NMBU has a particular responsibility for research and education that secures the basis for the life of future generations. Sustainability is rooted in everything we do and we deliver knowledge for life. NMBU has 1,800 employees of which about 250 phd scholarships and 6,000 students. The university is divided into seven faculties.
NMBU believes that a good working environment is characterised by diversity.
We encourage qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, functional ability, cultural background or whether you have been outside the labour market for a period. If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities.
More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no.
About The Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science
The Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM) employs about 160 people. Currently about 50 PhD students are enrolled into our PhD program. KBM represents a broad range of scientific fields encompassing basic natural sciences such as microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry as well as the application of these towards food chemistry, technology and safety, biotechnology, bioprocessing and environmental issues. The Faculty is responsible for education, research and information within our fields of expertise and also has state-of-the-art instrumentation to perform research within these fields. KBM collaborates in networks and research projects both nationally and internationally.
The FoodPilotPlant Norway at NMBU is a national arena for food process development, research, and education. These state-of-the-art pilot plant facilities makes campus Ås an outstanding arena for food production, education, research, development, and industrial contract work. The dairy pilot plant located at KBM is central in GoatSCC.
Interested in how rangeland pasture influence goat milk quality?
About the position
The Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant (3) years PhD position related to the project “GoatSCC: High somatic cell numbers in goat milk – influence on product quality”.
GoatMilkSCC is a recently granted research project financed by the Norwegian Foundation for Research Levy on Agricultural Products (FFL) and the Norwegian Agricultural Agreement Research Fund (JA). The project is a cooperation between KBM, the Veterinary faculty at NMBU, TINE, Norsk Sau og Geiteavslag (NSG) and Agroscope in Switzerland.
In Norway, goat milk has traditionally been processed to brown whey cheese, and the utilization of the casein fraction has until recently been less focused. However, consumers preferences have changed over time, with declining brown whey cheese consumption and an increased interest in rennet coagulated cheeses. Measures were therefore needed to make the goat milk more suitable for cheese production.
Several successful initiatives in previous projects (eradication of infectious diseases and breeding for higher casein content) have contributed to improve the Norwegian goat milk quality considerably. Still, Norwegian goat milk farmers experience an increase in somatic cell counts (SCC) when the goats are on rangeland pasture, which might influence cheese production and cheese quality. The overall aim of GoatMilkSCC is to study how milk microbiota and SCC affects milk quality in terms of rennet coagulation properties and cheese quality. The PhD project will focus on the chemistry, enzymatic activities and microbiota of goat milk differing in SCC and how this influences the products from goat milk. The project will be connected to the research group dairy technology and food quality.
The applicant is made aware that an application for a PhD position at NMBU is at the same time an application for admission to a PhD programme at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment.
Main tasks
Major tasks include:
PhD project
Studies on goat milk quality focusing on content and composition of milk proteins, enzyme activities and microbiota and how these factors are affected by content and types of somatic cells in the milk.
Specific tasks:
Contribute with sampling and organization of goat milk samples and further analyses.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of major and minor proteins in milk and cheese.
Analysis of the activity and quantification of selected enzymes derived from somatic cells.
Extraction of DNA and sequencing of milk microbiota.
Bioinformatic analyses.
Competence
The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are at master's degree level (at least B as average grade for the MSc studies). The applicant must have a documented strong academic background from previous studies and be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For occasional teaching tasks the candidate should also preferably be proficient in a Scandinavian language.
For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the supplementary regulations for the KBM PhD programme. We expect that the selected candidate will successfully publish research findings in high-impact peer reviewed journals during the PhD period.
The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.
Required academic qualifications and experiences
Master’s degree in food science or biotechnology with specific emphasis on food chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology (see below for further requirements for admission to the PhD program at NMBU).
Training and research experience in dairy chemistry and microbiology.
Good academic writing skills
The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:
Training and research experience in protein biochemistry
Training and research experience in molecular biology
Training and research experience in bioinformatics
Experience with goat milk production
Knowledge and experience with cheese production
You need to be:
Ambitious, curious, and motivated to work in a strong research environment.
Accurate and patience with good practical skills
Strong communication skills, both written and oral
Independent and hard-working
Good social and collaborative skills
Remuneration and further information
The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 491.200,-) 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 the:
Head of the GoatMilkSCC project Professor Siv Skeie (siv.skeie@nmbu.no), tel. +47 67232552 at the Dairy technology and food quality research group at KBM
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: 14 December 2021
In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.
Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.
The following documents must be attached to the application:
Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
Complete CV
Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English
Names and contact details for two references
Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works)
