Job description

A four-year full time PhD Research Fellowship in Botany (position code 1017) including 25 % of compulsory work is available at the Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo (UiO).

More about the position

The position is available from October 1st 2019.

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 cultural sciences project across six departments with twelve participants. The project is recruiting four PhD students who 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 identifying plant species and populations that were commonly used in herbal medicine in sites with a particular concentration of disease. The candidate will address this question from different angles using several different methods. The work involves a survey of historical as well as modern literature in collaboration with one of the other PhD students in the project, work on archaeobotanical collections and historical herbaria, floristic field studies on quarantine islands and in (former) monastery and hospital gardens and (ancient) DNA analyses. The candidate will also collect a number of individual medicinal plant populations to be grown in the Oslo Botanical Garden that can be used in further studies.

The candidate will work in the research group of associate professor Anneleen Kool at the Plant Evolution and DNA Metabarcoding group (PET), Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. The PET group addresses cutting-edge research questions in plant speciation, phylogenomics, and biogeography using genomic and DNA metabarcoding data from modern and ancient samples, and contributes to the development of metabarcoding as a next-generation biodiversity assessment tool for society. The Kool group within the PET group combines ethnobotany with studies on historical human influence on plant distribution using comparative phylogenetic methods. The candidate will be co-supervised by associate professor Sanne Boessenkool at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo and associate professor Karoline Kjesrud at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo and the candidate will spend some time in their respective research groups.

Grade requirements for admission to the PhD program

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must correspond to C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must correspond to B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must correspond to grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Appointment to a PhD research fellowship is conditional upon admission to the Faculty’s research training program. A plan for the research training must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position, and the admission approved within three months. For more information on the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, see:

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

Qualifications

• Master degree-level education within the fields of botany, ethnobotany, or biology and good floristic knowledge.
• Experience with ancient DNA, historical botany or archaeobotany is an advantage.
• Candidates must have fluent oral and written communication skills in English, see English proficiency requirements
• The candidate will work in an ambitious interdisciplinary setting which will require high flexibility and excellent social skills.

Candidates that complete their Master degree before 30.8.2019 can apply.

We offer

• An exciting research environment with opportunities for academic development.
• Salary NOK 479 600 – 515 200 per year depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow (position code 1017)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for cultural and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and motivation for the position
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
• A complete list of publications
• Copies of educational certificates, transcript of records
• Letters of recommendation or 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 links “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, who are invited for an interview, are asked to provide educational certificates, diploma or transcript of records.

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.

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 Anneleen Kool, e-mail: anneleen.kool@nhm.uio.no

About administrative questions and the application procedure: HR Adviser Thomas Brånå

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