Job description
Applications are invited for a 4 year position as PhD Research Fellowship in Protistan Diversity and Ecology to be based at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway.
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Appointment to a research fellowship is conditional upon admission to the Faculty’s research training program. A plan for the research training must be submitted no later than two months after taking up the position, and the admission approved within three months. The fellowship will be for a period of 4 years with 25 % compulsory work (e.g., teaching responsibilities and curator work at the museum).
More about the position
Our understanding of protistan diversity and ecology has both deepened and broadened with the use of environmental sequencing methodologies. For example, we now know that environmental filtering and dispersal limitations can affect protistan co-occurrences, the diversity and distributions of larger macro-organisms can be affected by the smaller protists, and that different free-living and parasitic protists can be used to monitor the effects of human-induced stressors in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Yet, many questions about protistan diversity and ecology remain to be asked and answered.
The subject of the PhD dissertation is not tied to any particular project. Rather, the candidate for this position should come up with broad questions that can be answered using available environmental sequencing datasets, and use those analyses to direct new environmental sampling and sequencing to answer more targeted questions. These questions should focus on the diversity and ecology of protists, especially parasitic taxa. The available datasets can be derived from short- or long-read metabarcoding, metatranscriptomic, or metagenomic studies. The new sequencing can produce similar datasets or focus on single-cell isolation and sequencing.
The Natural History Museum has a modern DNA laboratory as well as access to the Norwegian Supercomputer facilities. The PhD will be associated with the research group “Evolution, eDNA, Genomics and Ethnobotany”, and supervised by Associate Professor Micah Dunthorn.
Qualification requirements
- applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in biology or related disciplines like bioinformatics
- a good command of English is required
- background in the taxonomy and phylogeny of one or more microbial taxa
- experience in analysing large metabarcoding datasets, as well as barcoding datasets
- experience will different primer sets
- experience with phylogenetic placement methods
- excellent bioinformatics skills, including experience with unix, bash, R, RAxML, EPA-ng, GAPPA, and ggplot
- experience in general molecular laboratory practices
Grade requirements for admission to the PhD program
- the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must correspond to C or better in the Norwegian educational system
- the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must correspond to B or better in the Norwegian educational system
- the Master’s thesis must correspond to the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
We offer
- salary NOK 501 200 – 544 400 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow (position code 1017)
- challenging research questions and friendly working environment, which is close to both the city centre of Oslo, which is nice to live in, and to nature parks and mountains
- funding for project research-related activities, including molecular lab work and presentation of results at national and international conferences
- attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
How to apply
- The application must include:
- application letter
- CV, which summarises education, positions and academic work, scientific publications, and other relevant experience
- copies of educational certificates
- one-page statement explaining how a PhD in microbial diversity and ecology will fit into the applicant’s career plan
- names and contact details of 2-3 referees
The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).
In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the academic and personal abilities of the candidate to complete the project and write a PhD dissertation under supervision. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged.
Formal regulations
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.
Please also refer to the English translation of regulations pertaining to the conditions of employment for research fellowship positions.
A good command of English is required.
No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.
According to the Norwegian Freedom of 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.
The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.
The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.
Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.
If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.
Contact information
About the position: Micah Dunthorn: micah.dunthorn@nhm.uio.no
About the recruiting system: HR-Adviser Thomas Brånå: thomas.brana@nhm.uio.no
About the University of Oslo and the Natural History Museum
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is Norway’s most comprehensive natural history collection. For almost 200 years, specimens of animals, fungi, plants, rocks, minerals and fossils have been collected, studied and preserved here. The museum is located at Økern and in the beautiful Botanical Garden, which is not only popular for recreation, but is a scientific collection in itself.