Ledig stilling ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet

Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the project KLEB-GAP at the Norwegian Veterniary Institute

Deadline: 29.11.2019

About the Position

The Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Biology (IMB) has a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position available for commencement from January 1st, 2020, for a period of two years.

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 represents a newly created entity gathering almost all possible health study programs. This facilitates an unique interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with the services in the North to solve tomorrow's challenges.

The postdoctoral fellow will work on a large multidisciplinary project entitled “Klebsiella pneumoniae - a key driver in the global spread of antimicrobial resistance and a target for new approaches in diagnostics, surveillance and alternative therapeutics (KLEB-GAP)”. The project is coordinated by the IMB. The activity of the candidate is co-funded by the Trond Mohn Research Foundation, UiT and NVI. There will be a possibility for one-year extension.

Working place will be at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI).

NVI is a research institute in the areas of animal health, fish health and food and feed safety, whose primary function is supply of research-based knowledge support to the authorities. NVI have a free and independent position in all academic questions. As the authorities' main advisor in topics related to prevention, handling and elimination of zoonosis and serious infectious diseases in fish and land animals, NVI performs an important task to the Norwegian society. NVI also assists in the prevention and management of crises caused by hazardous compounds and contaminants in feed and food. We provide services and advice to the industry, professionals and pet owners. The institute’s headquarters are located in Oslo, but NVI is present throughout Norway; i.e. in Sandnes, Bergen, Trondheim, Harstad and Tromsø. NVI has currently about 310 employees. In 2020 NVI headquarters will move from Oslo downtown to the campus of Ås.

For more information, consult www.vetinst.no

Contact

Further information about the position, NVI and UiT is available by contacting:

About the research project

The overall aim of the KLEB-GAP project is to explore Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) -reservoirs using a first-in-kind One Health approach to develop new antimicrobial resistance diagnostics, innovative surveillance methods, and evaluate bacteriophages as treatment against multidrug resistant Kp. The project will explore the presence, persistence, and transmission of Kp and related antimicrobial resistance determinants within and across human, animal, and marine reservoirs through advanced genomic and bioinformatic analyses of large prospectively collected samples. The project will provide new knowledge for: further development of global surveillance methodology to monitor the flow of Kp and related antimicrobial resistance across sectors, the development of whole metagenomic sequencing beyond the state-of-art for diagnostics and surveillance of Kp-clonal lineages involved in antimicrobial resistance dispersion and pathogenicity, and pre-clinical efficacy studies of bacteriophages as treatment of colonisation and infection by multidrug resistant Kp.

The project takes advantage of the unique Norwegian human (NORM) and animal (NORM-VET) antimicrobial resistance surveillance infrastructure, the Institute of Marine Research/Norwegian Food Safety Authority sampling systems in the marine environment, the interdisciplinary antimicrobial resistance One Health Norwegian K. pneumoniae-network (NOR-KLEB-NET; www.nor-kleb.net), and the ongoing Norwegian human K. pneumoniae-studies (NOR-KLEB) to access animal, human, and environmental K. pneumoniae-reservoirs/-strains/-genomes with relevant metadata. The project involves six Norwegian institutions including UiT, Stavanger University Hospital, University Hospital of North-Norway, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Institute of Marine Research and ACD Pharma, an industry partner as well as four renowned international partners represented by Karolinska Institute (Stockholm), Institut Pasteur (Paris), Queens University of Belfast, and Monash University (Melbourne).

Responsibilities

The successful applicant will be involved in the research conducted at NVI in close collaboration with national and international partners in the KLEB-GAP consortium. The research activities will focus on Klebsiella in the animal reservoir; isolation and analytical examinations including population structure and pangenome analysis of Kp from different animal populations, development and implementation of whole metagenomic sequencing, data processing and publication of results and participation with presentations on project meetings. The activity will be in close cooperation with researchers at NVI and other institutions involved in the KLEB-GAP consortium.

Required Qualifications

To be awarded the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow, a Norwegian doctorate degree is required, or a corresponding international doctorate degree which is recognised as being equal to the Norwegian doctorate degree.

A requirement for starting in the position is the completion of a relevant PhD degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, bacterial genomics or related field of study. Relevant competence in methods for microbiological analysis, antimicrobial resistance, bacterial population genetics, metagenomics, molecular epidemiology and advanced bioinformatics analysis is considered important. We are looking for persons with well structured, goal-oriented, and analytical skills that are able to communicate and collaborate with other people in the lab and the consortium. We will evaluate personal suitability and motivation for the position.

We offer

  • Interesting work tasks in a cutting edge research project
  • A vibrant international research community
  • A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
  • Good career opportunities
  • A large degree of independence in work
  • State-of-the-art research infrastructure
  • Flexible working hours and a state collective agreement
  • Pension scheme through the state pension fund

Working and payment conditions

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

National and international trends show that mobility and independence for young researchers are important for achieving external funding at national and international level, and consequently will be important for the prospect of establishing a permanent scientific position in the future.

The following shall therefore be applicable when employed in postdoctoral positions:

  • Unless special circumstances indicate otherwise, postdoctoral projects shall be planned with stays abroad. The duration should take into consideration the framework of the overall project.
  • Postdoctoral projects must be planned so that the candidate is given sufficient opportunity to develop professional independence within the framework of the overall project.

In order to achieve a targeted use of the postdoctoral position, and to strengthen the employee’s career development, a development plan must be available no later than three months after the appointment contract is signed. The development plan must be approved by the immediate leader with personnel responsibility.

Remuneration of post doc positions 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.

How to apply

Applications must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no and must include:

  • Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
  • CV – containing a complete overview of education, positions and academic work
  • Diplomas and transcripts of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree or equivalent (in original language and translated)
  • Master thesis, PhD thesis and any other academic works
  • List of academic works up to 15 academic works. The doctoral thesis is here counted as one work.
  • Description of the attached works, and a short description of other works to show breadth of output
  • References with contact details
  • Documentation on English proficiency

Proficiency in the English language can be documented in the following ways:

  • Diploma from a Norwegian upper secondary school with both spoken and written English (140 hours)
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
  • IELTS (International English Testing Service)
  • Completed university degree in the field of English language or literature
  • One year’s completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA, for which English was the language of instruction.

The documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language.

We only accept applications through Jobbnorge. 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. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ research qualifications based on the application documents and related to the requirements 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 applicant’s personal suitability for the position and motivations.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT.

You can find more information on the website Inbound scholars and staff.

We look forward to receive your application!

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