Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

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PhD Research Fellow in Pharmacognosy

Deadline: 28.06.2019

Job description

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.


The Department of Pharmacy has 130 employees. We have an active research and innovation environment based on independent research in pharmaceutical topics. The Department of Pharmacy is responsible for the popular master's degree program in pharmacy and has 350 competent and committed students.


Pharmaceutical related research and education forms the base of all activities at the Department of Pharmacy. The science of pharmacy lies in the interface between the natural sciences, pharmaceutical technology, health related topics and social sciences. This interdisciplinarity is reflected both in our study programmes and in our research.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

A four-year full time PhD Research Fellowship in Pharmacognosy (position code 1017) including 25 % of compulsory work is available at Department of Pharmacy, Section for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Oslo, in the BioNatH research group. The compulsory work will be performed for UiO:Life Science. The position is available from October 1st 2019.

More about the position

The announced position is part of the UiO:Life Science convergence environment REA:Life: https://www.uio.no/english/research/strategic-research-areas/life-science/research/convergence-environments/realife/. Convergence environments are interdisciplinary research groups that will aim to solve grand challenges related to health and environment. They are funded by UiO's interdisciplinary strategic area UiO:Life Science www.uio.no/life-science.

REA:life (Rediscovery of medicinal plant usage in the “Age of Exploration”: From cultural historical heritage to innovative pharmaceuticals) is an interdisciplinary natural and humanistic sciences project across six departments with twelve participants. The project is recruiting four PhD students that will work together in a team with interdisciplinary supervision and activities. The project aims to retrieve lost medicinal knowledge through tracing the prevalence of disease and the history of societies’ increasing awareness of epidemiological diseases during the Age of Exploration (15th – 18th century). We aim to identify novel bioactive compounds in historical medicinal plants using cutting edge methods in pharmacology, immunology, and metagenomics.

The candidate will work on isolating and characterizing bioactive compounds from historically neglected and understudied Nordic medical plants. The project will start by categorizing relevant historical sources at Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, UiO, to identify distinct species for further study. Plants identified and selected for further work will be collected at relevant locations and identified at the Natural History Museum, UiO. Plant-derived lead compounds will be extracted and isolated from water extracts, with a focus on polysaccharides and polyphenols, at the Department of Pharmacy, UiO. Isolated compounds will be characterized by GC, GC-MS using electron impact (EI) and chemical ionization (CI), LS-MS, HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy.

The candidate will work in the BioNatH research group at Department of Pharmacy, Section for Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Oslo, with associate professor Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen as main supervisor. BioNatH is the leading research group within pharmacognosy in Norway, with research focused on isolation and structurally elucidation of biologically active components from plants and mushroom used as medicines and food. The candidate will be co-supervised by associate professor Ane Ohrvik at Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, UiO, and associate professor Hugo de Boer at the Natural History Museum, UiO.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Desired qualifications:

  • Applicants must hold a Master’s degree within the fields of pharmacy, chemistry, molecular biology, or equivalent relevant educations
  • Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
  • Experience with chromatography (HPLC/FPLC/GC), MS and NMR is desired, as well as knowledge within structural elucidation of natural products, preferably polysaccharides and/or polyphenols.
  • Candidates must have fluent oral and written communication skills in English and a Scandinavian language
  • The candidate will work in a very ambitious interdisciplinary setting which will require high flexibility

Candidates that complete their Master degree before 30.8.2019 can apply.

Grade requirements

The norm is as follows:

  • The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and a Scandinavian language

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/application/application.html

Personal suitability will be taken into consideration.

We offer

  • Salary NOK 479 600 – 523 200 per year, depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
  • CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
  • Copies of the original Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records and letters of recommendation
  • Documentation of English proficiency
  • List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
  • Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

https://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

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.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

  • Associate professor Kari Tvete Inngjerdingen, phone: +47 22857504, e-mail: k.t.inngjerdingen@farmasi.uio.no

For questions regarding the JobbNorge portal please contact Therese Ringvold, telephone +4722851606, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no

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