Researcher on Metatranscriptomics of Sea Ice Microbial Interactions

 The position

A position as Researcher on the study of microbial prokaryote-eukaryote interactions across the sea ice biome is available at The Department of Arctic and Marine Biology (AMB), affiliated with the Arctic Marine System Ecology research group and the laboratory for Sea Ice Biome research (iSIBio). 

The position is for a period of 2 years. The candidate must be able to commence the position between January and March 2026. 

The Researcher position is affiliated to iSI-Bio, which studies the biodiversity and productivity of microorganisms living in association with sea ice in the Arctic. Project work will focus on analyses of existing datasets collected from the Arctic Ocean. There may be possibility for sea ice fieldwork as part of this position.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. 

The position's field of Research

The person hired will use advanced statistical tools to analyse sea ice metatranscriptomic datasets and identify interactions between and within bacterial and algal communities. The project will quantify how prokaryotic and eukaryotic gene expression patterns influence one another. The candidate will model the relationship between species relative abundances and gene expression to distinguish between direct metabolic coupling and indirect competitive interactions. The candidate will assess how these relationships vary over time, and across the different microhabitats of the sea ice biome.

Contact

Further information about the position and UiT is available by contacting Associate Professor Karley Campbell, e-mail: karley.l.campbell@uit.no

Qualifications

Required qualifications: 

• Successfully completed a doctoral degree in the field of molecular genetics, oceanography, microbiology or similar field, from a Norwegian institution or equivalent degree program 
• Experience doing sterile technique, DNA extractions, nanopore sequencing and quality control 
• Experience working with metatranscriptomic or metagenomic data 
• Experience using Linux and bioinformatics approaches, including binning and functional gene analysis 
• Fieldwork experience on sea ice 
• First-author publications in peer-reviewed literature 
• Documented good oral and written communication skills in English

Additional desirable qualifications, knowledge and experience: 

• Culturing experience of cold-adapted microalgae, bacteria and/or fungi 
• Method development in the field of sea ice microbiology 
• Supervision experience of student (e.g. BSc. Honors) thesis projects 
• Developing custom analytical pipelines for metagenomic or metatranscriptomic projects 

Qualification with a PhD degree is required before commencing the position. If you are near completion of your PhD, you may apply with the additional submission of PhD thesis draft and statement from granting institution on when the degree will be obtained. You must document completion of your PhD degree before commencement in the position

We will emphasize the applicants motivation for the position and personal suitability.

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

• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

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.

Work- and salary conditions 

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

The remuneration for Researcher is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1109. 

As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes availiable. For more information see: spk.no.

Application

The application must include: 

• Project proposal with description of research interests and motivation as it relates to the position. The project proposal should be 1 page in length and is a mandatory component of the application.
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience and professional work 
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees, in original language and translated) 
• Letter(s) of recommendation if applicable
• Two references with contact details 
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Academic works, up to ten. The doctoral thesis is regarded as one work. 

Proficiency in the English language can be documented in the following ways: 

• Diploma from a Norwegian upper secondary school with both spoken and written English (140 hours) 
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 
• IELTS (International English Testing Service) 
• Completed university degree in the field of English language or literature 
• One year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA, for which English was the language of instructions. 

All of the documentation in the application has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. The application and submitted documents must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no 

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailde description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. 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.

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

​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.

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.