Job description

A 3-year postdoctoral position to study plasma cell biology in the human gut is available in the Mucosal Immunology group, Department of Pathology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo (UiO). The candidate will be part of a collaborate project between the Mucosal Immunology group and the Department of Public Health and Primary Care (DPHPC), University of Cambridge (http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/)

More about the position

The Mucosal Immunology group at the UiO has been part of a world-leading center in immunology for the past 10 years and is currently part of FOCIS Centre of Excellence. The group collaborates intimately with surgeons and gastroenterologists at Oslo University Hospital and has unique access to human clinical material (see Landsverk et al, JEM 2017,Bujko et al, JEM 2018 and Richter et al. Mucosal Immunol. 2018). The group studies human mucosal immunology in health and in disease conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, graft-versus-host disease in allo-hematopoietic stem cell transplanted patients and colorectal cancer. For more information:

http://www.med.uio.no/klinmed/english/research/groups/mucosal-immunity-in-gut/index.html and https://www.med.uio.no/cir/english

The project recently demonstrated that plasma cells in the human intestine can persist for decades. This represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of humoral immune memory in the gut (Landsverk et al JEM 2017). By directly building on this information this project aims to identify molecular mechanisms underlying the selection of long-lived intestinal plasma cells and to explore the cross-talk between gut plasma cells and the microbiota. This part of the project will focus on functional characterization of gut-derived plasma cells including their interaction and regulatory effect on the gut microbiota, B cell receptor repertoire analysis, and interactions with intestinal stromal cells.

The postdoctoral research fellowship candidate will be working at the University of Oslo and collaborate closely with a fellow postdoc in Systems Biology at the University of Cambridge. Please see the announcement for the Cambridge position on their web page (This position will be annouced separately).

The successful candidate will work under supervision of Frode Jahnsen (UiO), Ole Landsverk (UiO) and Michael Inouye (PHPC). More information about Professor Inouye can be found at, http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/ and http://www.inouyelab.org/

Qualification requirements and skills

The candidate holds a PhD in immunology or related subjects, with a strong background in immunology. Prior knowledge of plasma cells and antibodies is highly desirable.

Essential qualifications and skills:

• Experience working with B cells/ plasma cells in vivo and in vitro
• Experience with B cell receptor analysis
• Experience with flow cytometry and confocal microscopy
• Experience with cell sorting from biological samples
• Experience with dissection and tissue processing
• High level report writing and presentational skills

Desired knowledge and skills

• Experience with CYTOF
• Experience working with bacteria/microbiota
• Experience of statistical method development.

We offer

• Salary NOK 497 000 – NOK 576 100 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement , in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• A complete list of publications with brief statements of candidate contributions
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. 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.

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented qualifications, as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed as Postdoctoral Fellow for more than one specified period at the same institution.

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

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

Contact information:

• Professor Frode Lars Jahnsen, phone number : +47 23071444, e-mail f.l.jahnsen@medisin.uio.no
• HR Adviser Karoline Berg-Eriksen (questions regarding the online application form), e-mail: Karoline.berg-eriksen@medisin.uio.no

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