PhD scholarship in fish nutrition and health

16th June 2024
Languages
English

• English

English
Are you interested in working with future sustainable microbial feed ingredients for fish?
PhD scholarship in fish nutrition and health
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About the position

The Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD–position related to fish nutrition and health.

The position is internally financed by NMBU and will be linked to a new exciting project: ForestFeed - A Nordic blue-green value chain from forest to fish filet. This project aims to establish sustainable production of microbial feed ingredients (PEKILO®) by biotransformation of locally available organic residues such as underutilized biomasses and side streams from the forestry industry.

The successful candidate will focus on validating in vivo growth responses and documenting health effects and robustness of Atlantic salmon fed these novel ingredients. Further, the candidate will also work on in vitro screening of health effects of these novel products in different salmonid primary cell cultures.

The doctoral project will be carried out in close collaboration with several partners in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany. After performing in vitro and in vivo experiments, the PhD fellow is expected to use a range of biochemical, molecular and immunological analytical techniques.

The PhD candidate will join our multidisciplinary research group, comprising of many disciplines such as feed technology, biorefinery, nutrition, physiology, molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology. The faculty has excellent fish facilities and a range of biochemical and molecular wet lab facilities.

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

• Design and conduct in vitro salmonid cell experiments.
• Design and conduct growth performance and health experiments with Atlantic salmon.
• Contribute to diet formulation and feed production.
• Study the impact of novel microbial feed ingredients on fish performance and health, using state-of-the-art tools (including transcriptomics, proteomics, gut microbiome analyses, and/or other nutrigenomic tools).
• Process and perform statistical and bioinformatic analysis of data.
• To generate scientific communication and publications.

The successful candidate is expected to have a PhD education plan approved by BIOVIT during the first months of the appointment, and to complete the PhD within the PhD scholarship period. The compulsory training for the PhD degree at NMBU is covering a minimum of 30 ECTS credits. Presentation of findings at international conferences or/and attending international workshops or courses are highly encouraged and financially supported.

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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 program. 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:

• A MSc degree or equivalent in animal or aquacultural sciences. Candidates from other disciplines e.g. veterinary science, cell biology, immunology, or molecular biology will also be considered.
• Candidate that finishes their MSc education during May/June 2024 can also apply but must provide documentation of their degree before employment.
• Knowledge in fish nutrition and health.
• Knowledge in statistical analyses of biological data and application of bioinformatic tools.
• Experience with molecular laboratory techniques.

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Hands-on experience with cell cultivation.
• Hands-on experience with handling and dissection of fish.
• Hands-on experience with state-of-the-art omics techniques (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics).
• Hands-on experience with immunological techniques.
• Driving license is desirable.

You need to have:

• Strong scientific capacity and analytical skills.
• Good social and collaboration skills but also good ability to work independently.
• Good oral and written communication skills in English.
• Strong motivation for the PhD education and for the research project.
• Creativity and ability to find solutions to practical problems.
• Dissemination skills.

Personal suitability will be given weight.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD research fellow. PhD Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 532 200) 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 Liv Torunn Mydland, E-mail: [email protected] ; phone +47-67232635; +47-98436824

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: 16.06.2024

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, transcripts. 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 Biosciences

The Faculty of Biosciences (BIOVIT) aims to help shape the future food- and bio-production through teaching and research within biology and sustainable production and use of plants, livestock and fish. The faculty has an annual turnover of approx. 250 million kroner. The faculty is organized into nine research sections: Genome Biology, Breeding and

Quantitative Genetics, Ruminant Nutrition and Physiology, Ethology and Animal Environment, Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Agroecology, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Plant Protection and Food Crops, Plant Biology and Biotechnology. The faculty has seven large and small research centers and laboratories, including a Center for Outstanding Innovation  - Foods of Norway. The faculty is responsible for bachelor's and master's degrees in Aquaculture, Biology, Animal Science and Plant science as well as English-language master's degrees in Agroecology, Plant Sciences, Feed Manufacturing Technology and Genome Sciences.

The faculty is responsible for PhD degrees in animal science and plant science. The faculty currently has about 690 bachelor and master students and 90 PhD students. The faculty has about 240 employees and its own faculty administration.

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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

Questions about the position

Liv Torunn Mydland

Professor

+47 67232635

[email protected]

Apply for this job
Deadline

16th June 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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