Postdoctoral Fellow in hologenomic/multi-omic modelling

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At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

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About the position

Are you ready to take your research career to the next level? We offer an exciting 3-year postdoctoral position that gives you the opportunity to develop a strong profile as researcher. You will also gain valuable experience that might be relevant for your further career.

The purpose of a postdoctoral position is to build up a researcher profile that qualifies for a position as associate professor. The position may also offer additional skills that are relevant to the postdoctoral fellow's future career.

Apply for this position to become part of our research environment and take the next step in your career with us.

Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department. 

About the project 

The NTNU University Museum is looking for an energetic and ambitious genomicist with excellent organizational and communication skills. This three-year postdoctoral position is part of the Norwegian Research Council-funded project HoloCamp, which aims to better understand the role of host-microbe interactions in the different susceptibility of faster- and slower-growing chicken breeds to Campylobacter infection, which has potentials for zoonotic transmission to consumers through poultry meat. The project also aims to advance understanding of host-microbe interactions in the gut of farmed chickens, determine how the metabolic capacities of gut microbiota contribute to chicken growth rates in the presence and absence of Campylobacter, and potentially develop an applied microbiome transplantation solution for reducing chickens’ Campylobacter susceptibility.

 The postdoc will have a leading role in the large-scale multi-omics (“hologenomic”) data analysis to integrate/synthesize the genomic, transcriptomic, metagenomic, and potentially meta-transcriptomic sequencing data alongside phenotypic and other veterinary data generated by project partners at NMBU. This integration could involve conducting statistical and computational modelling analyses, including differential gene expression analysis, microbiome diversity analyses, host–microbiome association testing, metagenome-wide association analyses (mGWAS), hierarchical Bayesian community modelling, and integration of microbial functional traits with host phenotypes.

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. The position is based at the NTNU University Museum in Trondheim with Prof. Michael D. Martin and in close association with project partners Dr. Ann-Katrin Llarena at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). To ensure appropriate contextualization and incorporation of the non-omic data, a substantial portion of the project period will be spent closely collaborating with HoloCamp’s NMBU team in Ås, Norway. There may be opportunities for student supervision and involvement with other relevant scientific projects. 

Duties of the position

• Take a leading role in a multi-institution research collaboration to characterize the community and functions of chicken gut microbiomes
• Perform genomic data analysis and scientific writing for peer-reviewed publication under the theme of host-microbiome integrative genomics
• Participate in domestic and international meetings and research visits in coordination with project partners
• Participate in the Holomuseomics research group
• Mentoring and helping student trainees with their research projects and academic writing 

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a doctoral degree in computational/systems biology, microbial ecology, evolutionary genomics, or a closely related discipline
• Substantial experience with scientific research in metagenomic analysis
• If you are in the final phase of your doctorate and can document that the thesis has been submitted or that the defense date has been confirmed, your application can be considered even if you have not defended. NOTE: Documentation of the obtained doctorate must be presented before you can take up the position.
• Good oral and written presentation skills in English equivalent level C1
• Experience in analyzing large-scale next-generation sequencing datasets in Linux/HPC environments using computational workflows and statistical tools (R, Python, Bash).

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

If you do not already have educational competence that meets the requirements for a position as associate professor in Norway, NTNU will arrange for you to acquire such competence during the employment period. In such cases, you will also be assigned relevant teaching as part of the career-promoting work.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions and for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience with shotgun sequencing metagenomic analysis and microbiome profiling of complex environmental samples
• Experience with statistical modelling and multivariate analysis for linking microbial taxonomic and functional profiles to host phenotypic traits
• Experience in analyzing host–microbiome interactions in farmed animal systems
• Demonstrated ability to complete projects independently and according to time plan
• Research publications in recognized international journals within the field

Personal characteristics

Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you

• Work independently 
• Work in a structured and analytical way, setting goals and making plans to achieve them 
• Effectively present and discuss your research with the academic community 
• Engage research group and contribute constructively with feedback 
• Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
• Show curiosity and a strong motivation for the subject 
• Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions 
• Are flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

We offer 

• An exciting job with an important social mission 
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment 
• Career guidance throughout the postdoctoral program and together with you we will prepare a career plan, which contains the skills and knowledge you will acquire
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues 
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

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.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality. (deleted if not applicable)

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK  633 500,- per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

The position is conditional on external funding.

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

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. 

About the application 

The attachments must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or 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: 

• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's-, Master's- and PhD degrees. If you have not yet completed your PhD, you must provide confirmation on your estimated date for the doctoral dissertation, or confirmation that your PhD thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• CV
• A copy of your doctoral thesis. If you are close to submitting, you can attach a draft of the thesis. 
• Cover letter describing your scientific experience and stating explicitly how you believe you meet the desired and preferred selection criteria. Academic works - published or unpublished (up to 5 items) Name and contact information of three 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. Description of the documentation required can 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 works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

If you have had leave or another break in your career, it is important that this is stated in your application so that the selection committee can take this into account and that the amount of your research may be reduced as a result.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal qualities. Motivation, ambitions and potential for research will also be emphasized in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and is committed to follow evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment DORA and the obligations in CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

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 list of applicants, 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 have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Michael D. Martin, phone: +47 90151850, email: mike.martin@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Anne Karin Henning - anne.karin.henning@ntnu.no / Kristin Skogen – kristin.skogen@ntnu.com

Application deadline: 15.07.2025

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.