PhD scholarship in stress biology. Understanding how fishing stress affects spawning success in cod

About the position

The Biochemistry and Physiology Unit at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD position related to fish welfare, with the possibility of extension for up to one year.

The main aim of this project is to evaluate how stress associated with commercial fishing activities affects spawning, reproductive success and offspring survival of Atlantic cod in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. 

The successful PhD candidate will join a team of neurobiologists, ecologists and reproduction physiologists with extensive experience studying the biology of fish. The current position is part of the CODSPA project which aims at evaluating the effectiveness of time-area closures by measuring the effect of stress on the reproductive success of cod.

 The PhD candidate will join the international team of scientists from Norway, Iceland and The Faroe Islands in their efforts to increase the welfare and sustainability of wild cod fisheries.

The candidate will be based in Norway but working on this project requires traveling to both Iceland (up to 6 months) and the Faroe Islands (up to one month) to conduct sampling, sample analysis and a laboratory experiment. We are looking for someone who is flexible and enjoys travelling. 

 The applicant is made aware that an application for a PhD position at NMBU is at the same time an application for admission to a PhD programme at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment.

Main tasks

Main tasks in the project will be experimental work, sampling of wild cod in the field and under laboratory conditions, as well as processing and analysis of biological samples in the laboratory. We primarily seek a candidate with a master’s degree in biology (animal science, molecular biology, physiology, ecology, biochemistry). 

The PhD candidate will be involved in:

a) Quantifying gamete quality, fertilization rate and embryonic

development in fish exposed to fishing stress vs. non-fishing stress during spawning, by conducting both manual (including microscopy techniques) and automated approaches. 

b) Investigate the behavioral and stress response in fish exposed to fishing stress vs. non-fishing stress during spawning. 

c) Elucidate how fishing stress during the spawning period affects parental investment regulating survival success and the stress reactivity. 

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period. 

Competence

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year master’s degree or a degree in veterinary medicine, with a learning outcome corresponding to the descriptions in the Norwegian Qualification Framework, second cycle. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background relevant to the position and be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description.

The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.

Required Academic qualifications:

• Completed academically relevant education at master’s degree level or a degree in Veterinary Medicine.
• Proficiency in English, both written and oral.
• Relevant experience of working with wild fish

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Experience with cod, both behavioral and experimental, such as sampling and laboratory work.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques, such as RNA sequencing (from RNA extraction to data analysis)
• Experience with immunohistochemistry  
• Experience in using R, python or similar programming languages for bioinformatics or statistical analyses.

You need to:

• Have a strong scientific capacity and analytical skills.
• Have documented ability for independent, structured work.
• Show flexibility with respect to work tasks and locations.
• Exhibit strong social and collaborative skills.
• Demonstrate high motivation for scientific work.

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. (NOK 550.800 – 595. 000). PhD research fellows are normally placed with a starting salary of NOK 550.800 and follow ordinary meriting regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact Assoc. Prof. Marco A Vindas, E-mail: marco.vindas@nmbu.no phone +47 92864946

Information for PhD applicants and general Information to applicants

Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply for this job' button above. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: November 11th, 2025

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge's CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• Complete CV 
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3). 
• Names and contact details for two references
• Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at NMBU is the country's only veterinary professional education and provide expertise in veterinary medicine and veterinary public health. The Faculty educates veterinarians, animal nurses and doctoral students in Veterinary Science and researches in veterinary medicine and related biomedical fields. We have 500 students and 430 employees.

The faculty consists of the departments of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Paraclinical Sciences, Production Animal Clinical Sciences and Companion Animal Clinical Sciences. We also run the Animal Hospital, which is closely linked to our research and education, and receives patients from all over the country.