NMBU has a special responsibility for research and education that ensures the basis of life for future generations.
Sustainability is rooted in everything we do and we provide knowledge for life.
NMBU has 1700 employees and 5200 students and is organized in seven faculties. NMBU has a campus in Ås and in Oslo. In the autumn of 2020 we are co-located on Ås. Further information on NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no.
About KBM
The Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM) employs about 160 people. Currently about 50 PhD students are enrolled into our PhD program. KBM represents a broad range of scientific fields encompassing basic natural sciences such as microbiology, chemistry, biochemistry as well as the application of these towards food chemistry, technology and safety, biotechnology, bioprocessing and environmental issues. The Faculty is responsible for education, research and information within our fields of expertise and also has state-of-the-art instrumentation to perform research within these fields. KBM collaborates in networks and research projects both nationally and internationally.
Are you fascinated by the intricacies of bacterial life? We are looking for someone who will join us in pushing the frontier of microbial ecophysiology.
About the position
The Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (KBM) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD–position within environmental microbiology. The successful candidate will be anchored in the NMBU Nitrogen group (https://www.nmbu.no/en/research/groups/nitrogen).
KBM and the NMBU-Nitrogen Group are in the international forefront of research on microbial N-transformations in natural and engineered systems, and our ultimate aim is to contribute to reduced climate gas emissions from agriculture and industry. We integrate basic and applied research on laboratory- to field scale. This has opened biotechnological avenues for reducing emissions, and we are currently exploring a range of options together with biogas industries and (bio)fertilizer companies.
The PhD-project will be anchored in the NMBU-Nitrogen Group’s basic research on microbial nitrogen red/ox transformations, which cause emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere. N2O accounts for a large share of the climate forcing of food production, and the motivation for our research is to find ways to reduce N2O emissions. To achieve this, we need to better understand the ecology, physiology and regulatory biology of the microbes involved. With this in mind, we are diving deeper into the regulatory biology of a number of model organisms, and this is where the PhD candidate will participate: studying regulatory phenomena in denitrifying prokaryotes through a combination of genomics, molecular manipulation and detailed phenotypic studies. The candidate to be employed will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure for microbiology, proteomics and molecular biology, as well as our unique robotized systems for monitoring gas kinetics in denitrifying bacteria.
Main tasks
As part of the project, the candidate will study the respiratory physiology of denitrifying prokaryotes (mainly bacteria) through:
Measuring gas kinetics and gene expression in new isolates, model organism(s) and mutants under a range of conditions
Mapping the (meta)proteomes of denitrifying cultures
Fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics
Genomics and bioinformatics analyses
Molecular manipulations of selected strains
The successful candidate must submit a PhD education plan to be approved by KBM within the first months of appointment, and complete the PhD within the PhD scholarship period.
Qualification requirements, desired experiences, knowledge and personal qualities
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 Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are at master's degree level. The applicant must have a documented strong academic background from previous studies 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 (microbiology).
Required Academic qualifications:
The successful applicant must hold (or expect to complete within June 2020) a master’s degree within the field of microbiology
Must have hands-on experience with general microbiological methods and molecular techniques
The following experiences and skills are considered advantageous:
Fluorescence microscopy and image analyses
Proteomics
Enzyme kinetics
Bioinformatics
You need to:
Be accurate and patient with experimental work
Have strong communication skills in written and oral English, and, preferably a Scandinavian language
Have analytical skills
Have interest and ability to collaborate closely with supervisors and partners
Be able to work independently
Show flexibility, robustness and staying power
Remuneration and further information
The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD. Fellow. PhD. Fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 479.600,-) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations.
Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.
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: 15.04.2020
Applications should include (electronically) a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, full publication list, copies of degree certificates and transcripts of academic records (all certified), and a list of two persons who may act as references (with phone numbers and e-mail addresses). Publications should be included electronically within the application deadline. The relevant NMBU Department may require further documentation, e.g. proof of English proficiency.
Printed material which cannot be sent electronically should be sent by surface mail to Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ås, within 15.04.2020. Please quote reference number 20/01140.
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.
