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PhD Research Fellowship in Immunology/Anaesthesiology

Employer
UNIVERSITY OF OSLO
Location
Oslo, Norway
Closing date
25 Oct 2019

Job description

A three-year full-time PhD Research Fellowship position (SKO1017) is available at the Department of Immunology at the Norwegian Complement Research Group lead by Professor Tom Eirik Mollnes, MD and the project owner Søren E. Pischke, MD PhD (certified specialist in Anaesthesiology and Critical Care) at the Department of Immunology, Institute of Clinical Medicine,  University of Oslo.

The position is part of the UiO:LifeScience project: “Availability and function of donor organs: Debating the dead donor rule (3DR)”  newly established convergence environment 3DR funded by UiO’ s interdisciplinary strategic area UiO:Life Science. Preferred starting date is March 1st, 2020.

More about the position

The newly established convergence environment “Availability and function of donor organs: Debating the dead donor rule” will integrate knowledge from biology and model organisms tolerating ischemia, together with expertise in organ protection and transplantation to develop new organ preservation solutions to extend donor organ availability in a clinical setting. Finally, the obtained knowledge will be brought to the public and will create a platform for ethical and political debate on organ donation especially for donation after circulatory death with the aim to increase public acceptance and donation rates.

The 3DR project unites four research groups; Clinic for Emergencies and Critical Care and Department of Immunology, The Complement Research Group (S. Pischke, MD PhD), The Heart Physiology Group at the Institute of Basic Medical Science (Prof. KO Stensløkken), Department of Biosciences (S. Lefevre and Prof. GE. Nielsen), and the faculty of Theology (Prof. MT Mjaaland). The PhD scholar will cooperate closely with scientists from these groups and will be involved as co-worker in clinical, biological and theological research on organ donation.

A detailed description of the 3DR convergence environment can be found here: https://www.uio.no/english/research/strategic-research-areas/life-science/research/convergence-environments/3dr/

We have identified key research questions for this subproject the candidate will work on:

1) Does combined inhibition of the complement and toll-like receptor system decrease cellular injury in the course of organ ischemia, preservation, and reperfusion?

2) Does ex vivo reperfusion of marginal donor livers restore function (especially of mitochondria) and lead to organ transplantation instead of organ dismissal and discard in experimental as well as clinical settings?

3) Is evaluation of organ function outside the body prior transplantation ethical and theological feasible and accepted by health-workers and patients?

The Norwegian Complement Research group focuses on the innate immune system with the complement and the toll-like receptor system in infectious and sterile inflammation as the main research areas.

The research group consists of a 12-member group in Oslo co-working with a 13-member group in Bodø, Norway in a strong academic environment including researchers with background in immunology, biology, transplantation, cardiology, anaesthesiology and critical care medicine. The group has extensive collaboration with other labs and clinical groups at the Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, as well as international collaborations, which the candidate will actively use in the project.

The Clinic of Emergencies and Critical Care is a service division providing prehospital critical care, traumatology, intensive care, anaesthesia and pain medicine to all divisions at Oslo University Hospital. The candidate will be part of the anesthesiology and critical care research group whose focus is on organ monitoring for ischemia and reducing reperfusion injury.

The research fellow must take part in the Faculty of Medicines approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The applicant must, in collaboration with her/his supervisor, within two months after employment, have worked out a complete project description to be attached to the application for admission to the doctoral program. For more information, please see our web site

Required skills, qualifications and experience

  • Master degree in a relevant field of research is mandatory and a medical degree is considered a strong advantage
  • Experience in Anaesthesiology, Critical Care, Transplantation Surgery or Transplantation Medicine is considered a strong advantage
  • Experience with animal work (Felasa C certificate) and cellular immunology techniques are considered an advantage
  • Interest in learning or experience in laboratory skills is mandatory
  • Proficient in written and oral English (international applicants must document these skills prior to admission to the PhD programme)
  • Ability to cooperate and willingness to participate in interdisciplinary cooperation is a pre-requisite for this position

Personal skills

  • You should be highly motivated, structured in your approach to problem solving with excellent laboratory or clinical skills
  • good collaborative qualities

We offer

  • A dynamic and stimulating scientific environment in a young, enthusiastic and motivated team of biologists and MDs
  • A friendly working environment with continuous instruction/supervision in a solution-oriented team of highly-skilled post-docs and laboratory personnel in the lab and consultants in the clinic
  • A top-modern laboratory with access to a wide range of core facilities (animal, light and electron microscopy, flow cytometry)
  • Collaboration with research groups within Norway and internationally
  • Annual salary is based on state salary schedule pay grade 54-57 (NOK 479 600-504 700) depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, position code 1017.
  • Attractive welfare benefits (health-care insurance included) and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Application letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest, max. 1 page)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, rewards, grants, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other relevant activity)
  • Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
  • A complete list of publications and academic work Note: Applicants are advised not to attach the original publications, only to provide a list.
  • Names and contact details of 2-3 referees (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number and if available short letter of recommendation).

The application with the required attachments should preferably constitute as few files as possible, preferably 1-2 files.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Applicants who are invited for an interview are asked to provide educational certificates, diploma or transcript of records.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

  • Søren Pischke, MD PhD,  email: s.e.pischke@medisin.uio.no
  • HR-adviser Karoline Berg-Eriksen, (questions regarding the online application form), e-mail: Karoline.berg-eriksen@medisin.uio.no

About the University of Oslo 

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

The Institute of Clinical Medicine (Klinmed) is one of three institutes under the Faculty. Klinmed is responsible for the Faculty's educational and research activities at Oslo University Hospital and Akershus University Hospital. With about 800 employees spread over approximately 425 man-labour years, Klinmed is the university's largest institute. Our activities follow the clinical activity at the hospitals and are spread across a number of geographical areas.

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