Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) PhD Position

February 28, 2008

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The Department of Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) announces a vacant PhD fellowship in the area of Microbial Biotechnology.

The PhD position will be a part of the project ”Understanding and improving microbial production of L-glutamate from methanol by Bacillus methanolicus”. This project is cooperation between NTNU and SINTEF and the overall goal is to use metabolic engineering to understand and improve the ability of the bacterium B. methanolicus to overproduce the industrially important amino acid L-glutamate from methanol. The project combines applied and basic research and has a goal to produce both scientific publications as well as patents. The fellowship is for a period of up to four years without teaching duties.

The Department of Biotechnology has research activities in the following scientific areas: Biochemical Engineering, Biopolymer Chemistry and Bionanotechnology, Food Chemistry, Marine Biochemistry, Environmental Biotechnology and Microbial Ecology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology.

The PhD candidate will do research mainly within molecular biology, and also within fermentation, micro arrays and metabolite analyses. Bioinformatics will be an important tool to gain basic understanding for the genetic and regulatory aspects related to biosynthesis of L-glutamate from methanol in the bacterial cell. Our research group has considerable experience in molecular biology work using B. methanolicus, and this particular bacterium is regarded as one highly interesting candidate for industrial production of amino acids using methanol as the raw material.

Applicants for the PhD fellowship should have an M.Sc or Siv. Ing. degree within molecular biology, biochemistry or biophysics. Previous experience in molecular biology or biochemistry laboratory work will be considered, and experience within the above mentioned research areas must be documented in the application.

The applicant to be selected for the fellowship will work under the general regulations for university employees in Norway.

The start salary for the fellowship is set at Norwegian state salary level 43 (annual NOK 325600). Two per cent of the salary will be deducted at source as an obligatory premium to the Norwegian State Pension Fund.

The appointment of the PhD fellow will be made according to Norwegian guidelines for universities and university colleges. Applicants are obliged to engage on an organized PhD training program, and appointment requires approval of the applicant’s plan for a PhD study. The Fellow and the University must sign a mutual contract regarding the period of appointment and the obligations of the PhD fellow. The positions adhere to the Norwegian Government’s policy of balanced ethnicity, age and gender. Persons with immigrant background are encouraged to apply. NTNU wishes to increase the proportion of women in scientific posts, and women are encouraged to apply.

Further information on the fellowship can be obtained from Project leader Trygve Brautaset (SINTEF), trygve.brautaset@sintef.no, tel. 982 83977 or Associate professor Per Bruheim (NTNU), per.bruheim@biotech.ntnu.no, tel. 73 59 33 21.

The application should include information on education, exams and relevant experience. Certified copies of certificates and other documents should be enclosed. Theses, publications and all other scientific material that the applicant wants to be considered should be enclosed. Multi -authored publications will be considered, but in cases where the impact of the applicant on the publication is not evident, a brief description of the role of the applicant in the work should be enclosed.

Please send applications electronically by using the website www.jobbnorge.no. The application should be marked with the reference number NT-15/08.

Other publications should be marked with the reference number and sent in 3 copies to Faculty of Natural Science and Technology, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway. These documents will only be returned on inquiry.

Application deadline: 14.03.2008.

Scholarship Tags: Biotechnology, Norwegian, NTNU, PhD, Position, Science, Technology, University