Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Marine Biochemistry and Nutrition

26 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Department

Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS)

Research Field

Chemistry » Biochemistry
Biological sciences » Nutritional sciences

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

18 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description
The position

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available at The Norwegian College of Fishery Science  (NCFS), Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics  (BFE) within the Seafood Science group  within the SECURE project . 

The position is a part of a strategic commitment to increase the knowledge of utilization and general health effects of seafood consumption. This includes mechanistic studies of possible health effects. In addition, the research group focuses on qualities of traditional and novel, wild and farmed, marine resources and products from such resources. Our ambition is to provide relevant, complete, and innovative knowledge for the development of the marine sector. We aspire to offer high-level research and education to acquire sustainable and economically viable utilization of marine resources.

The position is a fixed-term position for three years. 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 can carry out the project over the entire 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 position can additionally be assigned to teaching and related work for UiT in an amount equivalent to a maximum 25 % of a full-time employment.

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

The project

This part of the SECURE project  aims to study the composition of nutrients and contaminants in novel marine raw materials, their effects on the oral and gut microbiome, cardiometabolic diseases and atherosclerosis, and the link between gut microbiota and atherosclerosis.

This project is within the SECURE project ("Novel Marine Resources for Food Security and Food Safety") financed by UiT - The Arctic University of Norway. SECURE is a multidisciplinary project focusing on the utilization of novel marine low trophic level food resources. The overall aim of the project is to develop knowledge enabling sustainable food security and safety by a multidisciplinary approach covering research fields from cardiometabolic health to the legal framework. This part of the SECURE project will study the effects of novel low-trophic arctic marine raw materials on the oral and gut microbiome, on cardiometabolic diseases and atherosclerosis and the link between gut microbiota and atherosclerosis development of atherosclerosis using apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice as an animal model.

This will be done by: Determining the effect of marine raw materials on the development of atherosclerosis in the aorta and the brachiocephalic artery; Determining the levels of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoproteins, glucose, insulin as well as cellular and inflammatory CVD risk markers to examine responses to the marine diets; Evaluate changes in gene expression and protein mass and phosphorylation of proteins involved in fatty acid, lipoprotein and energy metabolism. A successful candidate will be engaged in planning and conducting animal and laboratory experiments, scrutinizing the molecular and metabolic changes related to dietary-induced cardiovascular disease, analyzing physiological, biochemical and molecular data using the relevant tools, contributing to high-impact publications, and supervising PhD students.

The candidate for this position is expected to lead the efforts to quantify the dietary-induced metabolic changes, perform RNA, protein and lipid assays and to further develop necessary additional analyses.

A two-page project proposal must be submitted as part of the application for this position. The objective of the project proposal is to understand the candidate's goals and knowledge of the research topic and guide us during the evaluation process. This means that the activities proposed in the project proposal may not be the activities to be done once the candidate is selected. The project proposal should contain: An introduction, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, references and a brief career plan. For the career plan, focus on what you expect to achieve with this position, what you need/want to develop while working at the Ui, and your goals after this position is finished.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Edel O. Elvevoll:

• phone: +47 99246579 
• email: [email protected]

or Professor Karl Erik Eilertsen: 

• phone: +47 77623310
• email: [email protected]

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• This position requires a PhD in Marine Biochemistry or related areas. 
• Experience working with biochemical, cellular and chemical assays
• Applicants must document fluency in English and be able to work in an international environment. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
• Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience working with laboratory animals (mice)
• Knowledge of obesity-induced disturbances in gut microbiota and cardiac and adipose tissue metabolism.
• Experience in assay development and validation
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals documenting the required experiences are considered advantageous.
• Bioinformatic skills: basic knowledge of genome analysis (assembly, annotation) would also be considered advantageous

As teaching duties or equivalent work is attached to the position, emphasis will also be attached to teaching experience and qualifications.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:

• Have good collaboration skills
• Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Wants to contribute to a good working environment

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 ).

Inclusion and diversity  

UiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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  

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme  which also include health care services .

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility  

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Project proposal (max 4 pages)
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• 2 reference letters (if applicable)
• Documentation of teaching experience and qualifications, if applicable
• 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
• The doctoral thesis

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

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 . 

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no .

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

UiT wishes to increase the proportion of females in academic positions. In cases where two or more applicants are found to be approximately equally qualified, female applicants will be given priority. 

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. 

Eallju - Developing the High North 

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.

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry » Biochemistry

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Research Field

Biological sciences » Nutritional sciences

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Country

Norway

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/256419/postdoctoral-research-fel…

Contact

City

Tromsø

Website

http://en.uit.no/om/art?p_document_id=343547&dim=179040

Street

Hansine Hansens veg 18

Postal Code

N-9019

STATUS: EXPIRED