PhD Position within Bee Health

7th May 2024
Languages
English

• Norsk Bokmål
• English

English
Food supply depends on pollinators, but they are in crisis.
Are you interested in exploring why?
PhD Position within Bee Health
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About the position

The Department of Paraclinical Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant PhD–position related to research on bee health. The position is part of the “BuzzFeed” project. This is a fixed-term position with a duration of 3 years.

The intention of BuzzFeed is to explore interactions between infections, nutrition, and immunocompetence in bees in Norway, with emphasis on how these are affected by changes in climate and land use.

The main tasks of BuzzFeed are:

• To map how pathogen (parasites, fungi, viruses, bacteria) infections of bees in Norway (with emphasis on honeybees) are distributed according to environmental (particularly flower resources) and other factors, and to assess and model different potential risk factors for infection.

• To determine the immunocompetence of bee populations according to both infection and other factors.
• To investigate whether dietary supplementation affects bee health, infections status, and immunocompetence.

The BuzzFeed project is based in the parasitology unit at NMBU-VET. The successful candidate will be supervised by researchers from there and also from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA). In addition, the BuzzFeed project group involves several other subject units at NMBU-VET, and NORBI (Norwegian Beekeeper’s Association).

The applicant is made aware that an application for a PhD position at NMBU is at the same time an application for admission to a PhD programme at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment.

Main tasks

• Lab work: analysis for pathogens by molecular and other methods; characterisation of markers of immunocompetence in different bee populations
• Mapping of pathogen occurrence in bees according to different ecological factors
• Investigation of risk factors for infection
• Exploration of effect of dietary supplements on bee survival, pathogen occurrence, and immunocompetence
• Organization and analysis of data, mapping, modelling, and writing/dissemination of results are also important activities.

The successful candidate is expected to submit a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period.

A deliberation for the position is available, which can be sent upon request to Professor Lucy Robertson. Please see the contact information further down in the advertisement.

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Competence

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year Master’s degree or a Cand.med.vet. degree, with a learning outcome corresponding to the descriptions in the Norwegian Qualification Framework, second cycle. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background relevant to the position and be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description .

The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.

Required Academic qualifications

• Veterinary education (DVM/Cand.med.vet) or relevant master’s degree with emphasis on ecology, biology, entomology or equivalent. Candidates who complete their education in spring 2024 can also apply but cannot take up the position until the programme is successfully completed.
• Documented strong academic background
• Documented proficiency in both oral and written English

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Experience with handling large datasets and using R, GIS and bioinformatics tools.
• Experience with modelling methods, including analysis of ecological gradient relationships and species distribution modelling.
• Experience with laboratory work, particularly molecular methods.
• Knowledge of infection and immunity.
• Good language skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language.
• Category B driving license.

You need to have:

• Strong motivation for the BuzzFeed project.
• Good analytical skills.
• Good communication and cooperation skills.
• Ability to work independently, be structured and efficient.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 532 000) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact Professor Lucy Robertson.

E-mail: [email protected] ; phone +47 67 23 22 99.

Information for PhD applicants  and general Information to applicants

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Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 23.04.2024

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• Complete CV 
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3).  
• Names and contact details for two references

Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at NMBU is the country's only veterinary professional education and provide expertise in veterinary medicine and veterinary public health. The Faculty educates veterinarians, animal nurses and doctoral students in Veterinary Science and researches in veterinary medicine and related biomedical fields. We have 500 students and 430 employees.

The faculty consists of the departments of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Paraclinical Sciences, Production Animal Clinical Sciences and Companion Animal Clinical Sciences. We also run the Animal Hospital, which is closely linked to our research and education, and receives patients from all over the country.

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The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

NMBU will contribute to securing the future of life through outstanding research, education, communication and innovation. We have the country's most satisfied university students, who receive research-based education in a unique student environment. Our graduates gain a high level of competence in interdisciplinary collaboration and are popular in the labor market. NMBU has internationally leading research environments in several subjects. Together with our partners in society and business, we contribute to solving some of the biggest societal challenges of our time.

We focus on innovation, communication and entrepreneurship because we believe these challenges are best solved with joint efforts. We believe that a good working environment is characterized by diversity.If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no/en

Apply for this job
Deadline

7th May 2024

Employer

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

Municipality

Ås

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås

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