Researcher in Marine Biology

Universitetet i Oslo (UiO); Oslo; On-site; NOK 595,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Norwegian university in Oslo is seeking an early career researcher in Marine Biology. The successful candidate will focus on metabarcoding copepods to improve understanding of marine food webs. Responsibilities include conducting fieldwork and contributing to publications. Ideal candidates will hold a PhD in biology, demonstrate excellent skills in laboratory procedures, and possess strong communication abilities. This role offers a competitive salary and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Exciting and meaningful tasks

Committed colleagues

Good welfare schemes

Opportunity for exercise during hours

Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse

Competitive salary

Qualifications

• Proven experience with laboratory procedures and bioinformatic analysis of metabarcoding data.
• Excellent communication skills (including written and spoken English).

Responsibilities

• Focus on the metabarcoding of copepods and fish guts.
• Contribute to field sampling along the Norwegian west coast.
• Lead and contribute to scientific articles resulting from the project.

Skills

Laboratory procedures

Bioinformatic analysis

Excellent communication skills

Education

PhD in biology or related disciplines

Job description

About The Position

Position as early career researcher in Marine Biology available at the Department of Biosciences.

The position is for a period of 22 months with the possibility of prolongation.

Starting date. March 1st, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Place of work is Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic biology and toxicology at Blindern, Oslo.

Project Description

Copepods play a crucial role in the marine food web. While much of the knowledge comes from pelagic species, much less is known about phytal copepods inhabiting the seaweed belt along the shore. Therefore, in the NFR‑funded project MACROCOP (https://www.mn.uio.no/ibv/english/research/sections/aqua/research-projects/macrocop/), we assess the diversity, abundance, and ecological significance of copepods within macroalgae habitats. We lay the groundwork for future studies on biodiversity and benthopelagic coupling in coastal areas, thereby promoting awareness of the critical role of sustainable coastal management.

We seek an early career researcher (ECR) who will focus on the metabarcoding of copepods, fish guts, and other environmental samples in order to improve our understanding of the trophic position of phytal copepods and their role in the carbon flux from macroalgae habitats. The candidate can also contribute to additional field sampling along the Norwegian west coast, and feeding experiments and in situ videography at the Biological station in Drøbak. There is also a significant citizen science application in the project to which the candidate can contribute. We expect that the candidate will lead and contribute to scientific articles resulting from the project.

MACROCOP is a collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). We also work together with Senckenberg am Meer (Germany), the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS, UK), and the Institute of Marine Research (Norway). There will be several master student projects related to the project, so the candidate will also have the opportunity to be involved in student supervision.

The project has great potential to produce several publications both from the individual WPs and from project‑wide synergies.

What skills are important in this role?

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, 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.

Qualification Requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree (PhD) in biology or related disciplines. For candidates not having finished their doctoral degree, the doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation by the closing date of the call. An appointment is dependent on the defense of the doctoral dissertation being approved.
• Proven experience with laboratory procedures and bioinformatic analysis of metabarcoding data.
• Excellent communication skills (including written and spoken English).

Desired Qualifications

• A strong academic background related to marine ecology, molecular biology, food web dynamics, or related topics.
• A competitive relevant publication record relative to time in science.
• Prior work with copepods or other small marine invertebrates.
• Willingness to introduce master students to lab procedures and bioinformatic analysis related to the project.

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

What are we looking for in you?

We are looking for a highly motivated, creative, and structured candidate with excellent collaborative qualities that can contribute to our team.

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work precisely and swiftly in a structured manner
• Willingness and flexibility to adapt to new tasks
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Positive attitude

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

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.
• Good welfare schemes.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours. A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
• 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 650 000, 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 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 you 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.

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

How To Apply

The application must include

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
• Letters of recommendation
• A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e‑mail and telephone number)

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click “Apply for the position”.

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

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.

Please see Rules for the use of research posts SKO 1108, 1109, 1110 and 1183 at UiO.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.