LEDIG STILLING VED UIT NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
PhD Fellow in Medical Biology
Deadline: 01.08.2021
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
UiT – Developing the High North
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus research university and the northernmost university of the world. Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.
Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners.
The Faculty of Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences represents a newly created entity gathering almost all possible health study programs. This facilitates an unique interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with the services in the North to solve tomorrow's challenges.
Faculty of Health Sciences / Department of Medical Biology
PhD Fellow in Medical Biology - Single cell sequencing as a novel diagnostic method for metastatic breast cancer
The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.
The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.
The project
The successful fellow will be an essential member of a newly started research project lead by Researcher Erik Knutsen. The project will examen, at the single cell level, the transcriptome and proteome of breast cancer cells present in the regional lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. The study will evaluate the diagnostic potential of single cell sequencing, and will generate basic knowledge about the subtypes of cancer cells present in the lymph nodes, how the cancer cells are affected by the lymph node microenvironment, and the prognostic potential of the different subtypes of cancer cells present in the lymph nodes. In addition, the project will examine the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cancer cells from the primary tumor in the same patients and evaluate their association toward the identified cancer cells in the lymph nodes.
The student will get a unique training in both molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics during the time course of his/her PhD education: The student will process human patient material for single cell sequencing, run and analyze 10x single cell protein and transcriptome sequencing, and validate results by immunohistochemistry and by in vitro cell culture experiments.
The position's work place
The Department of Medical Biology (IMB) will be the workplace for the candidate. More than 180 staff members from all over the world have their workplace at IMB. The department consists of 13 research groups concentrated on fundamental biomedical research problems, including research on various forms of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, the immune system, host-microbe interactions, and antibiotic resistance. The department provides education for students studying programs in medicine, dentistry, biomedical laboratory sciences, biomedicine, and pharmacy. The position is affiliated to the Research group RNA and Molecular Pathology (RAMP) under the supervision of Researcher Erik Knutsen. RAMP consist of two professors, one associate professor, three researchers, two post doctors, two PhD students, and three technicians. The project has several active local, national, and international collaborators.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
This position requires a Master’s degree in life sciences, or other educations that have been approved as equivalent.
A specialization and documented experience in cancer biology (especially breast cancer), next-generation and/or single cell sequencing, and bioinformatics, will be evaluated as advantageous.
Good communication and collaboration skills.
Applicants must document fluency of in English and be able to work in an international environment.
We are seeking a candidate with a high degree of self-motivation and able to work independently in a structured manner. Both a strong academic track record and a genuine interest in conducting research are essential to qualify for the position. The candidates Master’s thesis, academic track record, and other application materials must demonstrate this. We will emphasize personal suitability in our assessment.
As many as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.
Admission to the PhD programme
For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Health Sciences and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.
Admission normally requires:
A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS.
A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
Applicants must have a grade of C or better on the master's thesis and have a grade point average of C or better for the master's degree. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.
Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from NOKUT. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree.
If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position.
Inclusion and diversity
UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.
If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.
We offer
Research training in molecular biology and bioinformatics
Highly exciting, stimulating and varied scientific tasks
An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
Pension scheme through the state pension fund
More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here.
Application
Your application must include:
Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
CV
Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
A short text (max 400 words) with an updated review on the topic of single cell sequencing in breast cancer
Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must document completion of your degree before commencement in the position. You must still submit your transcripts for the master’s degree with your application.
All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.
General information
The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.
A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.
Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.
We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.
