PhD Research Fellowship in Soft Biomaterials and Interface Science (155705)

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM) was established in 2008 and is the Norwegian node in the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine.

NCMM is a joint venture between the University of Oslo, Health Region South-East and the Research Council of Norway. From 2017 NCMM is merged with the Biotechnology Centre of Oslo and now has altogether 11 research groups. The overall objective of NCMM is to conduct cutting edge research in molecular medicine and biotechnology as well as facilitate translation of discoveries in basic medical research into clinical practice.

Job description

The fellowship is for a period of 3 years. Starting date: as soon as possible. No one can be appointed for more than one fixed-term at the same institution.

Gözen group is both affiliated with the NCMM at the Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The candidate is expected to enroll in the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, which has a strategic ambition of a leading research faculty. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance to this strategy, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

This position is funded by Norwegian Research Council and 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 one month after taking up the position. For more information about doctoral degree and PhD.

The project aims at elucidating the impact of interfaces at nano- and micro- scale, on the behavior of biological soft materials. Cells migrate to perform tasks essential for life, and are associated with disease development. For example, wounds on our skin close and heal thanks to the migration of cells around the circumference of the wound. Malignant tumors also spread through the migration of cancer cells. While migration is occurring, cells continuously interact in a complex manner with the contact areas they establish on surfaces, and with the surrounding chemical and physical environment. Migration is highly dependent on how cells perceive the interface they migrate on. Despite the known roles in cell migration, the materials-associated processes at the interfaces between a migrating cell and its environment have, so far, received little attention. This project will take a new alternative route of investigation, and will focus on soft- and hard matter solid interfaces, with the aim to engineer substrates at the nano- and microscale to study their interaction with simplified, minimal cell models. Major parts of the project contain design, fabrication and characterization of surfaces, fabrication of liposomes and 2D lipid films, micromanipulation of surface-adhered bio-objects using glass capillaries or microfluidic chips and the observation of the responses mainly by optical or surface microscopy.

Requirements/qualifications

• By the start date of the PhD position, the candidate must hold a master’s degree or equivalent (or must have handed in the master’s thesis) in materials science, chemistry, physics or biology (required)
• Practical knowledge of microfabrication procedures/clean room experience (preferred)
• Experience with biological samples/cell culturing (preferred)
• Working knowledge of image analysis (Matlab, Python or similar) Preferably: successfully completed programming education during undergraduate studies (preferred)
• Practical knowledge of light and surface microscopy (preferred)
• Advanced level English in reading, writing and speaking (required)

The application must include

• Application letter stating the motivation for applying for this position
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of educational certificates, transcript of records and letters of recommendation
• Documentation of English proficiency
• List of 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)

For further information about the group.

Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please remember that all documents should be submitted in English.

Salary

The position will be placed as SKO 1017 (position code) with salary depending on qualifications within step 50-57 (NOK 436 900 – 490 900 per year) depending on qualifications and seniority

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships 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

Regarding the scientific inquiries please contact: Dr. Irep Gözen, phone: +4722840596, e-mail: [email protected]

The inquiries regarding the technical aspects of the application can be directed to Nina Modahl, e-mail: [email protected].

Homepage: University of Oslo

Apply for position