Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology
Department of Biology
Associate Professor in Comparative Animal Physiology
The Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology,
at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) announces
a vacant position as Associate Professor in comparative animal physiology.
Information about the department
The strategy of the Department of Biology is to understand biological
processes of life for sustainable use and conservation of the
environment. The Department has an interdisciplinary approach to education
and research that is deeply rooted in environmental and evolutionary
biology as important links between the different sub-disciplines (cell-
and molecular biology, systems biology, physiology, ethology, ecology,
population genetics, marine biology, aquaculture, biodiversity and
environmental toxicology).
The Department of Biology is the host of the Centre for Biodiversity
Dynamics (CBD), which is a National Centre of Excellence funded by the
Research Council of Norway and NTNU.
The Department has at present 23 professors, 11 associate professors,
5 adjunct professors, 20 researchers and approximately 50 research
fellows and postdocs.
For more information about the department and our activities, reference
is made to the web page http://www.ntnu.edu/biology.
Job description
The announced position should strengthen our academic and research
activities in animal organismal physiology and should have a research
profile with a clear comparative focus. Scandinavia has a strong tradition
of comparative physiological research where physiological systems and
adaptations have been investigated, often following Krogh’s principle
and using non-model organisms. The Department has excellent animal
housing facilities, suitable for performing experiments on terrestrial
and limnic animals.
The Department focuses on developing integrated research groups where
researchers within related fields can establish strong research and
teaching units both within the physiology research group, but also with
other research and academic groups within the department and NTNU. It
is required that the new faculty member has a research profile that is
complementary to that of the current staffs, particularly within animal
physiology, and the Department of Biology as a whole. The Associate
Professor will contribute to the continued development and strengthening
of research and teaching in animal physiology, together with other
scientific staffs in the department.
The new faculty member will have teaching responsibilities in animal
physiology and will contribute to the further development of teaching
programs within the framework of the educational curriculum and
strategic vision of the Department. The teaching will be at graduate,
post-graduate and PhD levels, including supervision of MSc and PhD
fellows. The Associate Professor will also be required to participate
in administrative assignments in the Department.
The position will have an approximately equal split between teaching
and paid research time. The Associate Professors will also be required
to participate in administrative work.
Qualifications
The applicants should hold a PhD in zoophysiology or equivalent, and
document a strong research and academic competence in comparative
animal (excluding humans and aquaculture-related organisms)
physiology. Abilities for interdisciplinary collaboration will be
considered an advantage. Emphasis will be placed on the ability of
the candidates to conduct internationally competitive research, and to
build a successful research group. The candidate’s ability to initiate
projects related to the research area is also important. The position
is open for all research topics and study organisms within the fields
of animal physiology, evolutionary physiology or ecophysiology. The
potential of the candidate to co-operate within the existing Physiology
group is emphasized.
Emphasis will also be placed on teaching and communication
skills. Evaluation of the applicants will be based on documented
materials, including teaching experience at university level, pedagogical
training, presentation of academic work, previous experience from
supervision and teaching of master-level and PhD candidates, as well as
other related skills. Quality and scope will be evaluated.
Applicants short-listed for the position will normally be invited for an
interview. A demonstration of teaching ability, usually in the form of
a trial lecture, is also required. Prominence will be given for personal
traits which are deemed relevant for the execution of the role.
Academic staffs that is unable to document formal pedagogical
qualifications at university- level teaching will be required to
successfully complete a recognized course that gives a pedagogical
qualification at university-level teaching within two years of taking
up the appointment. Courses are available at NTNU.
Newly employed candidates who do not speak or write a Scandinavian
language are required to obtain knowledge of Norwegian or another
Scandinavian language within three years of taking up the position. This
must be of a standard that is equivalent to Level Three in the
“Norwegian for Foreigners” courses provided by the Department of
Linguistics, NTNU.
Terms of employment
The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force
concerning State Employees and Civil Servants. The employee is expected
to accept possible changes in work tasks. Primary residency in Trondheim
is prerequisite.
The position as Associate Professor is remunerated according to the
Norwegian State salary scale. There is a 2% deduction for superannuation
contribution. As a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
you are offered:
*
A good pension for life
*
A favorable housing loan interest
*
Good insurance schemes
Norway, like other Scandinavian countries, has generous rules for both
maternity and paternity leave. Professional daycare for children is
easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities
for education (including international schools) and possibilities to
enjoy nature, culture and family life (http://trondheim.com/). Having
a population of 180 000, Trondheim is a small city by international
standards, and thus has low crime rates, little pollution, and easy
access to a beautiful countryside.
At NTNU you will have various and challenging tasks in an international
research and development environment. The new associate professor will
be offered a PhD candidate and a start-up fund. NTNU offers a sabbatical
program.
The Associate Professor will be required to take up residence in Trondheim
or in the relative vicinity.
NTNU has a personnel policy objective that the staff must reflect the composition of the population to the greatest possible extent. NTNU would like to increase the percentage of female scientists in academic positions. The following initiatives are relevant for women applying for this position: Additional startup package for women in technology and natural science. Qualification scholarships and mentor program for women in academic positions.
NTNU International Researcher Support (NIRS) offers counselling services
for administrative staff and researchers working at or visiting
NTNU. Other services offered by NIRS includes housing, dual career
services, seminars, courses and social activities for the international
community at NTNU, http://www.ntnu.edu/nirs.
For further information, please contact Head of Department, Dr Else Berit
Skagen (else.berit.skagen@ntnu.no) tel. +47 992 45 975, or associate
professor Fredrik Jutfelt (fredrik.jutfelt@ntnu.no) tel. +47 7359 0579.
The application
The application should contain:
*
CV including list of publications with bibliographical references,
and contact details for three referees
*
Testimonials and certificates
*
The most relevant publications – published or unpublished – that has
relevance to the evaluation of the applicant’s qualifications (max
10)
*
A brief description of the scientific and technological relevance of
the candidate’s research
*
Research proposal (max 5 pages)
*
A brief statement of teaching experience. Applicants are asked to describe
their pedagogical qualifications in accordance with “Documentation of
an applicant’s pedagogical qualifications“, which can be found at:
http://www.ntnu.edu/vacancies/pedagogical-qualifications
*
Other documents which the applicant would like to present
*
If relevant, a list of supervised projects with information on funding
agency, years of duration and the funds received.
The application and the description of academic works for evaluation
must be submitted in English. The application should only be sent
electronically through www.jobbnorge.no.
The reference number of the position is: NT-68/16.
Closing date: 2016-10-01.
Arild Husby, Assistant Professor
Department of Biosciences (Biocenter 3, office 5415),
University of Helsinki
PO box 65,
FI-00014 Helsinki,
Finland
web: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/husby/
mail: arild.husby@helsinki.fi
office phone: +358294157691
“Husby, Arild” <arild.husby@helsinki.fi>