About the position

Are you a computational biologist or bioinformatician eager to apply your skills and ingenuity to tackle cancer? We open a new PhD position at NTNU as part of our ERA PerMed project ONCOLOGICS. The appointed PhD will work in close collaboration with a researcher already associated with the project at NTNU, as well as with a large research team from leading European research organizations.

The ONCOLOGICS consortium is launched to bring Personalised Medicine to the clinic by demonstrating that we can predict an individual’s tumour drug therapy responses through a platform comprising joint in silico computational modelling and functional validation in patient-derived tumor tissue cultivated ex vivo.

You will analyze various types of consortium-generated molecular data from colon cancer patients that have received medical therapies at Institut Curie and Charité Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Duties of the position

• You will design and develop computational models for therapy treatment simulations, based on DrugLogics software and other software solutions from the consortium partners
• You will analyze discrepancies between computational model predictions and clinical observations from patients for which there is already treatment outcome data available
• You will contribute to the development of computational models, the analysis of model performance and iterative model refinement, and you will develop new metrics to evaluate model compliance with patient-derived tumour sample behaviour and drug response

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in biology or bioinformatics
• 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 
•  You have prior experience with building, simulating and analysing Boolean models
•  You are proficient in the use of bash/Linux, and R/Bioconductor or similar

•  You have the ability to critically assess both the computer modeling part and the biological background part of logical model construction

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  

Preferred selection criteria

• experience with and motivation to work in an interdisciplinary scientific setting
• excellent communication skills, both oral and written

Personal characteristics

We seek candidates that 

• are motivated and able to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration
• have good communication and networking skills
• are team players, able to convert meeting minutes into action
• are proactive and forthcoming, able to work independently

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 conditions

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 period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in medicine and health sciences 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: 

• 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. 
• Name and address of three referees 
• If you have publications or other relevant research work these can be submitted

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 Åsmund Flobak, email asmund.flobak@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Elisabeth Myrvang, e-mail: elisabeth.myrvang@ntnu.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).

Application deadline: 15.06.2022

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.

The Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM):

The Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM) is NTNU’s largest department, with 450 employees. Our research and teaching help to improve treatment and health.

IKOM has expertise in basic, clinical and translational research within broad disciplinary areas. We study children’s and women’s health, cancers, blood disorders and infectious diseases, gastroenterology, inflammation, metabolic disorders, laboratory sciences and medical ethics. The Department offers teaching in medicine at master’s and PhD level. We also offer continuing education for employees in the health services.

Deadline 15th June 2022
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service