Associate Professor within the field of Fish Immunology and Immune Engineering

The position

The Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway invites applications for an Associate Professor at the interface of fish immunology and immune engineering. The position is embedded in AIM SMART — Integrated Aptamer–SERS Biosensors for Atlantic Salmon Immune Monitoring and Pathogen Surveillance — funded by the Research Council of Norway under Banebrytende muliggjørende teknologier / Enabling Technologies. During the project period, the appointee will devote approximately 80 % of their time to AIM SMART, with the remainder allocated to teaching, supervision, and academic service.

The position is affiliated with the Fish Immunology and Vaccinology (FIV) research group, recognized internationally for its work on innate and adaptive immune responses and on vaccine development for teleosts. With this opening, FIV expands its expertise by recruiting a researcher who can advance the knowledge about fish immunology through development of the lens of immunotechnology and research tools.

The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure at UiT, including a zebrafish core facility, and to the Tromsø Aquaculture Research Station for large-scale studies in salmonids and related species.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position in Tromsø within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The position’s field of work

The role centers on the design and deployment of aptamer-based molecular recognition elements directed at fish-pathogen and host-immune targets, and their integration into SERS-enabled biosensing platforms for real-time immune monitoring and pathogen surveillance in Atlantic salmon and other farmed species. Working within AIM SMART and the wider FIV environment, the appointee will lead the development of an integrated immunotechnology toolbox for aquaculture — encompassing aptamer probe design, biosensor integration, immune-monitoring assays, recombinant antigen engineering, and next-generation diagnostic and surveillance platforms.

The work is expected to translate fundamental fish immunology and host–pathogen biology into deployable tools that advance fish health, biosecurity, and the long-term sustainability of Norwegian aquaculture. The candidate will actively and collaboratively pursue external research funding — including RCN, EU, and industry-linked instruments — and build interdisciplinary consortia bridging molecular immunology, biotechnology, biosensing, and nanotechnology.

Teaching responsibility is anchored in the biotechnology study program, together with supervision at master’s and doctoral levels. Teaching contributions in other study programs at NCFS are also expected.

Qualifications

The position as Associate professor requires:

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D) in biomedical and molecular sciences (biochemistry, molecular biology, or immunology), with documented thesis-level research in immunological and biophysical characterization of immune-relevant proteins, or competence at a corresponding level documented by scientific work of the same scope and quality, — combined with scientific qualifications beyond the doctoral level including post-doctoral research experience in fish immunology, with a focus on antigen processing and presentation and applied immunotechnology.
• Documented pedagogical competence (read more below)
• Documented good written and oral proficiency in English and Norwegian / Scandinavian language proficiency at level B2 within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Those who do not meet the requirement for Scandinavian language skills must do so within three years of appointment. UiT facilitates attendance of Norwegian courses.
• Personal motivation and ambition driving engagement in development work within fish immunology, immune engineering, and aquaculture biotechnology — and for the university as a whole. 
• Demonstrated ability to work in interdisciplinary teams bridging molecular immunology, biotechnology, and Statistics.
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills.
• Experience in advanced microscopy and imaging, including electron microscopy, fluorescence and deconvolution microscopy, and nanoscope-level / super-resolution techniques applied to immune cell biology. 
• Documented technical foundation in protein biochemistry (purification, recombinant expression, characterization), molecular biology, immunization and antibody generation, and kinetic / affinity characterization of recognition probes. 
• Documented experience contributing to, and applying for, externally funded research projects. 

For the position described it is considered an advantage if you in addition have

• a research profile that complements ongoing work within the Fish Immunology and Vaccinology group
• proven experience in molecular biology within the context of infectious disease and immunology
• a background in biological assay development, with active engagement in the integration of advanced biosensing technologies, including aptamer-based recognition platforms
• familiarity with nanotechnology-based opto-sensors, SERS-based detection, or similar advanced detection platforms
• demonstrated ability to work in interdisciplinary teams spanning molecular immunology, biotechnology, biosensing, nanotechnology, and biostatistics
• track record of international and multi-institutional research collaboration, including consortium-based projects and partnerships with statistical and bioinformatics groups
• active engagement with the international scientific community — including peer review for international journals in immunology and infectious disease, membership in relevant scientific societies, and participation in international conferences and scientific committees 
• previous experience supervising PhD and master’s students, preferably in biotechnology, aqua-medicine, biochemistry, or related fields
• experience teaching at university level
• completion of Uniped 100 / 25H — Basismodul i Pedagogisk Kompetanse, or an equivalent 

 At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Pedagogical competence

All applicants for teaching and research positions must document their educational competence in their application.You must have acquired basic competence for teaching and supervision at university and college level.This entails basic skills in planning, implementing, evaluating and developing teaching and supervision.

See how to document educational competence: About the pedagogical portfolio – Result: https://result.uit.no/om-pedagogisk-mappe/  (Only in Norwegian) 

Application

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee’s mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants’ qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailde description draw up for the position.

The application must include: 

• Cover letter (max 2 pages) 
• An outline of your future research plans relevant for the position (max 2 pages).
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience and professional work.
• Diplomas, diploma supplements and transcripts (all degrees, in original language and translated to English or a Scandinavian
  language).
• Two references with contact details.
• Documented pedagogical competence. Brief description of teaching philosophy/documentation of educational competence in the form of a pedagogical map or course certificate of completed university pedagogical basic competence such as UNIPED 100 at UiT or equivalent from other universities.
• Documentation of English language skills can be documented in the following ways:
  – Diploma from a Norwegian upper secondary school with both spoken and written English (140 hours)
  – TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
  – IELTS (International English Testing Service)
  – Completed university degree in the field of English language or literature
  – One year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or USA, for which English was the
  language of instructions.
• Documentation of Norwegian/Scandinavian proficiency can be done with the following:
  – High school diploma.
  – Course certificate for Norwegian/Scandinavian test.
• A list and description of your academic production, including a PDF of the five publications you consider most relevant for the position. The list should include the following:
  – author(s), title of the work
  – for articles: name of the journal and volume, first and last page of the article, year of publication
  – for other publications: publisher, printer, year of publication, number of pages
• The academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessment

Documentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. The application and submitted documents must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no. The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. A trial lecture may also be held.

We offer

• Research and educational leave (R&E leave)
• Good welfare arrangements for employees
• Good career opportunities
• Good arrangements for pension, insurance and loans in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The remuneration for Associate Professor is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1011 with a gross annual salary ranging from NOK 750.000 to 890.000 in a 100 % position. In special cases, a higher salary may be considered. There will be a deduction of 2 % per year from your gross salary to the Norwegian Public Sector Pension Fund. 

As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes availiable. For more information see: spk.no. Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

General information

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants. More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

UiT The Arctic University in Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application.​ Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.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.

In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence. 

Questions about the position

Eva-Stina Isabella Edholm

førsteamanuensis

+4777646112

eva-stina.i.edholm@uit.no