At the Department of Biological Sciences (BIO) there is a vacancy for a postdoctoral research fellow position in marine microbiology. The position is associated with the project MIXsTRUCT funded by the Research Council of Norway and is for a fixed term of 3 years with the possibility of up to additional 6 months. The project is led by Uni Research Environment and its main objective is to decipher the role of mixotrophy for structuring marine pelagic food web. The work is scheduled to start in September 2018.

The position includes project work relating to the following research tasks:

• Development of an approach suitable to quantify and identify mixotrophy in controlled laboratory experiments and natural marine microbial communities.
• Assessment of how elevated organic carbon content affect mixotrophic organism´s performance and impact.
• Investigate the influence of mixotrophy on the marine microbial food web- and community structure.

The work will include laboratory experiments as well as field experiments/observations. Contribution to public outreach and teaching and supervision of bachelor and master students and PhD supervision may also be expected.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a Norwegian PhD or an equivalent degree within microbiology or must have submitted his/her doctoral thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the PhD has been awarded.
• The successful candidate must have knowledge of mixotrophy in marine microbial food webs and a publication record demonstrating thorough understanding of microbial predator-prey interactions from both a theoretical and experimental perspective.
• Hands on experience in designing and conducting experiments at different scales (from laboratory scale to field experiments) for assessment of theoretical models.
• Technical skills beneficial for a successful evaluation include flow cytometry, FlowCAM, bacterial- and primary production measurements, elemental analysis using the CN-analyzer and R-programming.
• Experience from mesocosm experiments, field work and cruises, and from scientific outreach is an advantage.
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner, and have the ability to cooperate with others.
• Applicants must have excellent skills in oral and written English.
• Good command of the Norwegian language to be able to participate in outreach activities will be considered an advantage.

The practical work will mainly be connected to marine environments but limnic pelagic systems are available through the international partners and experience from both kind of systems is therefore an advantage. Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates. Special requirements for the position: ability to conduct fieldwork and participate on research cruises (medical certificate and safety course required).

About the position of postdoctoral research fellow
The postdoctoral position is a fixed term position with the primary objective of qualifying the appointee for work in top academic positions. If the appointee lacks teaching experience, or other relevant qualifications, the employment period may be increased to 3 years and up to additional 6 months. Teaching and other duties will in such cases be added to the position. The position may be extended by up to one year (maximum 4 years in total) if the appointee is granted externally financed research stays abroad. Individuals may not be hired for more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution. When entering the position the postdoctoral research fellow have to prepare a plan for the qualifying work in cooperation with the supervisor and head of department. It is a requirement that the plan is followed and completed in the course of the period of employment.

General information
For further details about the position, please contact group leader and Principal Researcher Aud Larsen, Molecular Ecology Research Group, Uni Research Environment, Bergen (aud.larsen@uni.no / +47 55 58 35 96) and/or Professor Gunnar Bratbak, Marin microbiology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen (gunnar.bratbak@uib.no / +47 55 58 26 58).