Recruitment for Researcher in Evolutionary & Developmental Neurobiology

Researcher:

There is a vacancy for a position as researcher in evolutionary & developmental neurobiology at the Michael Sars Centre. The position is for a period of 9 months and is funded by the University of Bergen. The preferred but negotiable starting date is September/October 2026.

About the project/work tasks:

The Burkhardt group combines comparative biological systems in the laboratory to understand when and how first synapses, neurons and nervous systems evolved. The group is particularly interested in studying the nervous system of ctenophores. Ctenophores – strong candidates for being the sister-group to all other animals – are beautiful, but still mysterious marine animals. Given their phylogenetic position characterizing the nervous system of ctenophores promises to reveal fundament insights into the evolutionary origin of neurons. We are looking for a highly self-motivated and enthusiastic Researcher with interests in evolutionary biology, neurobiology and cell biology. The project will focus on ctenophore nerve net development and, how fused neurites of the nerve net are formed. The successful candidate will undertake research using single cell RNA sequencing, electron microscopy and transgenic reporter lines to understand nerve net development. The candidate will work in close association with the group leader and other lab members.

Qualifications and personal qualities:

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree (PhD) in fields related to the project 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.
• Practical experience with single cell RNA sequencing, single cell RNA sequencing data analysis and general-purpose programming language(s) (R and/or Python) is required
• Practical experience with animal care (preferable with ctenophores) and with microinjections is required
• Practical experience in situ hybridization (ISH), hybridization chain reaction and immunofluorescence microscopy (e.g., confocal, spinning disc and/or light sheet microscopy) is an advantage
• Applicants must be able to work independently and in a structured manner and have the ability to cooperate with others

• Applicants must have excellent skills in oral and written English

  Personal and relational qualities will be emphasized. Research experience, ambitions and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

We can offer:

• A good and professionally stimulating working environment.
• Position as researcher (code 1109 in the basic collective agreement) and a gross annual salary of NOK 685.900 upon appointment. Further increases in salary are made according to length of service in the position. A higher salary may be considered for a particularly well-qualified applicant.
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A brief account of the applicant’s research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
• The names and contact information for two referees. One of these should be the main advisor from the PhD programme. 
• CV
• Transcripts and diplomas. If you have not yet completed your PhD, please submit a statement from your institution confirming that the doctoral thesis has been submitted.
• Relevant certificates/references
• List of any works of a scientific nature

The application and any attachments along with certified translations in English or another Scandinavian language must be uploaded to JobbNorge.

General information:

For further details about the position, please contact: 

Group leader Pawel Burkhardt, email: pawel.burkhardt@uib.no or Head of Administration Kristina Håvås Hanson, email: Kristina.hanson@uib.no.

For HR related questions contact HR adviser Veronica Stålhand, phone: +47 55 58 43 74, email: veronica.stalhand@uib.no.

Diversity is a strength that enables us to solve our tasks even better. UiB therefore needs qualified employees regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, worldview, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and age.

We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply.

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.

We encourage applicants with disabilities, immigrant backgrounds, or gaps in their CV to apply. By indicating such circumstances in your application, you may receive favourable consideration. We ensure that at least one qualified applicant from each of these groups is invited for an interview as part of our commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.