Call for postdoc candidates interested in applying for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Genetic and molecular epidemiology

UiT The Arctic University of Norway has established «The Arctic MSCA-PF program» (uit.no/project/arcticmsca) to recruit excellent young researchers planning to apply for a Marie Skƚodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) to pursue a career in research. We are looking for promising young researchers within the field of Genetic and molecular epidemiology. The selected candidate will write a proposal for a 24-month MSCA-PF at UiT together with Associate Professor Therese Haugdahl Nøst. This is an opportunity to accelerate your research career while living in the urban research city of Tromsø, uniquely located at the top of the world surrounded by some of Europe’s last pristine wild nature.

This call is one of 70 from pre-selected supervisors at UiT The Arctic University of Norway through the “Arctic MSCA-PF program”. Successful postdoc candidates will be invited for a three-day MSCA-PF symposium June 4-6, 2024 (hybrid physical/digital event, see details at uit.no/project/arcticmsca/program-structure). At this event, the candidates will present their past research achievements, discuss future plans with their potential supervisor and learn how to write a successful MSCA-PF application. The selected candidates will, jointly with the supervisor, write the MSCA-PF application by the deadline of September 11, 2024.

In this call we search for talented, young researchers within the field of Genetic and molecular epidemiology as presented by Associate Professor Nøst:

Lung cancer, primarily caused by smoking, is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with high mortality due to late diagnosis, particularly of metastasis. Our projects have aimed to identify blood biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer to improve survival rates. Specifically, we focus on improving lung cancer risk stratification and early detection through 'omics markers, i.e. changes in proteins, mRNA, miRNA expression, and DNA methylation. Analyzing blood samples from up to 12 years before the lung cancer diagnosis in four European prospective cohorts, as well as taken at the time of diagnosis in two hospital-based cohorts, we're examining ‘omic profiles by lung cancer types, stages, and risk factors, using advanced cross-omics statistical methods. Detectable blood markers in lung cancer patients have been detected at diagnosis and in the closest year leading up to it. However, the prospective detection of such markers is challenging, with many weak signals difficult to interpret or use clinically. We have identified candidate markers for further study but no patentable findings have emerged. Still, our research contributes to understanding lung cancer biomarkers and we are now exploring ‘omic profiles in relation to the immune system in blood and tissue. A substantial amount of data has been generated and there is a great potential for further analysis to identify more potential markers and enhance our understanding of disease as measured in blood. 

Please send your CV (max 3 pages) and describe a research project that will strengthen and complement the presented research (max 2 pages) to therese.h.nost@uit.no by Feb 16th 2024. Mark your application "Arctic MSCA". Successful candidates will be contacted in late March 2024.