Researcher position: Underwater noise and its effects on marine invertebrate deuterostomes

About The University of Bergen

The University of Bergen is a renowned educational and research institution, organised into seven faculties and approximately 54 institutes and academic centres. Campus is located in the centre of Bergen with university areas at Nygårdshøyden, Haukeland, Marineholmen, Møllendalsveien and Årstad. 

Michael Sars Centre is situated at the Marineholmen campus together with other research institutes at the University. The Centre is organized as an independent research centre placed within the faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science and partner with European Molecular Biological Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. – Read more here.

Researcher position:

There is a vacancy for a researcher position (code 1109) at the Michael Sars Centre (https://www.uib.no/en/michaelsarscentre) in the research group headed by Dr. Marios Chatzigeorgiou. The position is for a period of 2 years and is funded by a JPI grant. The Michael Sars Centre belongs to the University of Bergen and is partner of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) (www.embl.de). The place of work will be at the Michael Sars Centre. The preferred but negotiable starting date is May 2023.

About the project/work tasks:

DeuteroNoise is an international collaborative and interdisciplinary project whose main goal is to improve our understanding of the soundscape in five European basins and its effects on marine invertebrate deuterostomes (MIDs), a matter of pressing urgency on which there is still relatively scarce information. To reach this goal, the consortium will undertake a comprehensive analysis of the level and type of noise present in different basins together with a multi-approach study of behavioral, morphological and genetic effects generated by threshold noise pollution level in a large panel of species.

As members of this consortium the Chatzigeorgiou and Chourrout groups will work closely with our international partners to characterise the effects of underwater noise on different aspects of the biology of tunicate species. This project will characterise at multiple biological levels (from the molecules to the behaving organisms) the effects of low and high levels of underwater noise on the tunicates Ciona intestinalis and Oikopleura dioica. The first part of the project will focus on leveraging cutting-edge quantitative behavioral analysis methods to determine the effects of underwater noise on larval and adult stages of C. intestinalis and O. dioica. The second part will make use of cutting edge microscopy methods (light and possibly electron microscopy) to characterize the effects of underwater noise on the development of C. intestinalis and O. dioica. The third part of the project will leverage modern methods to analyze the genome and transcriptome of C. intestinalis and O. dioica embryos, larvae and adults exposed to different levels of underwater noise. The research scientist that will be recruited will be jointly supervised by the two Group Leaders. It is expected that the successful applicant also collaborates with other members of the consortium, including students and postdocs.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• The applicant must hold a Norwegian PhD or an equivalent degree 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
• Experience with quantitative analysis of behaviour is essential
• Evidence for proficiency in advanced functional confocal microscopy is essential
• Evidence for proficiency in using bioinformatic tools is essential
• Experience with functional assays testing mechanosensation in vivo is viewed favourably
• Experience working with model and/or non-model organisms will be viewed favourably
• Experience in marine invertebrate genetics and/or genome/transcriptome analysis is advantageous
• Evidence for collaborating with others and teaching junior lab members or interns will be viewed favourably
• Experience in field collections and willingness to organize and carry out field trips in the context of this project is advantageous
• Some weekend duties may be required depending on project development, e.g for animal culture
• Proficient written and spoken English is essential, and evidence for communicating results effectively (e.g. writing articles, presenting work at conferences) will be viewed favourably

We can offer:

• A professional, challenging and international working environment
• Well-equipped, modern laboratories and facilities
• Position as Researcher (code 1109 in the basic collective agreement) and a gross annual salary of NOK 573.900 (equivalent to pay grade 62) upon appointment. Further promotions are made according to length of service. For particularly highly qualified applicants, a higher salary may be considered
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits

Your application in English must include:

• A cover letter of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position
• The names and contact information 2-3 reference persons. One of these must be the the main advisor from the PhD programme
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas and official confirmation that the doctoral thesis has been submitted
• Relevant certificates/references
• List of publications or other relevant scientific work

The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at JobbNorge.

Application Deadline:  03.03.2023

General information:

Further information about the position can be obtained from Group Leaders Dr. Marios Chatzigeorgiou, tlf +47 55 58 43 58, email: Marios.Chatzigeorgiou@uib.no and Dr Daniel Chourrout, tlf: +47 55 58 43 13, email: Daniel.Chourrout@uib.no.

The state workforce shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

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