Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Arctic Marine Geology and Marine Geophysics

The position

A Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available at the Department of Geosciences (IG), Faculty of Science and Technology (NT) with the European Research Council Synergy Grant “i2B – Into The Blue”.

The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. 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.

The position may include teaching and/or other work for the Department of Geosciences that contributes to the candidate's career development (equivalent to a maximum of 25% of a full-time employment).

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer, and latest by 1st of February 2026.

The i2B Into The Blue project (ERC Synergy Grant)

The position is part of the European Research Council Synergy Grant “i2B – Into The Blue”, which fosters collaboration between UiT in Tromsø (Norway), the University of Bergen (UiB) and NORCE Climate and Environment in Bergen (Norway), and The Alfred Wegener Institute – Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven (Germany). i2B is funded for 6 years (starting in November 2024) and aims to fill a major research gap in Arctic science by investigating processes, consequences, and impact of past “greenhouse” (warmer than present) conditions. In i2B we will retrieve new, key Arctic geological archives of past warmth and employ climate models to bring our current knowledge about a warm Arctic beyond the state-of-the-art. The major strength and aim of i2B are the expertise, knowledge, skills and planned synergies of our Arctic palaeoclimate and modelling teams at UiT, NORCE, AWI, and UiB.

The Postdoctoral Project

The overall aim of this postdoctoral project is to use integrated marine geophysical and geological analyses to reconstruct palaeo-environmental conditions and process interaction during past warm periods in the Arctic.

A major pillar of i2B, is to quantify how a warm Arctic looked like during key Quaternary interglacials (MIS 5e, 11c), and Pliocene and Miocene warm intervals. This postdoctoral project will help characterize past warm periods across the Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean, through the integration and correlation of diverse geophysical and sedimentological records. Furthermore, the project will advance our understanding of processes related to palaeo-climate, palaeo-currents, glacial dynamics, carbon cycling among others.

The specific tasks of this postdoctoral project are:

• contribute to expanding new chronological frameworks across the Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean using geophysical approaches (in collaboration with i2B colleagues at AWI);
• identification, characterization and correlation of past warm periods in diverse geophysical datasets including, high resolution 3D and 2D seismic, sub-bottom profiler, regional 2D seismic and petrophysical logs;
• infer complex Earth system process understanding, including changes in current patterns, glacial dynamics, sediment sources, carbon cycling, during past warm periods;
• provide geophysical constraints for i2B numerical modelling teams for example, palaeo-bathymetry, palaeo-ice dynamics and palaeo-environmental conditions.

The Department of Geosciences

While the candidate is a member of ERC i2B, they will be employed at the Department of Geosciences at UiT´s Faculty of Science and Technology. At the Department the candidate will be part of a thriving research community within marine geology and marine geophysics. The candidate will benefit from close connection to the Norwegian Centre of Excellence iC3: Centre for ice, Cryosphere, Carbon and Climate, hosted by the Department.

It is central to the philosophy of the ERC synergy grant to closely collaborate with the entire i2B team that is spread over the three institutes. There will be opportunities to take secondments to ensure synergies with other team members from different disciplines. Participation in the 2026 i2B marine research expedition will be expected.

Qualifications

Essential requirements: 

• A Norwegian doctoral degree (PhD) or an equivalent foreign doctoral degree in Marine Geology, Marine Geophysics, or another relevant field
• Experience with the use of acoustic methods (e.g. seismics, sub-bottom profiler)
• Experience with the integration of diverse marine geological/geophysical datasets
• Documented proficiency in English. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.

Desirable attributes and skills:

• Independence, creativity and engagement
• Strong problem solving skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent work ethics
• Data processing skills (e.g. programming, file formatting, data management)

If the candidate cannot document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2, the doctoral fellow will be given the opportunity to complete a language course equal to 15 ECTS before the end of the fixed-term period. UiT will facilitate this. 

We strongly encourage applications from candidates with a good understanding of glaciated continental margin settings.

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).

We offer

• A unique opportunity to join an ERC Synergy Team that works across disciplines at three leading institutes in Arctic paleoclimate research.
• Supportive and stimulating multidisciplinary working environment for early career researchers.
• Opportunities for participation in Polar sea-going expeditions.
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement.
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund.
• If you have to relocate to Tromsø then the Faculty of Science and Technology may reimburse your moving costs. Further details regarding this matter will be made available if you receive an offer from us.

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 

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. 

Application

Your application must include:

• A cover letter outlining your motivation and research interests for this position along with details of how you fit the required and desirable qualifications for the position (max. 2 pages).
• Curriculum vitae containing a complete overview of education and professional work (max. 4 pages).
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees).
• Documentation of English proficiency.
• The names and contact information of at least two references.
• Documentation of teaching experience and qualifications, if applicable.
• A list of your academic production.
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important.
• The academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment.

If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. 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. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

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. 

In the assessment the main emphasis will be on to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be on experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position. The ability to work across disciplines and demonstration of good cooperative skills are essential.

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 engagement is to be made in accordance with the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. 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.

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.