We have an open position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in marine ecology with a focus on identifying and prioritizing areas of high conservation priority for sea ice-dependent species in light of a rapidly changing Arctic.
This is a fixed-term position for a period of 4 years in our Section for Pollution and Marine Mammals at NPI’s Research Department. The section carries out monitoring and research within the fields of pollution and marine mammalogy, with a focus on how changes in climate, environmental conditions and human activity affect populations in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Your workplace will be Tromsø, Norway. You will be part of a team of researchers from NPI and collaborate closely with several foreign researchers notably in Denmark, Canada and Australia. The position involves some travel for meetings, workshops and conferences.
Work content
As a postdoctoral fellow, you will:
- As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will:
- Identify, collect, harmonise and manage existing data on ecosystem features, species distribution, environmental conditions and human use, using Open and Reproducible Science principles.
- Use spatial data layers to further develop and/or use methods to identify and prioritise areas of high conservation priority within a systematic conservation planning framework.
- Develop future scenarios of environmental change and human use in the Arctic and evaluate impllications for identifying and prioritising areas of conservation priority.
- Actively participate in the further development towards a pan-Arctic climate-resilient network of area-based conservation measures, a.o. Marine Protected Areas, Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures, and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
- Ensure that the research is maintained and published at a high international standard while also producing management-relevant output for Arctic Marine Spatial Planning.
Qualifications
You must hold a PhD in ecology or marine biology
A Norwegian doctoral degree or equivalent doctoral degree from a foreign university is required. You are welcome to apply if you have not completed your doctoral dissertation yet, but you must then provide documentation that your dissertation has been submitted for evaluation before the application deadline for the position. An approved public defence of your doctoral thesis is a prerequisite for employment.
In addition, you must have a strong analytical background and experience in quantitative ecology, spatial ecology and analysis, compiling and handling large and complex datasets, and proficiency in programming (e.g., R or Python).
It is an advantage if you have:
- Experience in area-based conservation ecology, marine system ecology, and/or ecology of sea ice-associated species.
- Experience in Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Protected Area Planning and Systematic Conservation Planning.
- Experience with models and simulations of marine species distributions, oceanographic parameters, and/or human activity (e.g., shipping, resource extraction, …), as well as familiarity with relevant data for these in the Arctic.
- Experience with the Norwegian high computation cluster (SIGMA 2).
- A strong publication record appropriate to your career level.
We place great emphasis on personal suitability. We are seeking applicants with good collaboration skills who are focused on problem-solving, while also being able to work in a structured and independent manner. The ideal candidate can work independently while contributing effectively in teams, and approaches challenges with creativity and systematic problem-solving with a passion for Open and Reproducible Science.
Good oral and written knowledge of English is required. Our working language is Norwegian, so knowledge of the Norwegian language will carry weight in the assessment. If you do not speak Norwegian you are expected to attend language courses within the first two years of your employment since communicating in Norwegian will be important for you, as well as for the institute. We pay for a successfully completed course.
Passing a health check in accordance with the institute’s guidelines is a prerequisite for participation in fieldwork.
The offer
- Interesting and exciting work tasks in a highly international research environment.
- Salary according to the Norwegian State salary code 1352 Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2% is deducted to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund).
- Membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The membership includes many benefits, such as lifetime retirement pension, the right to financial support if you become ill or disabled, financial support for your family if something happens to you in our service, insurance against occupational injury/illness, as well as good mortgage terms.
- Membership in our staff association, which among other things has its own cabin and facilitates various social gatherings.
The position as postdoctoral research fellow is defined as a recruitment position, and the main objective of such positions is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. Postdoctoral research fellow positions are primarily intended for researchers who are the beginning of their careers. No one may be appointed to more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution in Norway.
We believe a diverse work force is a strength, and want employees with different skills, subject combinations, life experience and perspectives. If you are qualified for the position, you are welcome to apply regardless of your gender, age, cultural background, disabilities, or gaps in your CV. We also accommodate special needs in the workplace, if needed.
Application
Further inquiries about the position may be directed to Section Leader Magnus Andersen, magnus.andersen@npolar.no, tel +47 975 34 069, or Researcher Igor Eulaers, igor.eulaers@npolar.no, tel +47 969 47 153.
Your application must be submitted in Jobbnorge. The application should include details of your relevant qualifications and experience, attachments, CV, publications list, copies of your transcripts and names of three references. Please, do not include copies of publications or other works in the application, but note that this may be requested later in the process.
In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence
We collaborate with Semac (www.semac.no) on electronical reference interviews and background checks to ensure a good recruitment process. This helps ensure that we recruit the right expertise and contribute to a fair evaluation of the applicants. The background check often consists of verification of information provided in the application, CV, diploma, etc.
All applications are handled in confidentiality until the application deadline. Thereafter, a public list of applicants will be prepared. Applicants who wish to reserve their applications from the public list must give reasons for this in their applications. Information about an applicant can be made public even if the applicant has requested that they be excluded from the public list of applicants, cf. Freedom of Information Act, Section 25, 2nd paragraph.
About us
The Norwegian Polar Institute is a directorate under the auspices of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and has approximately 220 employees located in Tromsø, Svalbard and Antarctica. The institute is the main strategic adviser for the Norwegian State in polar issues, represents Norway internationally with respect to polar sciences and management committees and processes, and is Norway’s environmental authority in Antarctica.
Questions about the position
Magnus Andersen
seksjonsleder
+47 975 34 069
magnus.andersen@npolar.no
Igor Eulaers
forsker
+47 969 47 153
igor.eulaers@npolar.no
More information about this opportunity here.