Ledig stilling ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet
PhD Fellow in Plant Molecular Biology
Deadline: 02.12.2020
Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
The position
A PhD position in the field of Plant Molecular Biology is available at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø. The position is financed by the ARC - Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy at UiT (established 2016). ARC is an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on Arctic challenges within renewable energy and greenhouse gas management in order to create sustainable societies in the Arctic.
The PhD position is in the research group “Microorganisms and Plants”, and specifically in plant biology research, focusing on studies of enzymatic modification and degradation of plant cell walls with a goal to facilitate production of biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value bio-products.
The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time. The PhD position will be available from 01.03.2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD program 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 doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD projects shall be completed during the period of employment.
Field of research
Plants have ability to modify their own cell walls during development as well as in response to environmental conditions. They are also able to degrade cell walls of other plants during parasitic interactions. The person to be hired will work as a part of a project focusing on discovering strong degradative enzyme activities against plant cell wall, and understanding the molecular basis of the wall-deconstructing activity. The PhD project includes genome-based identification of candidate genes from diverse plant species, among them parasitic plants, construction of expression vectors for production of recombinant proteins (cell-free or microbe-based expression systems), investigating enzymatic activities, and monitoring gene expression and cell wall degradation.
The applicant is expected to conduct lab work, data analysis, and report project results via high-quality journal publications and scientific presentations. The position includes duty work in the form of teaching assistance in Plant Physiology, Plant Biotechnology and Microscopy courses. The person to be hired will get an opportunity to work as a part of the international and multidisciplinary research community at ARC and is expected to attend and contribute to its seminars, workshops and other activities. The work is conducted in newly build facilities with well-equipped laboratories with access to journals and scientific databases. The position includes annual funding to be used for travel to conferences or workshops abroad, lab consumables or lab equipment.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
- Dr. Katja Karppinen, [email protected]
Qualifications
The successful candidate is scientifically motivated with background in molecular plant science. To be eligible for the position, a candidate must have a Master of Science degree in Biology with specialization in plant molecular biology or related field.
Suitable applicants must have practical experience in basic molecular biology techniques and basic knowledge of bioinformatics (as documented by their scientific works), and high motivation to develop these skills further. Skills that are expected from the successful candidate include molecular cloning and vector construction, gene expression analysis and sequence analysis. Previous experience in recombinant protein production, protein purification, enzyme activity characterization, enzymatic design, microscopic techniques and/or analysis of NGS data would be considered as an advantage. Peer-reviewed publications and previous knowledge on plant cell wall components will also be considered an asset.
The applicant should be able to work independently as well as interact with a team comprised of scientists and technical staff from different fields. Prior experience in teaching is beneficial.
The applicant must further document good oral and written communication skills in English. The position will be part of international research community where the working language is English, and the application should therefore be written in English. Documented knowledge of English as stated here is required.
Qualification with a Master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are very 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.
Emphasis will be put on the candidate’s potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.
The position requires admission to the Faculty’s PhD programme. Information about requirements and the PhD programme is available here: PhD Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics
Applicants with a foreign education will be evaluated on whether the educational background is equivalent to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines. Applicants from some countries will have to document additional higher education in order to fulfil the requirements.
Application
Your application must include:
- Cover letter explaining your motivation, and how your education and experience makes you qualified
- CV
- Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees)
- Documentation of English language proficiency
- Contact information to 1-3 references, reference letters
- Master thesis, and any other academic works
The cover letter and CV must be in English, all other documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. We only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.
We offer
- A good academic 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: Welcome to UiT!
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.
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.
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.
A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. UiT will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.
We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to Offentleglova 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.
