PhD-position (4 years) - Department of Clinical Science
Deadline: 15.08.2022
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad.
There are five departments and seven centres at Faculty of Medicine.
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PhD position (4 years)
At the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Science, a PhD-position (100 %) is available for a period of four (4) years or max 4 months after completed the PhD-degree, if this is achieved within a shorter time than four years. The positions include 25 % required duties such as teaching, exam work or supervision, depending on the demands at the department.
The position is part of the project “Unravelling the Genetic Trajectories of Childhood Growth – From Trio-GWAS to Mechanisms.” funded by the University of Bergen.
The work will be part of a larger project financed by the Norwegian Research Council and includes a possibility for a research stay at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge (UK). The successful applicant will be supervised by professor Stefan Johansson at the Center for Diabetes Research with co-supervisors professor John Perry (University of Cambridge) and a senior researcher at the University of Bergen.
The PhD candidate will work on the project “Unravelling the Genetic Trajectories of Childhood Growth – From Trio-GWAS to Mechanisms”. The overarching project has received funding through the ERC, NFR, Novo Nordisk and the Helse Vest and is a large collaborative study utilizing both omics, informatics, molecular, cellular and phenotypic investigation of the biological effects of genetic variants involved in early human growth. The aim of the studies is to identify genetic variants and biological mechanisms with profound impact on childhood growth, food preferences, and response to lifestyle interventions to understand the connection between growth in early life and future risk of obesity and diabetes. To achieve this goal, we will analyse Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) data from 240,000 participants from the unique Norwegian Mother, father and child birth cohort study (MoBa) combined with UK-biobank data and take forward these findings for molecular and cellular studies, and apply these discoveries to obese children.
About the project/work tasks:
The candidate will work in one or several of the four work packages depending on the qualifications of the candidate: WP1: GWAS discovery –The largest discovery of time-resolved genetic determinants of BMI development in infancy and childhood. WP2: Genetic risk stratification - Revealing biological and environmental mechanisms that protect against obesity and T2D WP3: Cellular studies – Understanding genes with dynamic influences on growth and WP4: Informatic approaches – Novel methods in childhood growth using trio data.
In the PhD work, the objective is to deliver a comprehensive map of genetic influences on child growth and utilize novel informatics approaches being developed in the group at the Bergen Diabetes Research Center and at the University of Cambridge to decompose these into genes and pathways that will better reflect the underlying biological mechanisms and facilitate much more predictive genetic risk scores (so called PRS), and provide novel targets for treatment of obesity. The candidate will take forward these results to the deeply phenotyped cohorts to study their impact on weight development, food preference, blood lipids and transcript levels from 6 to 24 months of age and on childhood obesity.
The candidate will collaborate closely with a cross-disciplinary team of researchers both locally at the Bergen Center for Diabetes Research, and at the University of Cambridge with expertise in statistical genetics, informatics, molecular genetics, cell biology and pediatrics. The successful candidate will have ample opportunities to develop her/his skills across several of these research disciplines.
Qualifications and personal qualities:
The applicant must hold a master`s degree or equivalent in molecular genetics/biology, cell biology, medicine, statistics, informatics, epidemiology or related fields.
The applicant must
explain their interest for the research project in the application letter
be motivated to contribute to large collaborative efforts and engage with different academic disciplines (e.g., molecular biology, medicine, epidemiology, computer science).
have a considerable work capacity as well as an enthusiasm for research and the ability and interest to work in a team.
be able to work independently and in a structured manner, and have the ability to cooperate with others
be fluent in oral and written English
Experience with, or interest in the one or several of the following fields is considered an advantage:
Data analysis including programming, such as Python or R
Advanced molecular- and cell biological techniques
Medical research based on molecular genetics
A firm basis in quantitative research methods and data analysis
Applicant whose education is from another country than Norway, need to also attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant enclose a review from NOKUT whether the education in question (bachelor and master's degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see www.nokut.no/en for more information about NOKUT’s general recognition. The review from NOKUT may take some time and the application should be sent to NOKUT as soon as you have decided to apply for the position. If no answer within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application.
About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):
Organized research training (PhD program):
The candidate must take part in the University of Bergen approved PhD programme leading to the degree within a time limit of 3 years. You must have admission to the organized research training (PhD program) at the Faculty in order to qualify for the position.
Application for admission to the PhD programme, including a project plan outline for the training plan must be submitted no later than three months after the date of commencement.
The PhD-position:
PhD-positions are fixed term positions. You cannot be employed in a PhD-position for more than one fixed term period at the same institution or have had similar employment at an institution in the region.
We can offer:
Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
Salary at pay grade 54 (code 1017/pay framework 20.10) NKR 492 200 before taxes, in the state scales. Further increases in salary will be based on seniority in the position. For applicants with at least one year of employment in a position as a General Practitioner or Dentist, salary level 56 NKR 507 600. Medical specialist starts on wage level 59 NKR 534 400
Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
a brief account of the applicant`s research interests and motivation for applying for the position
certified copies of diplomas and transcripts of grades. Applicant whose education is from another country than Norway, need to also attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant enclose a review from NOKUT whether the education in question (bachelor and master degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see www.nokut.no/en for more information about NOKUT’s general recognition. This may take some time and we recommend you to apply as soon as you know you will apply for this position. If no answer within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.
For further information about the recruitment process, click here.
