Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiome Gene Transfer

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

      

Video: https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0

About the position

With this exciting, fully funded 3-year postdoctoral fellowship, we aim to achieve breakthrough advances in tracking gene spreading in microbiomes and unravel its role in the emergence of new metabolic properties and phenotypes. 

The MiGeneX project will implement microbiome science and engineering principles and develop innovative molecular and bioimaging methods for tracking the transfer and utilisation of genetic materials across microbial populations, from controlled synthetic co-cultures to complex communities. While addressing fundamental research questions at the microbial community level, the research will generate impactful results for microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance, and related fields of microbial importance.

The position requires a high level of scientific creativity and a combined wet-lab and dry-lab skill set to interrogate environmental and health-associated microbiomes. The successful candidate will explore genetic, metabolic, and phenotypic traits at high resolution in microbial consortia, applying approaches from microbial community engineering, systems microbiology, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and computational biology.

You will join the research group of Prof. David Weissbrodt within the Microbial Biotechnology division at IBT. The position offers extensive opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration within the division and department, and with partner units in Biology, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, and beyond. Strong connections to NTNU’s Strategic Research Areas in Health & Life Science and Ocean & Coast further enhance the collaborative environment.

Our laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, methodologies and techniques for experimental, analytical, and computational research in microbiome science and microbial biotechnology. This includes advanced capabilities in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioimaging, microbial cultivation, bioprocess engineering, analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, multi-omics, bioinformatics, and microbial models.

Our research environment is closely connected to national and international networks and initiatives, including the Microbiology Matters Norwegian Cluster, Norwegian Society for Microbiology, Federation of European Microbiological Societies, European Federation of Biotechnology, International Society for Microbial Ecology, and International Water Association.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department of Biotechnology and Food Science. 

Duties of the position

• Develop and advance a breakthrough research question at a high scientific level.
• Design and perform wet-lab experiments and analytical workflows, as well as dry-lab investigations, integrating microbial community engineering, systems microbiology, synthetic biology, bioimaging, multi-omics (meta-omics), and computational biology.
• Collaborate closely with the research team and actively engage with relevant national and international scientific partners.
• Disseminate research findings through high-impact scientific publications, conference presentations, and outreach activities.
• Provide scientific support and contribute to the supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates and students in Prof. Weissbrodt’s group.
• Contribute to teaching in a bachelor or master course in the field of microbiology and biotechnology during the 3-year appointment, in agreement with the supervisor, study programme director and head of department, and undertake UNIPED training to develop pedagogical competence as required in the postdoctoral development portfolio in Norway.
• Participate actively in the daily scientific and academic, collaborative environment of the Microbial Biotechnology division and IBT Department at NTNU.
• Be willing to relocate to Trondheim, Norway for the duration of the 3-year appointment.

Required selection criteria

• Strong motivation for curiosity-driven, high-impact scientific research, with the intention to develop towards an academic career.
• Relevant academic and professional background in a field within systems microbiology, synthetic biology, molecular biology, microbial, environmental, industrial or health biotechnology, microbial ecology, ecophysiology, genomics, multi-omics, bioinformatics, or computational biology – ideally combining several of these areas, with demonstrated ability to integrate wet-lab and dry-lab approaches.
• A PhD degree and MSc degree in life sciences or a closely related field relevant to the position description.
• High-level written and oral communication skills in English, documented by a recognised certification (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, CPE) or equivalent qualification. Knowledge of a Scandinavian language is an advantage for teaching and local integration but is not a prerequisite. NTNU offers Norwegian language courses and community workshops for international staff.
• Demonstrated experience and motivation for collaborative scientific writing and publishing, as well as the ability to engage with intellectual property considerations.
• Strong motivation for research and for supervising and mentoring early-career researchers like PhD candidates, contributing to their scientific, personal, and professional development.

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

The following qualifications will be considered as an advantage:

• Strong disciplinary knowledge in microbiome science and engineering.
• Experience engaging with complex scientific questions in microbial research environments.
• Interdisciplinary wet-lab and dry-lab skillset to investigate mechanisms of gene transfer in microbial cultures.
• Proven ability to design experiments and conduct integrated wet-lab and dry-lab investigations of microbial consortia.
• Relevant experience in bioinformatics and computational biology applied to microorganisms and microbial communities.
• Demonstrated experience in fundamental and/or applied microbiology research projects, with an ability to contribute to competitive grant applications.
• Experience in supervising or collaborating with PhD candidates and BSc/MSc students.

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you:

• Are motivated by research, innovation, and a career in academia.
• Are curious, creative, analytical, skilled in experimental design, and strong in critical thinking and scientific writing.
• Demonstrate goal-orientation, self-drive, focus, organisation, proactivity, communication, collaboration, and productivity.
• Can work independently as well as in a team. 
• Are work structured, set goals and make plans to achieve them.
• Present and discuss your research with other professionals.
• Engage and contribute constructively with feedback.
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject.
• Are flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed.
• Able to inspire students and young scientists on science and education.

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• Being part of a leading, disciplinary, and cross-disciplinary research group and consortium.
• Working in a stimulating national and international academic environment.
• Interesting research project promoting intellectual growth and career advancement.
• Career guidance across the postdoctoral program with experienced academic supervisors.
• Open and inclusive work environment with committed colleagues.
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU.
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2).

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 633 400,- per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3  years. The teaching and didatics duties will be conducted within the 3 years of employment.

The position is internally funded by NTNU through the Faculty of Natural Sciences (NV).

As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them. 

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed

About the application 

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above.

The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request. 

The application must include:

• Brief cover letter highlighting your motivation specific to the scientific and academic scope of the position.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or confirmation that your PhD thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Academic CV and publication portfolio, highlighting information about education, relevant experience (including research, teaching and supervision), and outputs.
• Short CV filled in the Jobbnorge.no platform.
• A weblink to the open-access PhD thesis file (or a copy of the doctoral thesis). If you are close to submitting, you can attach a draft of the thesis.
• A short statement of research and teaching interests within the scope of the described postdoctoral position (approx. 1000 words).
• Academic works – published or unpublished (up to 5 selected items that are most representative/relevant for the position). Publications and any other work that the applicant wishes to be considered should clearly indicate the applicant’s contribution.
• Name, affiliation and contact information (email and phone number) of three referees. At least one referee must be an academic actively working in the field of the position and independent of the applicant and of any previous organizations where the applicant has been involved, in order to provide an impartial assessment of the candidate’s qualifications and anticipated future research and academic impact.

If all or parts of your education hasbeen taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation requiredcan be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal qualities. Motivation, ambitions and potential for research will also be emphasized in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public list of applicants, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Prof. David Weissbrodt,  email:  david.weissbrodt@ntnu.no  indicating “Postdoctoral fellow in Gene Transfer in Microbiomes” in the header. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact our HR-advisor Cecilie Skagfjord, email: cecilie.skagfjord@ntnu.no.

If you find this position interesting, and in accordance with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 03.06.2026

The short-listed candidates will be interviewed in June 2026. The Postdoc position is expected to start ideally in September 2026 or at a time to be agreed upon within the autumn semester 2026.

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000.The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.