Are you interested in zoonotic diseases and their impact on livestock and public health?

About the position

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

NMBU has a special responsibility for research and education that ensures the basis of life for future generations.

Sustainability is rooted in everything we do and we provide knowledge for life.

NMBU has 1700 employees and 5200 students and is organized in seven faculties. NMBU has a campus in Ås and in Oslo. In the autumn of 2020 we are co-located on Ås. Further information on NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no.

About the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at NMBU is the country's only veterinary professional education and provide expertise in veterinary medicine and veterinary public health. The Faculty educates veterinarians, animal nurses and doctoral students in Veterinary Science and researches in veterinary medicine and related biomedical fields. We have 500 students and 430 employees.

The faculty consists of the departments Basal and Aquamedicine, Food Safety and Infection Biology, Production Animal Medicine and Sports and Family Animal Medicine. We also run the University Animal Hospital, which is closely linked to our research and education, and receives patients from all over the country.

The PhD position is assigned to the Section of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology (MatInf) under the supervision of Associate Professor Sabrina Rodriguez Campos. Co-supervisors are Associate Professor Mette Myrmel (MatInf) and Associate Professor Anette Krogenæs (Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences). The Research group has a good national and international network. The workplace will be on Campus Adamstuen in Oslo until July 2020, but will move to Campus Ås thereafter.

NMBU Veterinary College is today located at Campus Adamstuen in Oslo. In August, 2020, we move into new beautiful premises at Campus Ås.

The Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD–position related to Infection Biology.

We are looking for a motivated PhD student to study leptospirosis, an emerging, yet neglected bacterial disease and its presence in livestock and other reservoir hosts in Norway. Host-pathogen interactions will be studied by metagenomics as well as in vitro.

Leptospirosis is a caused by bacteria and is considered the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world with a notable (re-)emergence during the past decade.

Currently, the epidemiological situation in Norway including potential maintenance hosts, such as livestock and rodents, is unknown. Infection in livestock can lead to reduced fertility, stillbirth and abortion, but due to Leptospira being fastidious organisms the underlying mechanisms are understudied.

During the offered 3-year project “Host-pathogen interactions of pathogenic Leptospira” financed by NMBU the PhD candidate will study potential maintenance hosts of Leptospira spp. in Norway by using state-of-the-art molecular methods including metagenomics to gain insight into host-pathogen interactions and interactions with other microbes. Furthermore, the PhD candidate will establish a cell line for the in vitro study of host-pathogen interactions related to reproductive health.

Main tasks

• Sampling of livestock and rodents.
• Screening of the sample panel after DNA extraction using quantitative PCR and molecular typing.
• Part of the samples will be subjected to sequencing and bioinformatic analysis.
• Set-up of a cell line suitable for in vitro studies of host-pathogen interactions impacting reproductive health. For this part of the project the PhD student will obtain training abroad during a research stay.
• Compulsory training covering a minimum of 30 ECTS credits in accordance with regulations on the PhD degree at NMBU. The education must be in line with international standards, with the completion of a scientific work, training in professional dissemination and introduction to research ethics, science theory and method of science.
• Successful completion of a mid-term evaluation and mid-term course
• The PhD student will learn to plan experiments, analyze and interpret results and present the results for international publication. Three international peer-reviewed publications will be prepared.

Qualification requirements, desired experiences, knowledge and personal qualities

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description.

Required Academic qualifications:

• Degree in Veterinary Medicine eligible for Norwegian veterinary authorization
• Proficiency in English, both written and spoken (please see English language requirements in PhD regulations at NMBU).

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Strong interest in molecular microbiology
• Previous laboratory experience including bacteriology, PCR and/or cell culture
• Communication skills in Norwegian, Danish or Swedish

You need to have:

• Interest in research and high motivation
• High work capacity
• Ability to collaborate, but also work independently
• Strong communication and cooperation skills
• Driver’s license

Remuneration and information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 479.600,-) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact:

• Dr. Sabrina Rodriguez Campos, Associate Professor, E-mail: sabrina.rodriguez@nmbu.no; phone +47 67 23 19 66

Information for PhD applicants and general Information to applicants

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 09.11.2018

Applications should include (electronically) a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, copies of degree certificates and transcripts of academic records (all certified), and a list of two persons who may act as references (with phone numbers and e-mail addresses). The relevant NMBU Department may require further documentation, e.g. proof of English proficiency.

Printed material which cannot be sent electronically should be sent by surface mail to the NMBU Veterinærhøgskolen, P.O. Box 369 sentrum, NO-0102 OSLO, within 15.10.2019. Please quote reference number 19/03839.

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