LEDIG STILLING VED UIT NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
PhD Fellow in Tumor Biology
Deadline: 15.06.2024
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
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 at UiT The Arctic University of Norway 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.
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 workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. The position is available for commencement from autumn 2024. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.
The position’s field of research
The successful candidate will work on the project titled “The oral mucosa as a facilitator of cancer immune escape”. The oral cavity is a special and tightly controlled immune microenvironment. Cancers arising in the oral cavity are far more aggressive than their counterparts in the skin, implying a role of the tumour microenvironment. The body’s first encounter with ingested substances is through the oral cavity. Substances include potentially dangerous and pathogenic microbes. However, most of what we ingest is innocuous. The immune system therefore needs to be delicately balanced between tolerance to food and activation towards unwanted intruders. The common belief is that our intestines are the main drivers of building tolerance towards ingested substances and commensal bacteria. The hypothesis of this project is that the oral cavity also plays a part in the development of tolerance. We further hypothesise that this mechanism can be employed by the developing oral cancer to escape the anti-cancer immune response. This project therefore aims to study the role of the tumour microenvironment in shaping the tolerance towards the cancer cells.
The candidate will collaborate with other researchers and supervise master- and bachelor students in on-going projects. Relevant techniques include working with research animals, different histological methods, and advanced imaging. The project will also include cell culturing, basic molecular biological techniques, and statistics.
Contact
For further information about the position, please contact:
In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.
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 still submit your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.
Applicants must document proficiency in both written and oral English, which meets the requirements as stated in the Norwegian general university and college admission requirements. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
Desirable qualifications include:
Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language
If the candidate has a FELASA – approval for work with research animals.
A specialization and documented experience in cancer biology and/or immunology will also be evaluated as advantageous. Experience with histology, antibody-based techniques, confocal microscopy and molecular biological techniques is also an advantage.
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 are looking for candidates who:
Have good collaboration skills
Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
Wants to contribute to a good working environment
As many people 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.
UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.
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
Involvement in an interesting research project
Good career opportunities
A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
Pension scheme through the state pension fund
PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 532 200 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase
Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.
More practical information about working and living in Norway can be found here.
Application
Your application must include:
Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
CV containing a complete overview of education, experience, professional work, pedagogical qualifications and references.
Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
Transcript of grades 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 cancer immune escape mechanisms
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. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. 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.
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. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.
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.
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.
