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

Postdoctoral Position (in 3D label-free nanoscopy and correlative microscopy of living cells in Tematisk Stasinger project Virtual Stain

The position

The Department of Physics and Technology is pleased to announce a vacant position of a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the optics group in connection with the recently announced project ‘ VirtualStain: Artificial intelligence solutions to virtually stain label-free cell and tissue images for studying cardiovascular diseases of fish and mammals’. The appointment is for a duration for a period of 2 years and 9 months.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 workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within 6 months after receiving the offer.

The optics group

UiT the Arctic University of Norway with its main campus located in the quaint little city of Tromsø is the northernmost university in the world. It houses the optics group in the Department of Physics and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, at the main campus of UiT. The optics group has experienced a great surge in research, thanks to UiT for providing the funding. a constant flow of Horizon2020 funding through ERC and MSCA-IF projects and funding from research council of Norway through diverse projects. This has led to a thriving multi-national (currently representing 10 nations) and multi-disciplinary research group, currently comprising of 4 principal investigators, several post docs and PhD candidates, several master students and a multi-million dollar research infrastructure. There is a constant flow of international visiting experts. The group members represent various disciplines like optics, photonics, fabrication, biology, mathematics, sensing, microscopy, nanoscopy, chemistry, computer engineering, electronic instrumentation, etc. The group’s core research activity targets development of cutting-edge technologies in nano-photonics, optics-based climate sensing, microscopy, and optical and computational nanoscopy. There is an emphasis on gender equality, cultural integration, conducive work environment excellence through cooperation and co-enabling, and support of growth and ambition of everyone in the group.

We offer an interesting project funded from the Tematisk Satsinger Funding program of UiT, scientific independence, good remuneration, great potential of growth, and fantastic work environment within the stunning landscape of Tromsø.

The project/position's field of research

The project is led by Prof. Alexander Horsch of the Department of Computer Science, and the optical microscopy work package is led by Assoc. Prof. Krishna Agarwal of the Department of Physics and Technology. The postdoctoral research fellow will be a part of 3d-nanoscopy team, led by Assoc. Prof. Krishna Agarwal, who works on super-resolution microscopy, also referred to as nanoscopy.

The postdoctoral research fellow will work on it with the following goals:

• Perform correlative imaging on multiple optical imaging modalities, including label-free and labelled techniques such as GLIM, NanoLive, fluorescence (widefield, TIRF, confocal)
• Develop bioimaging protocols and applications on heart cells of fishes and mammals, other cells and tissues related to heart health and fish health
• Design AI compatible imaging experiments and gathering AI-compatible microscopy data
• Perform basic image analysis and nanoscopy analysis as needed
• Participate in scientific publications as a leading and/or collaborating author in terms of scientific studies, writing, illustrations, etc.
• Participate in collaborative synergy and project visibility activities
• Represent the scientific output in the Internation community through scientific meetings and conferences.

The nature of the project and the job scope is that it allows an all rounded development of the fellow. The fellow will be encouraged and supported to build his/her resume towards their ambition in academic, technopreneurial, or main stream industrial career. There is an opportunity for the fellow to build his/her research network through inheriting the collaborations of the group. Major collaborators, beyond UiT and directly relevant to the project, include USoton (UK), NTNU (Norway), UiO (Norway), IIT (Italy), IFOM (Italy), University of Campagnia (Italy), EMBL (Germany), and IIT (India). The fellow will also be encouraged to become a member of Digital Life Norway (DLN), a national platform for multi-discplinary research with life sciences as a focus. DLN offers several courses and career development programs, which the fellow can participate in as a student or an instructor. Additionally, representation in OSA as an OSA member and/or active participant of OSA student chapter in Tromso is also highly encouraged.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Assoc. Prof. Krishna Agarwal by email krishna.agarwal@uit.no or telephone +47 776 45157.

Qualifications

The position requires a Norwegian doctoral degree in Engineering/Physics/Bio-technology with strong focus on optical microscopy and bioimaging, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.

Priority will be given to candidates who have completed their doctoral degree no more than two years before the application deadline unless special circumstances exist. Applicants who are in the last phase of PhD and can possibly defend their thesis within 6 months of the job post are also welcome, although such a candidate can join the position only after formally completing their PhD requirement, if selected for the position.

The main qualifications and compulsory requirements include:

• Prior experience of working with label-free and labelled imaging modalities, for example DIC, Brightfield, deconvolution, epi-fluorescence, TIRF, NanoLive, GLIM, etc. Prior experience in at least two label-free and two labelled modalities is a must.
• Experience with nanoscopy (super-resolution microscopy). Examples include structured illumination, fluctuations based nanoscopy, and single molecule localization. Experience with at least two is needed. It is an additional advantage if the candidate already knows how to use and adapt MUSICAL, a nanoscopy algorithm
• Prior experience of live cell handling, live cell imaging, 3D time-lapse imaging, correlative imaging and designing imaging experiments on living or dynamic samples. Experience of performing imaging at ~KHz rate is additionally useful.
• Prior experience of biological sample handling, fluorescence based labelling, sample preparations, etc. is a must. Exposure to laser safety, biochemical safety, ethical consideration of biological sample handling are also must. It is additionally desirable if the candidate already has experience in handling heart cells (cultured and/or primary cell lines) and fish cells (preferably primary cell lines) in living condition. Further exposure to deriving primary cells from fish and deriving fish for experiments is useful.
• Prior experience in microscopy and nanoscopy image processing, including rendering, pseudocoloring, deriving regions of interest, putting scale bars, performing line sections, etc. is a must. Exposure to diverse advanced processing tools such as available as plugins in imageJ is desirable.
• Demonstration of international experience/mobility and working in multi-disciplinary multi-cultural research teams in a collaborative setting
• Publication record illustrating first author publications of experimental research in journals of optics, biology, bioimaging, and protocols

It is expected that the candidate demonstrates:

• Self-motivation and independence
• Good written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Excellent work ethic and commitment to the job
• Creativity, ability to think outside the box, problem solving orientation

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 evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. You should have dissertated before the preferred start-up date of the position. You should also attach a statement from your supervisor.

Documented fluency in English is required, and working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language is desirable.

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

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).

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.

We offer

• Exciting research possibilities, international exposure, opportunity to shape and pursue career ambition, opportunity to build extensive research network, and great potential of growth
• Exposure of working in highly prestigious EU funded project
• Fantastic work environment and good renumeration within the stunning landscape of Tromsø
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

Application

The application must be submitted electronically via www.jobbnorge.no and shall include:

• Application letter
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• Project proposal
• A list of your academic production
• 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 describe 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.

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 successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

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.

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. UiT and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability

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.

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

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