NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.
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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https://youtu.be/Xt-yHCN5QS0With this exciting, fully funded 3-year postdoctoral fellowship, we aim to achieve breakthrough advances in tracking gene spreading in microbiomes and unravel its role in the emergence of new metabolic properties and phenotypes.
The MiGeneX project will implement microbiome science and engineering principles and develop innovative molecular and bioimaging methods for tracking the transfer and utilisation of genetic materials across microbial populations, from controlled synthetic co-cultures to complex communities. While addressing fundamental research questions at the microbial community level, the research will generate impactful results for microbial ecology, antimicrobial resistance, and related fields of microbial importance.
The position requires a high level of scientific creativity and a combined wet-lab and dry-lab skill set to interrogate environmental and health-associated microbiomes. The successful candidate will explore genetic, metabolic, and phenotypic traits at high resolution in microbial consortia, applying approaches from microbial community engineering, systems microbiology, synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and computational biology.
You will join the research group of Prof. David Weissbrodt within the Microbial Biotechnology division at IBT. The position offers extensive opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration within the division and department, and with partner units in Biology, Clinical and Molecular Medicine, and beyond. Strong connections to NTNU’s Strategic Research Areas in Health & Life Science and Ocean & Coast further enhance the collaborative environment.
Our laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, methodologies and techniques for experimental, analytical, and computational research in microbiome science and microbial biotechnology. This includes advanced capabilities in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, bioimaging, microbial cultivation, bioprocess engineering, analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, multi-omics, bioinformatics, and microbial models.
Our research environment is closely connected to national and international networks and initiatives, including the Microbiology Matters Norwegian Cluster, Norwegian Society for Microbiology, Federation of European Microbiological Societies, European Federation of Biotechnology, International Society for Microbial Ecology, and International Water Association.
Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department of Biotechnology and Food Science.
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.
The following qualifications will be considered as an advantage:
Working as a Postdoctoral fellow requires that you:
Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.
As a Postdoctoral Fellow at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.
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.
As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 633 400,- 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 teaching and didatics duties will be conducted within the 3 years of employment.
The position is internally funded by NTNU through the Faculty of Natural Sciences (NV).
As an employee at NTNU, it is important to keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and to adapt to them.
For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.
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 bein conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed
The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in 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:
If all or parts of your education hasbeen taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation requiredcan 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).
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 Prof. David Weissbrodt, email: david.weissbrodt@ntnu.no indicating “Postdoctoral fellow in Gene Transfer in Microbiomes” in the header.
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact our HR-advisor Cecilie Skagfjord, email: cecilie.skagfjord@ntnu.no.
If you find this position interesting, and in accordance with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.
The short-listed candidates will be interviewed in June 2026. The Postdoc position is expected to start ideally in September 2026 or at a time to be agreed upon within the autumn semester 2026.
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.
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.
Our activities contribute to increased exploitation of existing and new ingredients for sustainable food production as well as next-generation energy solutions and medical technology. We educate graduates for a wide range of careers in industry, public administration and academia. The Department of Biotechnology and Food Science is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.