PhD Fellow affiliated with the project "Imaging Ageing Endothelium at the Nanoscale"

Lars Åke Andersen
21st April 2024
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English

• English

English
Faculty of Health Sciences
PhD Fellow affiliated with the project "Imaging Ageing Endothelium at the Nanoscale"
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The position

A PhD position is available at the Department of Medical Biology , Faculty of Health Sciences , affiliated with the Vascular Biology Research Group and the project "Imaging Ageing Endothelium at the Nanoscale". The position is funded by the EU Horizon Europe MSCA Program "Doctoral Networks".

The position is available for commencement from 01.05.24 and is for a period of three years. Later starting dates are possible, but the Research Fellow must be employed latest 01.09.24. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer. 

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø
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 PhD Fellow will participate in the faculty’s research training, and the doctorate degree project will be carried out over the course of the period of employment. In addition to the faculty’s compulsory courses, the PhD Fellow is required to participate in Doctoral Network (DN) specific courses and training programs.

The work place

The Faculty of Health Sciences has approximately 1350 staff members, 350 PhD-students and 3700 students. The Faculty of Health Sciences is divided into eight departments.

More than 200 staff members from all over the world have their workplace at the Department of Medical Biology (IMB) . The Department consists of 11 research groups concentrating on fundamental biomedical research problems, including research on various cancer forms, cardiovascular diseases, the body's immune system and antibiotic resistance. IMB is also involved in marine bio-prospecting and testing of new drugs. IMB provides education for students studying medicine, dentistry, biomedical laboratory sciences, biomedicine and pharmacy.

The position is organized within the Vascular Biology Research Group (VBRG) . The group performs basic and translational research with the major focus on the crucial blood clearance and immune functions of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell, and similar “scavenger-type” endothelial cells of other vascular beds. These functions are essential for prevention of acute and chronic health complications, such as atherosclerosis, abnormal bleeding/coagulation, cancer metastasis, chronic inflammatory reactions, and virus infections. VBRG has a broad international network; we work to find applications of our basic research activity in medicine by ensuring collaborations with researchers in clinical medicine and pharmaceutical companies in Norway and abroad. Our projects are currently funded by EU-MSCA, EIC, and the Norwegian Research Council in addition to support from UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

The project 

The successful applicant will work on the project entitled “Super-resolution optical microscopy of endothelial cells in ageing”, funded by UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the EU-MSCA Doctoral Networks Program. 
The project has particular emphasis placed upon the application of high-resolution optical methods that enable functional and kinetic studies of the morphology of brain, bone-marrow and liver endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro and in situ. Because the size of many relevant features– e.g. cellular fenestrations (holes through the cells of 50-200 nm) in liver sinusoidal ECs (LSECs) - is well below the spatial resolution of conventional optical microscopes, they have so far mostly escaped our ability to directly follow their dynamic transport processes in vitro and in vivo. Thanks to a close collaboration with the Physics Dept. at UiT and the Biophotonics Dept. at the University of Bielefeld, we now have new optical tools available that can overcome the fundamental limit of spatial resolution in optics, the diffraction limit.

Specific objectives of this proposal are:

(A) to use highly resolving optical methods that enable the direct and dynamic visualization of ultrastructure in LSECs, bone marrow SECs (BMSECs) and brain ECs (BECs);

(B) to study the interaction of small molecules, lipoproteins and modified/damaged proteins with LSECs/BMSECs/BECs and determine the effects of these compounds on ultrastructure;

(C) to develop 3D cultures of LSECs/BMSECs/BECs with their respective parenchymal cells;

(D) to study the role and effects of age and gender on LSECs/BMSECs/BECs.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Peter McCourt:

• phone: +47 77 64 63 91
• e-mail: [email protected]

Jon Terje Hellren Hansen via Unsplash Jon Terje Hellren Hansen
Qualifications

Required qualifications: 

• Master's degree, preferably within cell biology/medical biology. Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. You may still apply if you are in the final stages of the master’s degree, but the master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis and your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application.
• Documented experience in the use of basal cell biology methods and microscopy. The project involves isolation and culture of primary rodent liver, brain and bone marrow cells and the use/development of optical super-resolution methods to study these as monocultures and in endothelial/parenchymal cell co-cultures. The project will also involve the study of liver, brain and bone marrow cells in situ and (where possible) in vivo. 
• Applicants must have a documented knowledge of English as described here .

Desired qualifications: 

• Experience with the following methodologies: high throughput microscopy; deep learning algorithms (for imaging); programming (e.g. R, Python); FACS for cell isolation; research animals.

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position.

In order to be appointed to the role of Research Fellow, the eligibility requirements for the Faculty’s PhD program must be met, according to section 6, Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiT, with additional provisions concerning the Faculty of Health Sciences which can be found here

A requirement of the position is the completion of the equivalent of a relevant Norwegian Master’s degree (120 ECTS points) in addition to the equivalent of a relevant Norwegian Bachelor´s degree (180 ECTS points). Candidates can be of any nationality. However, the candidate is required to undertake transnational mobility i.e. move from one country to another, when appointed. This is a requirement of the MSCA Doctoral Networks program, which is funding this position. In the case of Norwegian nationals, or persons who have previously resided in Norway, these can be eligible for this position provided they have resided or carried out their main activity outside of Norway for more than 24 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment. 

Applicants shall, at the time of recruitment at UiT, be within the first four years (full-time equivalent research experience) of their research careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree. Full-time equivalent research experience is measured from the date when the applicant obtained the degree entitling her/him to embark on a doctorate, (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited) even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged.

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

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 Health Sciences .

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. 

UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

Applicants must have a grade of C or better on the master's thesis and have a grade point average of C or better for the master's degree. 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 two months 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.

Jon Terje Hellren Hansen via Unsplash Jon Terje Hellren Hansen
We offer

• An interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• A large degree of independence in work
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 532 200 NOK/year with a 3% yearly increase

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 about working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Application 

Your application must include: 

• Cover letter including a short description of interests and reasons for applying for the position
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience, professional work, pedagogical qualifications (if any) and references
• 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  Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works

Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. You may still apply if you are in the final stages of the master’s degree, but the master’s thesis must be submitted for evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis and your transcript of grades 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 . 

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.

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, 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 .

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. 

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. 

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 Health Sciences at UiT The Arctic University of Norway represents a newly created entity gathering almost all possible health study programs. This facilitates an unique interdisciplinarity and innovation in health education and research. We work closely with the services in the North to solve tomorrow's challenges.
 
Read more about us at uit.no/helsefak

Apply for this job
Deadline

21st April 2024

Employer

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Municipality

Tromsø - Romsa

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Hansine Hansens veg 18, 9019 Tromsø

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