About the position

The Department of Clinical Medicine has a PhD Fellow position available for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in the field of meta-transcriptomics. The position is affiliated with the Genomics Support Centre (GSCT), headed by Professor Ruth Paulssen. The Research Fellowship is part of the GSCT project entitled: “Role of microbiota in the gut epithelial layer for Ulcerative Colitis (UC)”.

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, is a national innovation which brings together a wide range of health-related education pathways. This lays the groundwork for a unique level of interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with northern services in order to find solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

Read more about us at www.uit.no/helsefak.

The PhD position is available to start from 4th January 2020 and is for a fixed term of 4 years with the objective to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD program is a prerequisite for employment, and the program period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD Fellow shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project should be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD program, application form and regulations for the PhD degree are available at the following address: Faculty of Health Sciences, uit.no/helsefak.

About the group

The Genomics Support Centre (GSCT) at UiT is a high throughput sequencing core facility that also provides bioinformatics assistance. The group carries out its own research within bioinformatics methods for analysis and interpretation of NGS data. For more info please visit the GSCT homepage.

About the research project

The research project aims to use the large amounts of publicly available data on the transcriptomes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in conjunction with available data about protein-protein interactions and gene regulation to identify new ways of predicting treatment outcomes for IBD patients. IBD, a group of autoimmune diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, affect estimated 2.5-3.5 million individuals in Europe alone, incurring an annual treatment cost of 4.6-5.6 billion Euros. The underlying mechanisms of IBD involve a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors that cause an aberrant activation of the immune system. There are large individual variations in disease progression and treatment response and there is therefore a need for more research aimed at identifying the best treatment options for the individual.

The candidate will apply bioinformatical and statistical methods on established meta-transcriptional data in order to understand how the interplay between human gut microbiota and host barrier inside the gut mucosa affect treatment response in ulcerative colitis (UC). Secondly, the candidate will apply machine learning methods in order to identify specific microbes or microbial genes that influence UC drug response or disease progression. Experimental validation of the in silico results, including microbiological analysis will be applied in order to understand the human- gut microbe interaction for UC.

Qualification requirements

The successful applicant must have a Master’s Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. metagenomics, microbiology, bioinformatics, molecular biology) and display a strong interest in applying computational methods to biological and medical research. Candidates should preferably have experience in analyzing large datasets with bioinformatical and statistical methods. The candidate must be able to function in an interdisciplinary research team with coworkers from diverse training backgrounds. Emphasis will also be placed on the communication and collaboration skills and the motivation and interest the candidate displays for the project.

The successful applicant must fulfill the requirements for admission to the faculty’s PhD program, cf. Regulation for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. The applicant must speak and write English fluently and he/she has to be able to document proficiency in English equivalent to Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification, refer to the website about PhD regulations at UiT for acceptable documentation.

Candidates at the final stages of Master Degree are also qualified to apply but must provide documentation of graduating before hiring.

Working conditions

The normal period of employment is four years, corresponding to the nominal length of the PhD program including one year teaching.

Remuneration for the position of PhD candidate is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017 or code 1378 depending on qualifications. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. All workers in Norway are provided health insurance.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: Welcome to UiT!

How to apply

Application and submitted documents (see below) should be sent electronically via the application form available on www.jobbnorge.no. Candidates that do not provide required documentation or cannot prove the equivalence to required degree will not be considered for the position.

Application documents:

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV containing an overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work and teaching experience
• Copies of diploma and transcript from completed Bachelor’s degree
• Copies of diploma and transcripts from Master’s degree
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Up to 3 reference letters with contact details of the referees
• A copy of the Master’s thesis (the thesis will upon request be treated in confidence) and any other works that are to be taken into consideration during the assessment

Applications will only be considered if all requested application documents are received before the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During this assessment process, emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s potential for research as shown by the Master thesis and any other academic works included with the application.

In addition, consideration may be given to work experience or other activities of significance for the implementation of the PhD studies, including any teaching qualifications.. The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will be invited to an interview. The interview serves, among other things, to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.

Contact

Further information about the position and project is available by contacting:

• Professor Ruth H. Paulssen, tel: +47 77 64 54 80, ruth.h.paulssen@uit.no,
• Senior researcher Christopher G. Fenton, christopher.fenton@uit.no, or
• Associate professor Rafi Ahmad, rafi.ahmad@uit.no

General Terms

Applicants may also refer to the Supplementary regulations for appointment to postdoktor (Postdoctoral Research Rellow), stipendiat (PhD) and vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) positions at the University of Tromsø and to the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for posts of postdoktor (Postdoctoral Research Fellow), stipendiat (PhD), vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) and spesialistkandidat (Resident)

Questions concerning the organization of the working environment, such as the physical state of the place of employment, health service, possibility for flexible working hours, part time, etc. may be directed to the telephone reference in this announcement.

UiT – The Arctic University of Norway has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and therefore encourages qualified applicants to apply regardless of their gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background.

UiT – The Arctic University of Norway is an IW (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise, and will therefore emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

Personal data given in an application or CV will be processed in accordance with the Act relating to the processing of personal data (the Personal Data Act). In accordance with Section 25 subsection 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, the applicant may request not to be registered on the public list of applicants. However, the University may nevertheless decide that the name of the applicant will be made public. The applicant will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.

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