Researcher in Fish Immunology / Microscopy

Universitetet I Oslo; Oslo; On-site; NOK 595,000 - 695,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Oslo invites applications for a Researcher in Fish Immunology / Microscopy within the Department of Biosciences. The role focuses on transcriptomics (scRNAseq) and advanced 3D imaging to study the branchial immune system in zebrafish and Atlantic salmon. The project contributes to the Fish-S.H.I.E.L.D.

ERC Starting Grant and involves cutting-edge microscopy facilities. You will join the Spatial Immunology & Nanomedicines group and collaborate across the Comparative Immunology

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree must be completed with defended thesis.
• Proven experience in zebrafish and fish immunology.
• Proficiency in transcriptomic analysis, especially scRNAseq.
• Strong communication skills in English.

Responsibilities

• Primary involvement in transcriptomic analysis and advanced 3D imaging.
• Characterize branchial cavity immune tissues and immune cell populations.
• Support and collaborate within the Spatial Immunology & Nanomedicines group.

Skills

Fluent English

Single-cell RNA sequencing

Zebrafish experience

Fish immunology

Confocal microscopy

Lightsheet microscopy

Image analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Norwegian doctoral degree in Fish Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or related

Tools

Confocal microscopy

Lightsheet microscopy

3D microscopy

Transcriptomics tools

Job description

Researcher in Fish Immunology / Microscopy

We invite applications for a Researcher position at the Department of Biosciences

The position is for a period of 3 years.

Starting date no later than 01.04.2027 with a preferred starting date around the 21st of January.

Place of work is the Department of Biosciences at the Life Science Building, Forskningsparken, Oslo.

Applicants are invited to apply for a 3-years position as Researcher in Fish Immunology / Microscopy to be based at the Department of Biosciences of the University of Oslo. This role contributes to the ERC-funded starting grant project “Fish-S.H.I.E.L.D.” starting on April 1st 2025, which aims to investigate the fish branchial cavity immune surveillance system and its importance for the fish defense against infectious diseases in aquaculture.

Colourbox

More about the position

The successful applicant will join Julien Resseguier’s “Spatial Immunology & Nanomedicines” group and become a key member of the Comparative Immunology team at the Department of Biosciences.

The project “Fish-S.H.I.E.L.D.” builds on the recent discovery of a complex lymphoid organization in the fish branchial cavity, which includes the “Amphibranchial Lymphoid Tissues (ALT)” and the “Interbranchial Lymphoid Tissues (ILT)” in the gills, and the Nemausean Lymphoid organ (NELO), revealing the branchial cavity as an important region of the fish immune system.

The sustainability of aquaculture, important for our food security, is severely challenged by infectious diseases. Whereas the branchial cavity is particularly relevant for fish health and welfare in aquaculture, much remains to be done to understand its defense mechanisms. The main goal of the project is to characterize the newly discovered branchial cavity immune surveillance system to harness its potential against infectious diseases in aquaculture. The project objective will use the zebrafish model to 1) Characterize the gill lymphoid tissues and tonsil-like organ. 2) Decipher the rules of antigen sampling, 3) Characterize the developmental framework. 4) Study the involvements in immune responses to infection and vaccines. This will then serve as a guide for investigations in Atlantic salmon and other fish species relevant for aquaculture.

The project will involve characterizations of immune functions using infection models and nanotechnologies, immunohistology, transcriptomics, antibody assays, and advanced 3D microscopy. For this, a lightsheet microscope dedicated to the imaging of cleared samples is being acquired, as well as a workstation for VR-assisted image analysis. This represents an unique opportunity in Norway.

We seek a highly motivated Researcher that will be primarily involved in the transcriptomic aspects of the project and microscopy. Tasks will mainly focus on using ScRNAseq and 3D high-resolution imaging to investigate the branchial cavity immune system with an emphasis on characterizing immune cell population and the gene expression of markers of relevant immune functions. The project will involve experiment with both zebrafish and Atlantic salmon.

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe'sleading communities forresearch, education and innovation.Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in Fish Immunology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and completed defence are eligible for appointment.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Relevant experience working with zebrafish and fish immunology.
• Documented solid expertise in transcriptomic analysis, specifically Single-cell RNA sequencing.
• Proficiency in confocal microscopy, lightsheet microscopy, and image analysis.

Desired qualifications:

• The following qualifications will also count in the assessment of the applicants:
  • Fish Biology, Fish Anatomy, Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, Histology methods, and Statistics.
• Prior experience with Immunofluorescence, Cryosections, Whole-mount labeling, Sample clearing, Flow cytometry, Atlantic salmon.
• A certification to perform animal experiments (e.g. Felasa), good communication/representation skills, and grant writing skills are also desirable but not required.

UiO is subject to the Security Act, which governs the organisation's protection of security-sensitive objects and knowledge, in addition to other relevant legislation concerning access to and handling of sensitive information. Based on this, it is a requirement that successful applicants are security-eligible. We may use background checks as part of our recruitment process.

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work precise in a structured manner and swiftly adapts to new tasks
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Positive attitude and the ability to handle hectic periods

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal skills.

Jarli & Jordan / UiO

We can offer you

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• Committed colleagues in a good working environment.
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse , which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Researcher, position code 1109 in salary range NOK from 595 000 - to 695 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no .

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here .

Formal regulations

The best qualified candidates will be invited for interviews.

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.

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 26 500students and 7 200employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

Department of Biosciences (IBV) is one of nine departments at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Research in the department is organised in five sections covering topics within biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, cell biology, genetics, aquatic biology, toxicology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.The Departmentalso operates Finseresearch station, the Biological research station in Drøbak and UiO's research vessel. Education across these topics is offered for around 300bachelor, 170master, and 75PhD students. With 48permanent professors/associate professors, post-docs, researchers, technical,and administrative personnel, the Department has a total staff of 260from more than 30 different countries. The Department aims to maintain high international standards within both research and teaching. The new bachelor program in bioscience is the first of its kind to include programming and computational modelling as core elements.