The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE), UiT The Arctic University of Norway is searching for a PhD student to study marine microbiomes and arctic diatoms. The position is attached to The Norwegian College of Fishery Science and the Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy. The appointment is for a period of four years.

The PhD position is for a fixed term, with the objective of completion of 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 faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD program and regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) are available at the following address Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics PhD web pages. The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) is a part of the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) and undertakes research and research-based teaching of high national and international quality in an interdisciplinary environment. Research activity is provisionally organized into groups focusing on living marine resources, sea food science, fish health, marine drug discovery, resource management, marine management and resource economics. The Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy or ARC is an interdisciplinary centre focusing on Arctic challenges and conditions within renewable energy and greenhouse gas management. The centre combines expertise in applied mathematics, marine biology, computer science, chemistry, engineering and other fields.

For further information, please contact: Associate Professor Hans C. Bernstein phone +47 7764 6114, hans.c.bernstein@uit.no .

Research area

The PhD student will work with development and execution of multi-omics applied to diatoms and photosynthetically-driven marine microbiomes. The project will be an integrated part of the Microalgae group and will also help develop new projects in ARC aimed at understanding and engineering carbon capture and utilization in marine microbes.

The overarching goal of the project will be to uncover genome-encoded biological principles from Arctic marine microbes (and communities of microbes) to better understand how Arctic diatoms structure marine microbiomes. This project will uncover fundamental scientific knowledge to be used for environmental biotechnologies that can be used to capture and utilize greenhouse gases. The exact emphasis of the project will in part be tailored to the strengths and ambitions of the successful candidate.

The successful candidate will become a part of the Microalgae research group and will regularly interact with its members who work on different aspects of biotechnology and marine microbial ecology.

Qualifications required

The successful applicant must hold:

• a Master’s degree or equivalent in microbiology, biotechnology, genomics, ecology, molecular biology, chemical/biological/environmental engineering or a related field
• good command of basic molecular techniques
• good academic performances, and a genuine interest and motivation for performing research

It will be in the candidate’s advantage to have:

• basic knowledge over how modern molecular ecology methods including Illumina Tag sequencing and/or metagenomics can be applied to microbiome sciences and the study of microalgae
• fundamental microbiology skills including aseptic technique and experience in cultivation
• established knowledge or strong motivation to learn programming and bioinformatics skills using R, Python and/or Matlab
• experience and or motivation to perform field work in Arctic marine habitats and within applied bioreactor facilities