Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Microbiology/Bacterial Infection Biology/Chemical Biology

The position

 A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available at the Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, with the research group for Host-Microbe Interactions.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. It is a prerequisite that the applicant can carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution.

As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will have the opportunity to advance your scientific career and further qualify for academic positions. If you do not already have the educational competence that meets the requirements for an Associate Professor position in Norway, UiT will arrange such competence during the employment period.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

Unless special circumstances indicate otherwise, postdoctoral projects shall be planned with stays abroad. The duration should be at least 6 months.

The project/position's field of research

The postdoctoral fellow will be part of an emerging project area headed by Prof. Christian Lentz. Combining chemical biology, molecular biology, bacterial physiology and infection biology methods, our research is dedicated to unravel how bacterial pathogens functionally adapt to their host and antibiotics and to translate these insights to develop innovative approaches to prevent, treat and diagnose bacterial infections. In particular, we are interested in understanding:

i) how single cells shape the collective function of bacterial pathogen cell populations during colonization and infection, 

ii) how previously undercharacterized hydrolytic enzymes and dynamic changes in chemical modifications of the biomolecular landscape of bacterial cells contribute to bacterial physiology, pathogenesis and drug susceptibility,

iii) understanding and modelling pathogenesis and treatment failure of difficult-to-treat clinical infections. The main model organisms used in our team are Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

We seek a highly motivated, research-minded candidate, with a strong academic track-record and complementary research interests and expertise. The project will be tailored to the successful candidate, and the postdoctoral fellow is encouraged to develop their own research ideas and strategies within the framework of the project.

The postdoctoral fellow will manage the project, design and execute experiments, and supervise students.

• The postdoctoral fellow will have access to core facilities at the Faculty of Health Sciences, providing state-of-the-art technology and hands-on expertise in bioimaging, FACS, proteomics/metabolomics, genomics and animal experimentation.
• The postdoctoral fellow will work in a team with local, national and international collaboration partners.
• The postdoctoral fellow may contribute to the Department's teaching activities (up to 10% of the time). Teaching duties will be allocated based on the applicant's qualifications and the needs of the Department, and may include exam work, teaching seminars, and supervising or assisting in lab courses.

You must submit a vision statement for how you will strengthen research activities in the research group.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Christian Lentz:

• Phone: (+47) 77644905
• Email: christian.s.lentz@uit.no

or Professor Mona Johannessen:

• Phone +47 776 46225
• Email: mona.johannessen@uit.no 

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Completion of a relevant PhD degree in molecular microbiology/bacterial infection

  biology/chemical biology or related field of study is required before starting the

  position. Applicants who in the final stages of their PhD are welcome to apply.

• Strong academic track record and publication list
• A high motivation for research and complementarity of the candidate´s research interest and expertise with ongoing research activities in the research group as is to be outlined in the candidate´s vision statement.
• Strong documented skills in at least one of the following areas is required
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis
  • Cellular Microbiology
  • Bacterial physiology and stress responses
  • Molecular microbiology (related to pathogenic bacteria)
  • Interactions of bacterial pathogens and the human microbiome
  • Chemical biology applied to bacteria
• Fluency in English is required. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Desired qualifications

• Experience with one or several of the following techniques
  • Single-cell techniques and cellular phenotypic heterogeneity
  • Production of recombinant proteins
  • Flow cytometry and cell-sorting
  • Advanced microscopy and imaging methodologies
  • Genetic manipulation of bacterial pathogens and/or mammalian cells
  • Proteomics or Lipidomics
  • Animal infection models
• Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language is desired. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the submitted vision statement. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity. As teaching duties or equivalent work is attached to the position, emphasis will also be attached to teaching experience and qualifications.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for

research, and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who:

• Have good collaboration skills and who can work both independently and in a team
• Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students
• Want to contribute to a good working environment

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Inclusion and diversity  

UiT The Arctic University i 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 is 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 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. 

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 

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

Application

Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Vision statement for research activities (max 1-2 pages)
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Documentation of English proficiency (If available)
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• Documentation of educational competence, if available
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work.

In order to achieve a targeted use of the postdoctoral position, and to strengthen the employee’s career development, a development plan must be available no later than three months after the appointment contract is signed. The development plan must be approved by the immediate leader with personnel responsibility.

 If you're in the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply for the position, provided that you submit parts of your dissertation along with your application. This enables the evaluation committee to assess the quality and likelihood of completion by the desired employment date. You must include a statement from your supervisor or institution stating the expected completion date for your PhD degree. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants. 

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

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. 

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352 with a gross annual salary ranging from NOK 620.000 to 670.000 (in a 100% position). (In special cases, a higher salary may be considered.) 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. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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.