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Postdoctoral Research Fellow on Digital Twins for Marine Ecosystems

Deadline: 01.09.2022

Job description

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7500 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.


The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.


The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors.

Position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow available at The Department of informatics.

We offer a 3-year postdoc position within the research project "Coastal ecosystem dynamics under anthropogenic pressures", funded by The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The position is one of 4 positions to be employed within this highly collaborative and interdisciplinary project.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Oslo. Start date preferably no later than 31.12.2022.

The appointment period is for three years. An additional year of compulsory teaching-related duties may be offered at the time of appointment, for candidates who can and want to contribute to teaching and supervision at the department. In this case, the compulsory duties will be spread out over the full contract period, averaging 25% per year over four years

Postdoctoral fellows who are appointed for a period of four years are expected to acquire basic pedagogical competency in the course of their fellowship period within the duty component of 25 %.

Project description

This position is part of a collaborative marine research and training program with a focus on the Skagerrak, Kattegat and Oslofjord (SKO) region to improve marine sustainability and our understanding of the pelagic ecosystem and food-web dynamics in the coastal zone where land and open sea meet. This program aligns with UN sustainability goals considering that the declining fish stocks in SKO will be under scrutiny, as well as the multiple anthropogenic stressors affecting water quality, human recreation and marine life. The project is interdisciplinary, joining a range of key institutions (University of Oslo, Norwegian University for Life Sciences, Norwegian Institute for Water Research, University of Agder, Institute of Marine Research, Norwegian Meteorological Institute) and is embedded in the ongoing strategic institutional SKO initiative. The SKO program at UiO comprises the Departments of Biosciences, Geology, Mathematics and Informatics, and already includes three other PhD and Postdoc positions.

For this specific position, we are interested in developing digital twins for marine ecosystems by combining sensor data with coupled physical-biological drift models. Our goal is to understand how to include near real-time sensor data into such drift models to improve our understanding of the dynamics of early life in fish and how such twins can be used to address research questions about marine ecosystems. The early life stages, i.e. egg, larval and juvenile stages, are very important for the population dynamics of fish. A typical approach to shed light on the processes shaping e.g. growth and survival in these stages are coupled physical-biological drift models. In such models, it is possible to follow the drift trajectories of individuals from spawning to stages where self-propelled horizontal movement becomes dominant. In this project, we will focus on the stock of Atlantic cod in the Skagerrak and aim to increase our understanding of why the cod in the region is currently at very low levels. Historic data of very high quality is available to the project, including the more than a century long beach seine data.

The project will explore how sensor data can improve our ability to understand and predict the early life dynamics of fish by developing a digital twin, i.e. a model which integrates in near real-time the coupled physical-biological drift models with sensor data from the fjord system, such as salinity and temperature.

This is an interdisciplinary project which involves the Departments of Informatics and Biosciences at UiO in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research. We seek a candidate with an interest in combining technology and ecosystems. A candidate from computer science should have expertise in model-centric software architectures (digital twins, logic and formal models, simulation models and/or sensor streams). A candidate from quantitative biology should have expertise in biological oceanography, preferably with experience using coupled physical-biological models. The candidate will in addition to building and coupling models also take part in data collection and in the development of sensor data collection networks.

We seek a highly motivated candidate that will work interdisciplinary in close collaborations with the SKO program consortium, including the Departments of Biosciences, Geology, Mathematics and Informatics.

Development plan:

The main purpose of a postdoctoral fellowship is to provide the candidates with enhanced skills to pursue a scientific top position within or beyond academia. To promote a strategic career path, all postdoctoral research fellows are required to submit a professional development plan no later than one month after commencement of the postdoctoral period.

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.

  • Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in quantitative biology or computer science. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defense are eligible for appointment.
  • Expertise in one of the relevant fields (either computer science or quantitative biology) is required
  • Expertise in the complementary field is an advantage
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
  • Documented ability to write scientific manuscripts (one or more first author papers from Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies will be highly valued)
  • Ability to operate as a team player in a multi-disciplinary environment

Personal skills

We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hard-working candidate with the ambition to gain new insights and publish papers in leading, international journals. Applicants must show good interpersonal skills and be willing to work in close collaboration with the project PIs and other members of the project team, as well as have the ability to work independently.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 544 400 – 626 300 per year depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (position code 1352)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Professionally stimulating working environment
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Postdoctoral 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, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
  • Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
  • A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works 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).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, the project description (whenever this is required in the call for applicants), and the quality of the project as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability.

Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged. It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of 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.

If an applicant has applied for and been granted funding for a fulltime research stay abroad while being employed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the employment will be prolonged with the equivalent time as the research stay, but for no longer than of twelve months (thus extending the employment to a maximum of four years).

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.

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 please contact:

  • Einar Broch Johnsen, phone: +47 228 52509, e-mail: einarj@ifi.uio.no or
  • Øystein Langangen, phone: +47 228 54648, e-mail: o.o.g.langangen@ibv.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, phone: +47 22856106, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no.

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