PhD fellow in Molecular Cell Biology/Autophagy

The position

Would you like to join a world-leading team in autophagy research, and become a research scientist? Perhaps you are genuinely curious on the details of the molecular machinery of our cells. And you would like to know how evolution has shaped the structure and interplay between the proteins involved in selection of cargo for autophagy.

We, The Autophagy Research Group at the Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, are recruiting a PhD candidate to join our team. The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year is distributed as 25% each year and consists of teaching and other duties. 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 workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The project/ The position’s field of research

Selective autophagy is a cellular process where specific cargos (e.g. proteins or organelles) are sequestered in double-membrane structures called autophagosomes. These later fuse with endosomes or lysosomes and their contents are recycled. The specific cargo of autophagy is captured by proteins called selective autophagy receptors.

The PhD project, led by Associate Professor Hallvard Olsvik, will focus on the autophagy receptor NBR1, which was the first autophagy receptor developed in the evolution of eukaryotes. Central questions of this project are 

1) What are the specific ubiquitinated cargos captured by NBR1? and

2) What is the molecular mechanism used for their capture?

You will join a collaborative and international research environment and work closely with other group members, including bachelor’s and master’s students, PhD students, postdocs, and external collaborators.

What will you do?

• Conduct independent experimental research under supervision
• You will apply methods such as: Fluorescence microscopy of live cells and fixed samples, immunoprecipitations/pulldowns, recombinant protein production and purification, molecular cloning, western blotting and molecular modeling of proteins.
• Present and discuss your experiments and results with other researchers
• Participate in group meetings, journal clubs.
• Contribute to teaching and supervision of Bachelor/Master level students (25% of the position)

What are we looking for in you?

• You are genuinely curious, and you have a strong interest in the molecular biology of cells.
• You can work independently and in a structured manner, but you are also able to collaborate with others in a team to reach a common goal.
• As a PhD candidate doing basic research in molecular biology, you will experience ups and downs. Your experiments will often not yield the expected results, or will not work at all. However, if you have the will and stamina to keep on trying until you succeed, this job is for you.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in molecular biology, cell biology, biomedicine, medicine or a related discipline.
• Practical experience from molecular and cellular biology laboratory techniques.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience or strong interest in autophagy, membrane biology, or intracellular trafficking.
• Practical experience in biochemical techniques such as recombinant protein production and purification, and pulldown/immunoprecipitation.
• Experience with mammalian cell culturing, Molecular cloning, Confocal microscopy

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.

If the candidate does not document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2, then the doctoral fellow will be offered a language course before the end of the fixed-term period. UiT will facilitate this if desirable.

As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position.

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 and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period.

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. 

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.

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. 

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 Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. 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. UiT normally accepts higher education from countries that are part of the Lisbon Recognition Convention.

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.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project utilizing high-grade modern research facilities
• A professional and engaging research environment and international team
• Good career opportunities 
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 580 000 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 

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: 

• Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV
• Official diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language 
• Official transcripts of grades/academic record for Bachelor's and Master's degree in the original language
• Official translation of diplomas and transcripts of records (ToR) to English or a Scandinavian language, if applicable
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• References with contact information
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works

 Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit 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. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. 

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Hallvard Olsvik:

• email: hallvard.olsvik@uit.no 
• phone: 41263721 

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. 

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, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, 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.