About the position

The Particle Engineering Centre (https://www.ntnu.edu/web/chemeng/particle-engineering-centre) at the Department of Chemical Engineering in collaboration with Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine has a vacancy for a PhD Candidate within the field of bionanotechnology. The earliest start date for the position will be September 2021.

The appointment has a duration of 3 years with the possibility of a further 1 year extension with 25% teaching duties in agreement with the department. 

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.  

Nano-technology is a strategic research area at NTNU. The application of nanotechnology to medicine has shown great promise in diagnostics, imaging, therapy among others. This calls for cross-disciplinary research exploiting experiences of well-established research groups at NTNU who have recently contributed to the corona virus pandemic with their novel diagnostic method (https://www.ntnu.edu/ntnu-covid-19-test).

The current project aims to facilitate such cross-disciplinary activities between two research groups, located in two different faculties  Associate Professor Sulalit Bandyopadhyay at the Department of Chemical Engineering, IKP (NV Faculty) and Professor Magnar Bjørås at the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, IKOM (MH Faculty). 

Project Description

The cross-disciplinary project Nanobiotechnology Nanomachinery for Sensing, Imaging and Targeting in Living Systems aims to synthesize and tailor-make nanoparticle-based systems for understanding complex phenomenon within living systems. The focus will be on developing quantitative chemical sensors for studying cell environments with an intention to map signals in cellular pathways. Efforts will be concerted towards tailoring nanoplatforms capable of multiple functionalities such as sensing, imaging and targeting with an aim to use them as agents for understanding fundamental biology and in a plethora of biomedical applications.

Duties of the position

The research work will involve:

• Synthesis and functionalization of nanoparticles.
• Characterization using state-of-the art infrastructure at NTNU NanoLab and laboratories in Department of Chemical Engineering.
• Development of nanoplatforms for multimodal imaging.
• Development of sensors for understanding complex phenomenon within living systems.
• Statistical analysis of datasets.

The candidate is expected to participate actively in the group activities, including mentoring and co-supervision of students. More information about the research teams can be found here: http://folk.ntnu.no/bandyopa/ and https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/magnar.bjoras

The candidate is expected to be flexible in regard to short-term or long-term international research stays.

Travelling with respect to conferences, meetings, workshops may be expected as part of the position.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Chemical Engineering and/or Biotechnology or equivalent education within related fields
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level 
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education. 
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program.

Essential Qualifications

• Strong experimental background in synthesis and functionalization of nanomaterials via bottom-up approaches.
• Experience in characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, spectroscopy, light scattering, etc.
• Experience in nucleic acid technology and genome biology.
• Solid background in data and/or statistical analysis.
• Good written and oral English language skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant  

Personal characteristics

• Positive, creative, result oriented and enthusiastic.
• Seeks new challenges at work.
• Has keen interest working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Communicates information and results with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and condition

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 491 200 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 appointment has a duration of 3 years with the possibility of a further 1 year extension with 25% teaching duties in agreement with the department.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Chemical Engineering (https://www.ntnu.edu/chemeng) within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

The application must include:

• A motivation letter or statement of purpose not exceeding 2 A4 pages
• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted. 
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position. 
• Name and address of three referees 
• If you have publications or other relevant research work 

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, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, 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.

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

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation 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.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

In accordance with The Public Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Sulalit Bandyopadhyay (Department of Chemical Engineering) telephone +47 4507 1041, email sulalit.bandyopadhyay@ntnu.no or Professor Magnar Bjørås (Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine), telephone +47 9508 1497, email magnar.bjoras@ntnu.no

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Nina Sandberg (Department of Chemical Engineering),  e-mail: nina.sandberg@ntu.no 

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).

The position requires spoken and written fluency in the English language. Applicants from non-English-speaking countries outside Europe must document English skills by an approved test. Approved tests are TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number NV 85/21 when applying.

Application deadline: 20.07.2021

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Chemical Engineering 

We take chemistry from laboratory scale to industrial production. This demands a wide range of knowledge, from molecular processes and nanotechnology to building and operation of large processing plants. We educate graduates for some of Norway's most important industries. The Department of Chemical Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.  

Deadline 20th July 2021
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Permanent
Place of service Gløshaugen, Trondheim