub. STADIS is an emerging hub at NHMO with the long-term goal of establishing a Norwegian Centre of Excellence. STADIS focuses on stability and discontinuity in and between different biological system levels, such as genomes, phenotypes, species, communities, and ecosystems. The hub encompasses empirical and theoretical research as well as method development. Please contact us for further information (see the contact information below). The successful candidate for this position will work in close collaboration with staff members of at least two of NHMO’s research groups. The position comes with an independent research budget of 100,000 NOK per year.

NHMO has approximately 160 employees and is located in the Botanical Garden, which is very close to both the city centre of Oslo, which is wonderful to live in, and to nature parks and mountains. NHMO consists of nine research groups that pursue research and education within basic and advanced biosystematics and biodiversity as well as geological studies. The improvement, maintenance and use of scientific collections is central to our work. The herbarium and fungarium comprises more than 1,4 mill and 600.000 plant and fungal (including lichens) specimens, respectively, of which about 2/3 are Nordic specimens. The zoological collections jointly comprise more than 2 mill objects. The museum also houses rich palaeontological and geological collections, of which some are displayed in our newly opened exhibitions. The museum has relevant inhouse research infrastructures, including various molecular- and microscopy laboratories. The NHMO DNA bank holds several hundred thousand tissue samples and DNA extracts.

Starting date: as soon as possible.

The fundable project, expectations and hosts

The fundable project should

● be innovative

● enhance the STADIS hub

● focus on bio- and/or geo-diversity

● be hosted by at least two of NHMOs research groups

● enhance and/or use NHMO’s physical and digital collections

Expectations of the postdoc:

● Carry out the project proposed in the application

● Participate actively in the STADIS Hub

Hosts:

● Primary and secondary hosts must be from different research groups at NHMO

● The primary host provides office space and administrative support

Qualification requirements

The candidate must:

● have a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree (PhD). For candidates not having finished their doctoral degree, the doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation by the closing date of the call. An appointment is dependent on the defense of the doctoral dissertation being approved

● have excellent communication skills (including written and spoken English)

It is preferable that the candidate has (and can document):

● a strong academic track record

● experience in collection-based research

● team- and networking skills

Personal skills:

We are looking for a highly motivated, creative, and structured candidate with excellent collaborative qualities

We offer

• salary NOK 544 400 – 626 300 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• a dynamic and friendly working environment
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• attractive welfare benefits

How to apply

The application must include the following six elements as separate documents:

● Five-page research proposal (2 cm margins; main text at least 11 pt; references at least 9 pt). The first page should place the project into the larger context of the current state of research and cite up to five references; this page should be understandable by all researchers at NHMO. The remaining four pages should clearly contain the research questions, methodologies, timeline, and references. (This proposal format follows the style of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Postdoctoral Researcher Fellowship)

● Up to one page detailing who are the primary and secondary hosts, and how the project is thematically aligned with the research directions of the STADIS Hub

● CV summarising education, positions held, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, and other qualifying activity

● A complete list of publications

● One letter of recommendation and statement of support signed by the primary and secondary hosts at NHMO For an overview of our researchers, see here

● Name, academic relation, and contact information of two references not currently affiliated with the University of Oslo

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Please note that all documents should be in English.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented academic qualifications, the excellence of the proposed research, as well as the candidate's motivation and personal suitability. Online interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the proposed project during the period of employment.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow 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.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

About the fellowship:

• Professors Mika Bendiksby: mika.bendiksby@nhm.uio.no,
• Torsten Hugo Struck: t.h.struck@nhm.uio.no,
• Micah Dunthorn: micah.dunthorn@nhm.uio.no (they can also provide information on the STADIS hub and the proposal for a Norwegian Center for Excellence)

About the recruitment system:

• HR-Adviser Thomas Brånå: thomas.brana@nhm.uio.no

Apply for position