UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT is a multi-campus research university in Norway 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.

Faculty of Science and Technology / The Department of Geosciences

The position

The Department of Geosciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø has a vacant position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow to work on a new project focused upon the biogeochemical impacts of melting glaciers and ice sheets, with this post focusing on methane cycling and release. In addition to this announced position, a PhD candidate will be appointed to work with complementary tasks of the project.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 2 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. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The project/position's field of research

The position will form part of a new glacier biogeochemical research group at UiT. The appointed candidate will specifically investigate methane cycling and release from Polar ice sheets (particularly Greenland), via runoff flux measurements and study of ice samples from deep/shallow drilling, with the main goal of evaluating the role of ice sheets more widely in the global methane budget.

Affiliation and collaboration

The position is affiliated to the Department of Geosciences, and forms part of a new glacier biogeochemical research group at UiT (joint with the Norwegian Polar Institute). The department has research and teaching activities in marine geology and geophysics, solid earth science, and coastal and terrestrial geosciences, glaciology, environmental chemistry. Department of Geosciences is host for one Centre of Excellence (CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate), and one Petrocentre (ARCEx – Research Centre for Arctic Petroleum Exploration). The appointed PhD candidate will benefit from cooperation with cross-disciplinary groups at the Department of Geosciences.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact

• Professor Jemma L Wadham, jemma.l.wadham@uit.no

Qualifications

For appointment as Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the applicant requires a Norwegian doctoral degree in glacier biogeochemistry/microbiology or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

The suitable candidate should have previous experience of research involving the measurement of methane and methane isotopes in ice sheet runoff and ice, together with experience of molecular microbiology and microbial ecology. The suitable candidate must have a high level of experience of leading fieldwork in remote ice sheet catchments, and work on runoff quantification and full geochemical and microbiological characterisation.

Documented fluency in English is required( both written and oral). Applicants not being able to communicate in Norwegian will be encouraged to learn the language within a reasonable time.

Additional required qualifications include:

• Independence, creativity and engagement
• Strong problem solving skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent work ethics
• Fieldwork skills and leadership

Qualification with a PhD is required before commencement in the position. If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. You must have dissertated before the start-up date of the position.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidates potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.

UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. A trial lecture may also be held.

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.

We offer

• A cross-disciplinary, interactive and stimulating working environment.
• National and international mobility to work closely with the project partners and to present the work in conferences/workshops.
• State of the art sampling and analytical facilities to successfully reach the project objectives.
• Opportunities to join Arctic research cruises.
• Opportunity to develop academic components of the career, i.e., working closely with PhD and master students.
• Guidance and support to identify and apply to relevant grants.
• UiT has good welfare arrangements for employees including beneficial arrangements for pension and insurances.

A unique hometown Tromsø combining a multicultural urban scene with nearby Arctic wilderness. More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here.

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter explaining your motivation and research interests that provided experience relevant for conducting the work within the vacant position (max. 2 A4 page)
• Description of your past research project and its relevance to the advertised position (max 1 page)
• CV (containing a complete overview of education and professional work; max. 3 pages)
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• The academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment
• Documentation of proficiency in English language

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

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.

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.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole. UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority.

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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