Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN University) is home to over 14,000 students and 1,000 employees, and has campuses in Lillehammer, Hamar, Elverum, Rena, Evenstad and Blæstad.

INN University aspires to build strong and enduring academic and research environments that will spearhead regionally, nationally and internationally.
We are developing a new and better institution with high academic and pedagogical quality, aiming at achieving university accreditation by 2020.

Our vision is "Stronger Together".

About the department

The Department of Biotechnology is composed of 23 faculty and staff members. We provide instruction for the PhD-programme in Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, our highly successful Master’s programme in Applied & Commercial Biotechnology and a one-year add-on programme in biotechnology that allows students to qualify for our Master’s programme; exchange students from the EU's Erasmus programme also enrol in modules of the one-year programme.

Department of Biotechnology is part of the NCE Heidner Biocluster, and we are collaborating closely with several Heidner companies, especially within animal and plant breeding. The research profiles of Department of biotechnology can be roughly divided into four core areas:

Reproduction biotechnology, focusing on technological and biological approaches to reveal factors affecting fertility across species and kingdoms. Gametes from animals, aquatic organisms and plants are characterized to identify phenotypic traits important to fertilizing capacity.

Molecular Genetics in Diagnostics, Breeding and Wildlife Management, focusing on functional genomics and development of new DNA technologies for genotyping animals, plants, humans and microbes associated with them.

Biodiscovery, focusing on production and conversion of renewable biological resources and rest raw materials to value added products by fermentation, pre-treatment and extraction, purification of proteins and other biologicals, and enzyme-based biomass conversion.

Bioinformatics focusing on analysis and interpretation of omics data, through a combination of bioinformatics and machine learning tools and algoritms. Our special field of interest is early diagnostics of antimicrobial resistance. Also, bioinformatics plays a central role in a number of our other projects.

Production and storage of porcine embryos for transfer

About the position

A three-year Ph.D. position is available at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences for the period 01.08.2020-31.07.2023

The scholar appointed will work within a project team with competence in fertility, spermatology, embryology, cell biology, quantitative- and molecular genetics, and veterinary medicine. The main goal with the project is to investigate differences in embryo quality parameters of in vitro produced and in vivo derived porcine embryos, in order to understand and improve IVEP outcomes in pig. A sub-goal will be to improve the culture and transport media to enable short- or long-time embryo preservation prior to transfer.

The project will be in close cooperation with Norsvin, the national breeding company for swine. Norsvin`s main product has for decades been high quality boar semen with respect to both animal health and genetic value, also for the international market. However, during the latest years Norsvin has experienced a rapidly increasing demand for livestock exports to international customers at large swine/pork enterprises. This is challenging both for financial reasons, for the welfare of the transported pigs and regarding the carbon footprint of the transport and quarantine period. A transition towards export of embryos is a very desirable change since it will minimize the above mentioned problems to a large extent. The missing link for the near future is the ability to store and transport the high quality embryos that are produced, either in vivo or in vitro.

The appointment will be for three years. The scholar will be enrolled in the accredited doctoral degree program “Applied Ecology and Biotechnology”. The candidate will carry out research in the laboratory at Biohus, Hamar. Supervisors will be Associate Professor Frøydis D. Myromslien (INN), Professor Elisabeth Kommisrud (INN), Associate Professor Ann Helen Gaustad, INN and Norsvin (co-supervisor), and R&D Manager Eli Grindflek, Norsvin (co-supervisor).

Our research network, and INN in particular, is well-suited to successfully complete this work; the University's co-localization with the national breeding companies as part of the NCE Heidner biocluster puts us in a unique position for collaboration on applied research.

Qualifications

• Applicants should have an academic background qualifying them to carry out research in the field in question, and to embark on doctoral studies.
• The candidate should have a master’s degree in reproduction biotechnology, cell biology, or other relevant qualifications, with the grade of A or B.
• Candidates should have laboratory experience and an intereset in the an interest in the biology of fertility including in vitro fertilization and animal breeding.

Personal Skills

• Ability to work in a goal-oriented way, independently and with a structured approach
• Ability to work as part of a team and to assume different roles which require collaboration with supervisors, other PhD students, masters students, and other collaborators.
• Interest in learning new skills, programs and techniques, and to be creative.
• Good proficiency in verbal and written communications
• he candidate must demonstrate good spoken and written English

The evaluation of candidates will consider education, experience, publishing, personal traits, motivation and the qualifications required and desired in the announcement.

A panel of experts within the appropriate disciplines will evaluate the applicants

How to apply

The application and all attachments are to be submitted electronically and should include the following:

• Application letter
• CV (education, positions and academic work)
• Copies of educational certificates and list of references
• A complete list of publications

Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

According to the Norwegian Law "Offentlighetsloven §25.2 ledd", information about the applicant can be published even if the applicant has requested not to be included in the public list of applicants.

We offer

• An academically stimulating work environment with engaged colleagues and a growing institution.
• A beautiful campus, situated in peaceful surroundings with train access to both cities and airports.
• Good welfare benefits.
• Good pension benefits, under the Norwegian Public Service Pension Funds.
• A pay grade of LT 54 (NOK 479 400,- p.a)

Apply for position