Associate Professor in Food Safety

About the position

The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology announces an open permanent position as Associate Professor within the field of Food Safety. 

The Department has a national role and responsibility for research and teaching in biotechnology and food science and a wide range of expertise. We have a special responsibility of teaching in the disciplines of biochemistry and microbiology. The scientific activity is organized in the four main areas of Biopolymers and Biomaterials, Food Science, Microbial Biotechnology, and Analysis and Control of Microbial Systems. The department focuses on developing integrated research groups where researchers and lecturers within related fields can establish strong research and teaching units. The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science is the host for the national center for biotechnology training, research and innovation: Center for Digital Life Norway https://www.ntnu.edu/dln .

The successful candidate will join the Food Science Division. The Food Science Division is responsible for courses in bachelor- and master programmes in food science and biotechnology. The research activity is mainly linked to marine food production, -quality, and -safety.

The position reports to the Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• teaching and research in the field of food safety, risk management and traceability
• contribute to teaching and supervision at the bachelor’s and master’s level within food science
• initiate new research projects and engage extensively in applications for external research funding, e.g. from the Research Council of Norway, European research and educational agencies, the industry sector, and other available resources.

Required qualifications 

You must have the qualifications required for the position of Associate Professor in the field of Food Safety, as outlined in the regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts 

• Your PhD, or comparable academic work, must be within food science and technology, biotechnology or equivalent. 
• You have research experience in addition to your Phd, and can demonstrate a proven track record in food safety, including risk management. 
• You are knowledgeable within the field of experimental food science and/or technology. 

You must document relevant basic competence in teaching and supervision at a university/higher education-level, as referenced in the Norwegian national Regulations . If this cannot be documented, you will be required to complete an approved course in university pedagogy within two years of commencement. NTNU offers qualifying courses. 

New employees who do not speak a Scandinavian language by appointment is required, within three years, to demonstrate skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language equivalent to level three of the course for Norwegian for speakers of other languages at the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU .  

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of molecular biology and documented analytical competence in analyzing chemical- and biological contaminants.
• Teaching experience from higher education
• Skills in a Scandinavian language

Personal qualities

• Independent and structured
• Collaborative
• Good social skills 
• Creative

We offer 

Salary and conditions

The position as Associate Professor comes with a starting package for new research staff, opportunities for mentoring and is remunerated according to the Norwegian State salary scale. From the salary, 2 % is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. Members of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund are offered a generous pension for life and access to favorable housing loan and insurance schemes.

Employment will be granted in accordance with the principles outlined in the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. Applicants should be aware that there may be changes in the working environment after employment has commenced.

It is required that the newly appointed member of staff takes up residence in Trondheim or nearby. 

Application Process

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here .

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English. 

Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result.

Your application must include:

• CV, diplomas, and certificates
• A teaching portfolio, in which your teaching competence is compiled and presented systematically,   (See guidelines for applicants: Documentation of teaching qualifications in applications and appointments to academic positions at NTNU )
• Academic works – published or unpublished – that you wish to be considered during assessment of your application (up to 10 works)
• A description of the academic works that you regard as most relevant and that you particularly want to be considered in the assessment
• A list of your previous works, with details on where they have been published
• Name and address of three referees
• Details of the projects you have managed, with information about funding, duration and size
• A research statement (max 5 pages) describing the importance of the applicant’s scholarship, outline opportunities to positively impact the discipline, and describe plans for initial grant applications.

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.

While considering the best-qualified applicants, we will pay particular attention to personal qualities, your motivation for applying for the position, and your pedagogical skills and qualifications. Our assessment of the pedagogical skills will be based on documented pedagogical material, forms of presentation in your academic works, teaching experience, PhD, and Masters supervision, and any other relevant pedagogical background. Both quality and scope will be taken into consideration.

NTNU is obliged by the evaluation criteria for research quality in accordance with The San Fransisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA . This means that we will pay particular attention to the quality and academic range demonstrated by your scientific work to date. We will also pay attention to research leadership and participation in research projects. Your scientific work from the last five years will be given the most weight.

Your application will be considered by an expert committee. Candidates of interest will be invited to an interview, and to deliver a trial teaching session.

General information

NTNU human resources policy objectives emphasize diversity and equality. Moreover, the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science actively pursues diversity and gender balance for a good scientific environment. Therefore, all qualified applicants regardless of their gender, functional ability, national or ethnic background are strongly encouraged to apply.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must continually maintain and improve your professional development and be flexible regarding any organizational changes.

In accordance with public law your name, age, job title, and county of residence may be made available to the public even if you have requested not to appear on the public list of applicants. For the sake of transparency, candidates will be given the expert evaluation of their own and other candidates. As an applicant you are considered part of the process and is stipulated to rules of confidentiality. 

More information about the Department and the open position can be obtained from the Head of Department Andreas Møllerløkken, e-mail: [email protected]  or the Head of the food science division professor Jørgen Lerfall, e-mail: [email protected] . 

The application and all attachments should be submitted electronically via jobbnorge.no . If you are invited for an interview, you should be able to provide certified copies of all certificates and diplomas, on request. 

Application deadline: 31.10.2022

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Biotechnology and Food Science

Our activities contribute to increased exploitation of existing and new ingredients for sustainable food production as well as next-generation energy solutions and medical technology. We educate graduates for a wide range of careers in industry, public administration and academia. The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.

Deadline 31st October 2022
EmployerNTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Permanent
Place of service