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

About the job

A three-year PhD position in molecular biotechnology is available in the group of Prof. Johannes Kabisch at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. 

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

The PhD candidate will work as part of the SFI Industrial Biotechnology (SFI-IB). The SFI-IB is a research-based innovation centre lead by SINTEF Industry and funded by the Research Council of Norway. In the project we will research RNA modifying enzymes and their production. The PhD candidate will work on both the engineering of such enzymes as well as genetically optimizing microbial production hosts.

The project will happen in very tight collaboration with ArcticZymes AS and SINTEF, enabling the candidate to use respective infrastructure as well as expert supervision from the partners.

You will report to Prof. Johannes Kabisch (johannes.kabisch)

Duties of the position

• Engineering and characterization of RNA modifying enzymes
• Genetic engineering of microbial hosts for production of RNA modifying enzymes
• Data analysis
• Preparation of manuscripts and doctoral thesis
• Presentation of results at group meetings and scientific conferences

Required selection criteria

• You must have a master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, or a related field.
• Good written and oral communication skills in English
• Good analytical skills
• Motivation for solving scientific problems
• Experience with Molecular and Genetic engineering
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Natural Sciences https://www.ntnu.edu/nv/phd/admission 
  
  The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• Preference will be given to candidates with prior experience in
  • handling RNA
  • biochemical characterization of enzymes
  • in vitro transcription/translation
  • microfluidics
  • RNA modifying enzymes
  • experience with data-analysis skills in e.g. Python

Personal characteristics

• Creative approach to problem solving
• Adapts behaviour to achieve goals, overcome setbacks or solve a challenge
• Learns from experiences and feedback from others 

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment. We have state-of-the-art infrastructure.
• The possibility to gain experience to work in close collaboration with partners from industry and one of the largest research organisations worldwide.
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 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.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Biotechnology  (PhD Programme in Biotechnology) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• A cover letter containing a summary of research interests, accomplishments, career goals, and a preferred start date
• A current CV
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (e.g. Thesis(draft))
• Contact information for three references

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

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

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

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

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Johannes Kabisch, e-mail: johannes.kabisch@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Cecilie Skagfjord, e-mail: cecilie.skagfjord@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line 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: 31.12.2024