PhD Fellow in Investigating the Systematics and Taxonomy of Arctic Bivalves

The position

A PhD position is available at the Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT – the Arctic University of Norway. The appointed PhD Fellow will be based in the marine invertebrate’s section of the scientific collection-based taxonomy and biosystematics research group (NatSciCol). 

The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to a PhD program is a prerequisite for employment, and the program period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the university’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. 

The workplace is at the Arctic University Museum of Norway, in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The position’s field of research

Arctic bivalves play a crucial role in northern marine ecosystems, with one of their most remarkable traits being their exceptional longevity. Species such as Astarte moerchi and Hiatella arctica can live for over a century, making them valuable indicators for long-term environmental monitoring. These bivalves are also key contributors to benthic biomass.

Approximately 160 bivalve species are known from cold-water polar regions, with only a few being endemic. Many Arctic species exhibit a broad bathymetric range, thriving in shallow waters in the north and at much greater depths in southern regions. For instance, Yoldiella lenticula is commonly found at depths of 10 meters in the Arctic but occurs as deep as 2245 meters in the Mediterranean Sea, living subtidally in the north and abyssally in the south.

This PhD project will focus on Arctic bivalves, utilizing a combination of MinION sequencing, an innovative shallow sequencing technology, to explore genetic diversity. Additionally, X-ray microscopy will be employed to address taxonomic and systematic questions, analyzing specimens from both new and historical collections housed at the Arctic University Museum of Norway. This multidisciplinary approach aims to deepen our understanding of Arctic bivalves and their role in polar ecosystems.

The candidate will gain expertise in taxonomy, phylogenetic analyses, molecular biology, and benthic and high latitude ecology. 

Specific project goals will be developed together with the candidate depending on personal research background and interests.

The applicants must present a project description related to the project theme of systematics and taxonomy of Arctic bivalve. The project description shall not exceed 2 pages, literature references included. It must include a description of the topic, research question(s) and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervisor.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Andreas Altenburger:

• phone: +47 77 64 49 02
• email: andreas.altenburger@uit.no 

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Biology or a related field. 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.
• Documented interest in taxonomy of marine bivalves. 
• Documented knowledge of English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma. 

Desired qualifications: 
We are looking for candidates who have knowledge and experience in:

• Advanced microscopy techniques 
• PCR based molecular techniques 
• Data analyses with R

We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who demonstrates:

• Self-motivation, enthusiasm, independence, and a strong and creative problem-solving ability 
• Ability to collaborate and work comfortably in international teams 
• Strong work ethic and commitment to the job

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. The project description will also be considered. In addition, professional experience and other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme will be taken into consideration.

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 Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics 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. 

Grade requirements applies both to the master thesis as well as courses part of the master’s degree. The minimum requirements are grade B or better on the master’s degree, and an average grade of B or better on courses that are part of the master’s degree. For integrated master's degrees, applicants are required to have achieved a grade of B or higher on their master's thesis and an overall average grade of C or higher across all courses comprising the integrated degree programme. 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

• 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 
• PhD Fellows are normally given a salary of 550 800 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
• Diploma for bachelor's and master's degree
• Official transcripts of grades/academic record for bachelor's and master's degree
• Explanation of the grading system for foreign education (Diploma Supplement if available)
• Documentation of English proficiency 
• 2-3 references with contact information, or reference letters
• Master’s thesis, and any other academic works
• Project description: description related to the project theme of systematics and taxonomy of Arctic bivalves (1-2 pages)

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. Diplomas and transcripts must also be submitted in the original language, if not in English or Scandinavian. 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. 

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.