UiT The Arctic University of Norway

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) consists of Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NFH) and School of Business and Economics. The main task of BFE is to conduct teaching and research dissemination at a high national and international level within all relevant fields. Prioritized research areas are aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, climate, life in the arctic, marine bioprospecting, fish health, seafood products, business and macroeconomics, resources and environment, markets and management of marine resources.

The interdisciplinary profile of the faculty provides good opportunity to develop research projects involving several research groups at the faculty according to its strategy.

Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics

The position

The Department of Arctic and Marin Biology (AMB) has a position available for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Plant Biotechnology/Bioenergy, for a period of 3 years. Date of commence from 1 January 2021. The position is affiliated with the research group "Micro-organisms and Plants" financed by the ARC - Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy at UiT .

The Department of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB) includes 6 research groups. Research and teaching at AMB has a broad span, from molecular mechanisms at cellular/subcellular levels via studies of adaptations at the organismal level, to ecological interactions in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The staff counts 52 permanent scientists, 28 technicians, 9 administrative positions and 65 temporary employees (researchers, postdocs, PhD research fellows, technicians).

The Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy (ARC) was established 2016 at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway. ARC is an interdisciplinary research Centre focusing on Arctic challenges within renewable energy and greenhouse gas management in order to create sustainable societies in the Arctic.

The position´s field of research

The person to be hired will work as a part of international and multidisciplinary research community in a project especially focusing on investigating enzymatic degradation potential against plant biomass for production of biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value bio-products. The main focus is on discovering novel enzyme activities from diverse plant species against lignocellulosic plant biomass and understanding the molecular basis of the enzyme activities against cleavage of linkages between the cell wall components. The work includes genome-based identification and evaluation of important degradative enzymes, which can further be engineered to promote the deconstruction of plant cell wall. The project also includes other important Bioenergy-related themes such as photosynthetic carbon doxide assimilation and utilization, and converting waste to bio-products as important topics of ARC. The postdoc is expected to contribute to these research topics but the specific tasks can be tailored according to the interests of the candidate. For example, more wet-lab based or more computationally based. The work will also include guidance of Masters students, PhD students, and technicians.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

• Associate Professor Katja Karppinen, Phone: +47 776 45076, E-mail: katja.karppinen@uit.no

Qualifications

To be eligible for the position, a candidate must have a PhD degree in Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology or related field. Suitable applicants will have a strong background in molecular biology including experience in protein research as demonstrated by the record of publications. Specific knowledge on enzymatic degradation activities towards plant cell wall would be a strong benefit. Previous experience in enzymatic design, synthetic biology, carbon dioxide assimilation, proteomics, analysis of sequencing (NGS) data, and/or good computational skills is considered an advantage.

We seek a creative and highly motivated person with strong interest towards bioenergy research. The applicant should be able to work independently as well as team-oriented. The applicant must be capable of developing scientific publications targeted to high quality international journals. The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time, within 4 months after receiving the offer.

Language skills - Documented good oral and written communication skills in English is required, and working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language is desirable.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidates potential for research, motivation and personal suitability for the position.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Application

The position will be part of international research community where the working language is English and the application should therefore be written in English.

The application must be submitted electronically via www.jobbnorge.no and shall include:

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV containing a complete overview of education, professional training and professional work
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• Documentation of profiency in the English language
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.

Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant is able to carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

The documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. We can only accept applications sent via www.jobbnorge.no.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The appointment is for a period of 3 years.

Remuneration of Postdoctoral Fellow positions are in State salary code 1352. In addition to taxes, a further 2% is deducted for the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. UiT and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

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.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: Welcome to UiT!

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