PhD Candidate in Molecular Biology

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

This position is a fixed term, full time (100%) position for 3 years within the field of molecular biology and metabolism. We seek a talented and enthusiastic person with experience in molecular biology, molecular medicine, biotechnology or similar disciplines. The PhD candidate will work with the ExMilk project (Exercised Breastmilk: A Kick-Start for Childhood Obesity Prevention), funded by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant). NTNU has excellent infrastructures for clinical and experimental research with state-of-the arti equipment and laboratories. Supervisor will be Dr Trine Moholdt, head of the Exercise, Cardiometabolic Health and Reproduction (EXCAR) Research Group

Duties of the position

• The applicant is expected to write a PhD dissertation about the effect of exercise on breast milk composition
• This project aims to undertake detailed analyses of breast milk, including metabolomics, analysis of complex lipids, micro-RNA sequencing, cytokine profiling and analysis of metabolically important hormones
• The candidate will work together with a team of researchers within exercise physiology, molecular medicine, and multivariate statistics

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in molecular medicine, molecular biology, biotechnology or a similar discipline
• You must have experience with metabolomics, lipidomics, transcriptomics, or other multivariate molecular analyses
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, in which 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies 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
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by 01.07.2023
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program
• Excellent written and oral English language skills

The appointment is to be made in accordance with 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

• Documented experience with clinical and/or laboratory research
• Documented experience with breast milk research
• Publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, presentations at scientific meetings, or a degree from a reputable university in the field.
• Personal motivation and proven ability to work independently and in team, as well as potential as a researcher.
• Experience with molecular biological laboratory techniques

Personal characteristics

• Enthusiastic and highly motivated
• Good work ethics, management, and organisational skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• 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 491 200 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 Medicine within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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 on a daily basis.

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.

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 follow 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 describing why you are an excellent candidate for the position (single page, no formatting requirements)
• CV (education, work experience, technical expertise. List of publications, if any).
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation about the status of your master's thesis work.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• List of reference persons (at least two). This could be a previous supervisor, project leader, university professor, or any other superior you have worked with. Be aware that reference check will be conducted.
• Any other document you consider relevant, such as a short statement from a former supervisor/tutor/teacher
• Publication list, if applicable

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 NOKUT, 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.