项目介绍

2025年3月6日

About the position

The Neurobiological Laboratory lead by Associate Professor Katja Scheffler is a joint venture of NTNU and St. Olavs Hospital to build a bridge between clinical and basic research in neuroscience. Our research aims are to unravel novel molecular mechanisms of genome regulation that are important for brain function and to identify new therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

The period of employment for the position is 3 years, starting no later than August 2025.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department.

About the project

The project will investigate the role of epigenetic and epigenetic-like modifications in AD pathology and explore the therapeutic potential of small molecule modulators of DNA repair activity in AD. The successful candidate will generate and work with human induced pluripotent stem cells and 3D human cerebral organoids derived from participants of the Trønderbrain cohort combined with CRISPR/CAS gene editing, confocal imaging, single-cell sequencing technology and bioinformatics.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
• Carry out research of high quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the Scheffler research group 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Required selection criteria

• You must have an academically relevant background within molecular biology, cell biology, neuroscience, biotechnology or related subjects
• You must have a master’s degree in molecular medicine, molecular and/or translational neuroscience or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master’s level. Master’s students can apply, but the master’s degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than June 2025. 
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master’s degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty’s doctoral program.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English equivalent to level B2.

PLEASE NOTE: For detailed information about what the application must contain, see paragraph “About the application”.

As a result of the new Act relating to universities and university colleges with associated regulations of 01.08.2024, NTNU has, during a transitional period (for decisions on employment in recruitment positions before 1 August 2025), chosen to use the terms of employment in the old regulations of 31 January 2006 no. 102 on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, research fellow, scientific assistant and specialist candidate

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with cell culture work, preferably stem cells and organoids 
• Experience with confocal imaging 
• Knowledge related to genomics and transcriptomics
• Knowledge with bioinformatics

Personal characteristics

In the evaluation, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability in relation to the qualifications specified in the advertisement. We will place great emphasis on:

• strong personal initiative, self-motivation and work ethic
• a solution-oriented attitude, ability to solve problems independently
• the ability to work collaboratively to accomplish common research goals, in a multidisciplinary team
• willingness to accommodate to the team’s research strategy
• ambition and drive to become an independent researcher

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• working capital that can be used to implement the project
• training during working hours and company sports at NTNU
• As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)  

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population’s collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

We particularly encourage men to apply.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 536,200 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Medicine and Health Scienceswithin three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in English.

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• CV and possibly certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. 
• Copy of Master’s thesis. If you have recently 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.
• A research statement explaining the experience and the interest of the candidate for the research topic and describing the relevance of the candidate’s background to the research project (max. 1 page)
• Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

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. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.
NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU’s social mission).

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Katja Scheffler, katja.scheffler@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant Komel Afridi, komel.afridi@hotmail.no.

Application deadline: 04.04.2025

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality. 

NTNU – knowledge for a better world

NTNU – knowledge for a better world
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

The Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science (INB) is an ambitious department in strong development. Great diversity in medicine and health disciplines is a hallmark of the department. We give priority to social relevance and quality in both education and research.Several of our groups of researchers and teaching staff are at the forefront of their fields in Norway and internationally. Our ambition: “Through interdisciplinary collaboration, INB creates forward-looking education and research that lead the way in improving health and function.”
Read more about the Department here: www.ntnu.edu/inb