UiT The Arctic University of Norway

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus research university and the northernmost university of the world.

Our central location in the High North, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio, and our interdisciplinary qualities make us uniquely suited to meet the challenges of the future. At UiT you can explore global issues from a close-up perspective.

Credibility, academic freedom, closeness, creativity and commitment shall be hallmarks of the relationship between our employees, between our employees and our students and between UiT and our partners. 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 Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS), The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) is searching for a PhD candidate to study the biology of potentially important, but poorly known marine fish species in Arctic waters. The position is affiliated with the Research Group for Genetics, RGG.

The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25 % each year and will consist of teaching and other duties. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø, and it is urged to include a stay abroad during the project period. This project will utilize data from the literature, available samples, as well as scientific cruises for collecting new materials. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

Research Group for Genetics

The successful applicant will be associated with the Research Group for Genetics, RGG. The RGG undertake genetic and genomic studies of Arctic and sub-Arctic fishes and have particular interest in elucidating the mechanisms of speciation, adaptations to the environment, and genetic and biological interactions. How climate change and biological invasions intervene with these mechanisms is also of interest. The group uses genetic and genomic methods (in the broadest sense), in combination with classical approaches in biology.

The project

The PhD-project will focus on biological questions related to life history traits of data poor, but sometimes abundant and potentially ecologically relevant Arctic marine fish species such as snailfishes (Liparidae), eelpouts (Zoarcidae) and sculpins (Cottidae). These species, among others, are used as “canary birds” to monitor changes in Arctic ecosystems, which are changing at an un-paralleled rate compared to the rest of the world. So far, understandings of how species and life history traits are impacted by climate change has been based upon life history traits extrapolated from related species or based on few observations, making the input data inaccurate or unreliable. This project aims to shed light on individual species’ life history traits, and move beyond the current assumption that life history traits are similar within genera or families. The results will provide better input data for use in projections and modelling of future Arctic marine ecosystems.

The final research questions will be based on the applicant’s project description and defined in collaboration with the supervision team but should include two or more of the following topics: genetic characterization such as populations or species, life history traits such as age estimation and size at maturity, fecundity, spawning mode, growth rate, and/or main diet preferences. As these parameters are related to adaptations, it is natural to also include spatial and environmental variables in the project.

The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 2 pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the theme, research question(s) and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervisor.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact:

Associate Professor Arve Lynghammar:

• phone: +47 913 87 748
• email: arve.lynghammar@uit.no

or research group leader Professor Kim Præbel:

• phone: +47 454 36 415
• email: kim.praebel@uit.no

Qualifications

The successful applicant must have:

• A master’s degree in biology, molecular ecology, or equivalent field, by the application deadline
• Good academic performances, and a genuine interest and motivation for performing research
• Ability to work independently under supervision
• Documented fluency in English
• A description (max 2 pages, incl. figures/tables and references) of a realistic project within the given topics, time frame and geographical region

It is desirable if the candidate has the following:

• Motivation for teaching
• Established knowledge and proficiency in R
• Documented experience from one or several of the topics described for the project (e.g., courses, BSc/MSc degree)
• Documented fluency in Norwegian/Scandinavian language (teaching is usually in Norwegian at BSc level at UiT)
• Experience with field work, particularly at sea

It will be an advantage if the candidate has one or more of the following:

• Scientific publications/manuscripts
• Experience in outreach, communication, and social media
• Good understanding of general fish ecology and biology

In the assessment, the emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on a master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work as well as personal skills. In addition, other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme may be given consideration.

Personal qualifications and suitability will be emphasized; the candidate’s personal qualifications should include excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an enthusiasm to work as a member of a collaborative research team.

As many as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

Admission to the PhD programme

For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

Admission normally requires:

• A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 30 ECTS for a master's degree of 120 ECTS.
• A master's thesis with a scope corresponding to at least 20 ECTS for an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS.

Grade requirements applies both to the master thesis as well as courses part of the master’s degree. The minimum requirements are grade C or better on the master’s degree, and grade C or better on courses that are part of the master’s degree. A grade lower than C in one course may be compensated by a higher grade than C in another course. If the applicant has two subjects with the grade D or lower, the applicant is not qualified for admission. A more detailed description of admission requirements can be found here.

Applicants with a foreign education will be subjected to an evaluation of whether the educational background is equal to Norwegian higher education, following national guidelines from NOKUT. Depending on which country the education is from, one or two additional years of university education may be required to fulfil admission requirements, e.g. a 4-year bachelor's degree and a 2-year master's degree.

If you are employed in the position, you will be provisionally admitted to the PhD programme. Application for final admission must be submitted no later than six weeks after taking up the position.

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity are a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite at least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project
• Good career opportunities
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues 
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement 
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 
• More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here.

Application 

Your application must include:

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
• Transcript of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• References with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
• A description (max 2 pages, incl. figures/tables and references) of a realistic project within the given topics, time frame and geographical region

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcripts for the master’s degree with your application.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

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 shorter period of appointment may be decided when the PhD Fellow has already completed parts of their research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position PhD Fellow, research assistant, or the like in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.

Remuneration for the position of PhD Fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act (Offentleglova). According to the Personal Data Act information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication, if you have requested non-disclosure.

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