PhD in Cellular Agriculture

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About the PhD fellowship:

Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Norway, invites applications from outstanding candidates for a three-year PhD position in Cellular Agriculture.

Cultivated meat and seafood represent an alternative approach to innovative and sustainable food production. However, significant scientific and technological challenges remain before cultured meat can fully replicate the sensory and functional qualities of natural seafood. This PhD project is expected to develop technology for cultivated seafood by selecting the optimal cell source, developing a continuous cell line, and creating proof-of-concept for a cultivated seafood bioprocess. The position is associated with two EU-funded projects, FEASTS and SEANERGIES. The candidate will closely collaborate with teams at Nord University and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The PhD position is within the Algal and Microbial Biotechnology Division at Nord University, Bodø.

The PhD project aims to:
i) establish a continuous cell line of a commercially important food fish,
ii) develop a cell-specific algae-derived medium and scaffold/microcarrier, and
iii) scale up (bench-scale) the cultivation process based on the developed protocols.

Candidates must comply with Nord University’s residency requirements.

Qualification requirements

• The ideal candidate for this position must possess an MSc degree in biotechnology, bioprocess engineering, biomedical sciences, tissue engineering, cell biology, or a relevant field in biosciences.
• Significant hands-on experience with animal cell culture techniques, including isolation and culture of primary cells, and familiarity with laboratory methods such as qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry are required.
  Experience in the use of omics tools and handling of large datasets, as well as data analysis using R software, will be advantageous for the position.
• The candidate should have an excellent academic record, be highly motivated, demonstrate independent scientific thinking and creativity, and must have the ability to collaborate with members of multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must submit approval of their master’s degree, https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education.
  A grade average of B or better (or equivalent score) is required for both the program overall and the master’s thesis. The grades at the qualifying MSc examination must be B or better (ECTS scale from A–E) to be admitted to the PhD program.
  See admission requirements: PhD in Biosciences.
• It is assumed that the person hired for this position will be admitted to the faculty’s doctoral program. The project proposal and the plan for the doctoral work must be agreed upon with the PhD supervisor and approved by the faculty no later than three months after taking up the fellowship. Termination may be considered if the candidate:
  i) is not admitted to the PhD program at the faculty within the three-month period,
  ii) within the six-month probationary period is deemed to lack the necessary skills required to continue successfully in the PhD program,
  iii) has a severe drop in progress, or
  iv) fails to submit the periodic progress reports.
• For admission requirements and regulations, see our web page.
  The thesis can be written in English or Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language). The position demands proficiency in English, both written and verbal.

Candidates who already hold a PhD degree will not be considered for the position.

Qualified applicants will be ranked according to the following criteria:

• Theme and perspectives from the applicant’s master’s study. Project outline with description of project idea and plan for implementation
• The applicant’s description of motivation for the doctoral work and opportunities for completion
• Relevant experience from research work
• Ability to work independently, goal-oriented and systematically
• Personal suitability

We offer

The annual salary for doctoral researchers (code 1017) is NOK 550 800,-.

• Advantages within the Government Pension Fund for loans, insurance and pension
• Creative and collegial working environment
• A workplace with progressive development
• Flexible working hours  
• Active university sports team

General information

The person who is appointed must abide by the applicable laws, agreements, and directives. The responsibilities and duties associated with the position may change with future reorganization at Nord University.

Nord University is subject to the Security Act, which imposes requirements for handling protected and sensitive information. To enhance the security of the hiring process, Nord may conduct background checks on potential candidates.

The public sector workforce is expected to reflect the diversity of the population in general. Nord University therefore encourages qualified candidates with disabilities, gaps in their CV, immigrant backgrounds or different life experience to apply. 

If applicants indicate they have disabilities or gaps in their CV, their details may be used anonymously for the purposes of governmental annual review.

Application process

Applicants will be evaluated by an internal expert committee. Relevant applicants will be invited for an interview, trial lecture or other presentations. For more information, see Nord`s website .

The Faculty reserve the right not to hire applicants who may be scientifically qualified but who do not meet other criteria such as language, educational background or personal characteristics.

Application

Applications must be submitted electronically by 01.02.2026.The application should include:

• Application letter with description of your motivation for applying for the position
• Complete CV (education, work and teaching experience and overview of any scientific publications)
• A project description (maximum 4 pages), based on the theme mentioned earlier in this announcement, including the theoretical
  anchoring, methodological approaches, and a progress plan for the three-year fellowship period. If you have employed AI-powered
  generative language models to prepare the project description, a declaration must be included at the end of the document, stating the extent to which you have relied on such models.
• Copy of diploma for both bachelor and master education and relevant certificates. Diplomas from outside the EU/EEA must submit approval of their master’s degree, https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education.
• Copy of the applicant’s master’s thesis as a PDF file
• Name and contact information of 2-3 references (name, your relation to the person, email and phone number)
• Other activities of the applicant that is relevant for the position

All documents (only those asked for) must be uploaded as attachments to the electronic application form.
It is the applicant's responsibility to submit the complete documentation within the deadline.

Once the application period has ended a list of applicants will be published. Note that, in special cases, the identity of applicants to a position may be made public even when a particular applicant has requested that the application be processed confidentially. Applicants requesting an exemption from publication of their identity must explain their reasons for doing so in their application. In this case, advance notice will be given in the event of a decision to make any information about the applicant public.