The position

The Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE), UiT The Arctic University of Norway has a vacant position as postdoctoral research fellow position attached to The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS), the Centre for Research-based Innovation CRI Dsolve. 

This position is a fixed term position for a duration of three years. Appointment to the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow is mainly intended to provide qualification for work in top academic positions. It is a prerequisite that the applicant is able to carry out the research associated with the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution. 

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) undertakes research and research-based teaching of high national and international quality in an interdisciplinary environment. Research activity is provisionally organized into the groups of: Living Marine Resources, Sea Food Science, Fisheries technology, Fish Health, Marine Drug Discovery, Resource Management, Marine Management, and Environmental and Resource Economics.

The Centre for Research-based Innovation CRI Dsolve is funded by the The Research Council of Norway. The Centre aims to reduce plastic litter and associated problems such as ghost fishing, macro- and micro-plastics caused by the fishery and aquaculture industries. The goal is that traditional plastics in these sectors can be replaced with new biodegradable materials. Research within our Centre is divided into six areas headed by national research partners UiT Arctic University of Norway, SINTEF Ocean, SINTEF Industry, Norner AS, Norsus AS and SALT Lofoten AS / UiT. 

If you receive a personal overseas research grant from NFR it is possible to apply NFR for an extension of the fellowship period corresponding to the length of the stay abroad (minimum three months, maximum 12 months).

The position's field of research

This position is related to the application of biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials in fisheries and aquaculture. The postdoctoral research fellow will work with fishing gear research related to research area 3 (development, testing, validation, and optimization of biodegradable gear for fisheries and aquaculture) which is directly involved with stakeholders in fisheries and aquaculture linked to CRI Dsolve. Suggested areas for research are tests and assessments of feasibility for implementing biodegradable materials in commonly used passive and active fishing gears and aquaculture. Results from field and laboratory trials must be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals in a due course. The candidate must participate in conference contributions, contribute to outreach (popular science), and preparations for applications to attract external funding on new research projects relevant to the conceptual outline of CRI Dsolve. 

You must submit a project proposal that describes how you scientifically can contribute to CRI Dsolve and the described field of research. The proposal must include a progress plan.

Contact

For further information about the position, please contact Senior Scientist Jørgen Vollstad:

• phone: +47 9114574
• email: jorgen.vollstad@sintef.no

or Professor Roger B. Larsen:

• phone: +47 77644536
• email: roger.larsen@uit.no

Qualifications

Required qualifications: 

• A Norwegian doctoral degree in natural science, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree. If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.
• The preferred candidate for this position must be able to work on board fishing vessels and at aquaculture facilities for data collection and have experience from designing, collecting, modelling and publishing such data 
• Research experience in Norwegian or Nordic fisheries and/or aquaculture is compulsory
• Experience from work related to the ecological effects caused by marine plastic pollution
• Fluency in English. Nordic applicants can document their capabilities by attaching their high school diploma

Desired qualifications: 

• Working knowledge of Norwegian or a Scandinavian language 
• Experience from work related to the ecological effects caused by marine plastic pollution.

During the assessment emphasis will be put on the candidate’s motivation, potential for research, and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who: 

• Have excellent communication and organizational skills
• Are highly motivated and passionate about developing new research
• Possess strong documentation, oral and interpersonal skills
• Are independent and a team player

When applying for a postdoctoral research fellowship, the applicant must submit a project proposal (up to 5 pages long) describing the work. This proposal shall include a progress plan. It is required that the applicant will be able to complete the project during the period of appointment.

In the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Applicants must document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at a minimum of level A2. If the candidate does not document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2, then the doctoral fellow must complete a language course equal to 15 ECTS before the end of the fixed-term period. UiT will facilitate this.  

Inclusion and diversity  

UiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.  

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics. 

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project 
• Good career opportunities 
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund 

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility 

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter
• Project proposal (max 5 pages) that describes how you scientifically can contribute to CRI Dsolve and the described field of research. The proposal must include a progress plan.
• CV
• Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Documentation of proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at a minimum of level A2 (if applicable)
• Written references
• Contact information to 2-3 references
• A list of your academic production
• Description of your academic production, stating which works you consider most important
• The academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment

If you’re at the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply if you have submitted your PhD thesis for doctoral degree evaluation within the application deadline. You must submit the thesis with your application. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.

All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position. We only accept applications and documentation sent via Jobbnorge within the application deadline.

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants. 

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. 

The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.