UiT The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) consists of Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NFH) and School of Business and Economics. The main task of BFE is to conduct teaching and research dissemination at a high national and international level within all relevant fields. Prioritized research areas are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, life in the arctic, marine bioprospecting, fish health, seafood products, business and macroeconomics, resources and environment, markets and management of marine resources.

The interdisciplinary profile of the faculty provides good opportunity to develop research projects involving several research groups at the faculty according to its strategy.

Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics

The position

A position as Postdoctoral Fellow in Seasonal Chronobiology is available at The Department of Arctic and Marin Biology (AMB), affiliated with the Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology research group.

AMB includes 6 research groups. Research and teaching at AMB has a broad span, from molecular mechanisms at cellular/subcellular levels via studies of adaptations at the organismal level, to ecological interactions in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The staff counts 52 permanent scientists, 28 technicians, 9 administrative positions and 65 temporary employees (researchers, postdocs, PhD research fellows, technicians).

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant is able to carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

The appointed Postdoctoral Fellow must have its daily workplace at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, and be able to commence no longer than within 6 months after receiving the offer of appointment.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Professor David Hazlerigg, Phone: 77 64 448 71, E-mail: david.hazlerigg@uit.no

The project/position's field of research

The position as Post-doctoral fellow is available in the framework of the Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), a new UiT-funded Aurora centre which has the aim of establishing an international centre of excellence on seasonal timekeeping in north Norway. As such a general requirement is that the appointee will contribute to the ongoing development of ASTI, department of arctic and marine biology and the university as a whole.

The fellow’s research project will focus on the neural, endocrine and physiological mechanisms controlling energy metabolism in Svalbard ptarmigan. This species undergoes high amplitude annual cycles of body fat regulation driven by innate circannual timer processes, independently of seasonal changes in food supply, and we wish to investigate the underlying control mechanisms.

The appointee will become an active and integral member of the Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology research group, which is based on the UiT Brevika campus and leads the ASTI programme. Membership of this group will provide excellent further training and career development opportunities, in both research and pedagogical aspects, enabling the appointee to compete for future long-term career positions.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• The candidate must have successfully completed a Norwegian doctoral degree in the field of seasonal chronobiology or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.
• A thorough grounding in seasonal neuroendocrinology as it operates in mammals and birds, and in molecular/cellular analysis of neural function.
• Practical Experience of working with ptarmigan/red grouse.
• Practical Experience of behavioural and physiological monitoring using passive infrared detectors and implantable dataloggers.
• Practical experience of using in situ hybridization and qPCR to study regulation of gene expression.
• Documented excellence in oral and written communication in English.
• A strong early career track record of presentation and communication of research findings through peer reviewed publications and presentations at scientific conferences.

Additional desirable qualifications:

• Boreal/arctic field experience including live capture of wild birds
• Working proficiency in Norwegian/Scandinavian language
• Interest/experience in exploiting interdisciplinary approaches based on population genomics to understand evolutionary aspects of seasonal timekeeping

In the assessment, emphasis will be placed on the research track record of the applicant, assessed through the scientific quality of written publications and the doctoral thesis, and upon the quality of the research proposal submitted by the applicant. At UiT, assessment of scientific quality follows the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Description of your past research project and its relevance to the advertised position (max 1 page)
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• Project proposal
• A list of your academic productivity
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.

You must submit a project proposal that describes how you scientifically can contribute to (the project/described field of research).

The documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. We only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.

We offer

• Excellent 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

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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.

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.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: International staff

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