Ledig stilling på Universitetet i Oslo

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PhD Research Fellowship in marine plankton ecology

Deadline: 18.06.2019

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.


Department of Biosciences (IBV) is one of nine departments at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Research in the department is organised in five sections covering topics within biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, cell biology, genetics,

aquatic biology, toxicology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. Education across these topics is offered for around 380 bachelor, 170 master, and 75 PhD students. With 52 permanent professors/associate professors, post-docs, researchers, technical, and administrative personnel, the Department has a total staff of 340 from more than 30 different countries. The Department aims to maintain high international standards within both research and teaching. The new bachelor program in bioscience is the first of its kind to include programming and computational modelling as core elements.

Flere stillinger fra Universitetet i Oslo

A position as PhD Research Fellow in copepod parasite interactions is available at the Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology (AQUA), Department of Biosciences.

The PhD project will focus on copepods, key players in the pelagic food web, and their parasitic and nonparasitic symbionts to quantify the role and effect of parasites on their hosts. The role of parasites and disease in the structuring and functioning of pelagic communities remains poorly understood, despite the general acceptance of disease and parasites as drivers of ecological processes in all ecosystems.

The PhD project bridges field work, experiments and theoretical work. The project aims to quantify i) the prevalence and distribution of parasites in local copepod populations, ii) the importance of the prokaryotic microbiome of copepods for infection susceptibility, and iii) the consequences of infection for copepod behavior and mortality.

The topic of the project is at the intersection between marine ecology, parasitology, molecular biology and bioinformatics/biostatistics. Approaches include field sampling of plankton and their environment, microscopy, metabarcoding and high-throughput sequencing, experiments and behavioral analysis, bioinformatics and biostatistics. The PhD will be supervised by prof. Josefin Titelman (IBV), Prof. Tom Andersen (IBV) and Prof. Lasse Riemann (University of Copenhagen).

More about the position

The fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, or for a period of 4 years with 25 % compulsory work (e.g. teaching responsibilities at the department) contingent on the qualifications of the candidate and the teaching needs of the department.

Starting date no later than 01.10.2019

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 they are expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in biology relevant to this PhD project (e.g. marine biology, biological oceanography, marine parasitology, molecular biology) is required
  • Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
  • Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 30.06.2019 to complete the final exam

The following qualifications are desired:

  • A background in one or more of the following topics: i) marine ecology, ii) biological oceanography, iii) marine parasitology, v) molecular biology or iv) biostatistics
  • Strong practical and analytical skills. Ability to perform extensive laboratory and field work, bioinformatics and statistical data treatment Experience with molecular methods and experimental plankton biology.
  • Personal suitability and motivation for the position. Good social and collaborative skills and ability to work independently and in an interdisciplinary scientific environment

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

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:

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

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

We offer

  • Salary NOK 472 300 – 515 200 per annum depending on qualifications in a position 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

  • Application letter
  • 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
  • A brief account (one page, as a separate file) of the applicant’s interests and motivation for applying for the position
  • List of up to 3 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.

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

For further information please contact:

For questions regarding the recruitment system please contact: HR-officer Nina Holtan, phone: +47 22854424, e-mail: nina.holtan@mn.uio.no

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