Researcher in Cardiac Biology at Department of Medical Biology

The position

A position as Researcher in Cardiac Biology is available at Department of Medical Biology for a period of three years on the project Infective endocarditis - investigating early biomarkers, imaging and cellular mechanisms in cardiac valves in mouse model.

The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.

The project and the position’s field of research

The project is run by Associate Professor Brage Håheim, in collaboration with tenure staff of the Cardiovascular Research Group. The cardiovascular research group is specialized in the study of cardiovascular pathophysiology and Dr Håheim is focused on infective endocarditis and hemodynamics.

Specifically, this project focus on improving the outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) by improved pathophysiological understanding, diagnostics and treatment. Infectious endocarditis (IE) is an infection of intracardiac structures. Global annual incidence of IE is 2 10/100,000. The mortality rate for IE remains high, ranging from 15-30%. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical, and treatment primarily consists of prolonged intravenous antibiotic therapy tailored to the causative organism. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to repair or replace damaged heart valves or remove infected material. IE exists in the crossroad of cardiovascular, microbiological, immunological and medical imaging research. It is a difficult disease to study and depend on in vivo models due to the importance of microbe-host interaction.

We therefore propose a project to establish an in vivo experimental animal model to study IE. Our plan is to injure the aortic valves in live mice and intravenously inject staphylococcus aureus three days later. Within seven days, the mice are expected to develop IE. During this period, the mice will undergo echocardiographic/PET-examination/in vivo hemodynamic examination and will then be sacrificed to collect heart valves and blood for further analysis. If successful, in establishing this model and reliably inducing IE, the next step will be to investigate other pathogens, such as Streptococcus and Enterococcus species and their interaction with valve cells.

Further, the Cardiovascular research group in need for expertise in small animal cardiac imaging. The group have ongoing projects in cardiovascular aging, cardiometabolic and cardiorenal health. The candidate will have opportunity to participate and collaborate with other PIs. As this project is connected to a patient registry for infective endocarditis. Participation in epidemiological analysis and translational work is a possibility.

Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• PhD in medicine, physiology, cardiology, infectious diseases, or similar fields
• FELASA approval for work with research animals and documented experience with animal research applications.
• Documented experience in small animal research and experiments involving mice and rats, this includes planning, running, and performing in vivo experiments.
• Proficient and independent in small animal experiments and cardiovascular imaging and analysis, preferably PET-CT/MRI.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience in molecular/cellular biology, this includes experience with cardiac cell work, including cardiac/valve cell isolation, qPCR, histology, antibody-based techniques, confocal microscopy, small molecule/nanoparticle-based therapies, and live imaging.
• Experience with epidemiological data/statistics, as this project is connected to a patient quality registry for infective endocarditis.

A publication record in reputable peer-reviewed journals will be considered.

Both a strong academic track record and a genuine interest in conducting research are essential to qualify for the position. The candidate’s academic track record and other application materials must demonstrate this.

At UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

Language:

Candidates must document proficiency in both written and oral English. Applicants must have documented knowledge of English that meets the requirements stated in the Norwegian general university and college admission requirements. Knowledge of a Scandinavian language is preferred.

Personal suitability

We will emphasise personal suitability for the position in our assessment. Consequently, applicants are required to submit a statement detailing their motivation for joining the research project and group, how they intend to contribute to and enhance the research within the project and group, and their research ambitions.

We are seeking a creative and enthusiastic candidate with a high degree of self-motivation who possesses the ability to work in a structured manner. The candidate should also have strong organisational skills and the ability to perform clean work in the lab. Good communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills are paramount.

We offer

• Involvement in an interesting research project
• Good career opportunities
• A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
• Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement
• Pension scheme through the state pension fund

Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.

More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobility

Work- and salary conditions

The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.

The remuneration for Researcher is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1109, with a gross annual salary ranging from NOK 630.000 to 765.000 (in a 100% position). In special cases, a higher salary may be considered.

A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. As a state employee, you have one of the best pension schemes available. For more information see: spk.no

Inclusion and diversity

UiT The Arctic University of Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment.

We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.

If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application.

If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it.

Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.

Application

Please note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.

The application must include:

• A cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests
• CV containing a complete overview of education, experience, professional work, pedagogical qualifications and references
• Diplomas and certificates:
• diploma and transcript of Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (in original language and translated)
• diploma and transcript of Master’s degree or equivalent (in original language and translated)
• diploma and transcript of PhD degree or equivalent (in original language and translated)
• Documentation of proficiency in English. Documentation on English proficiency. This website states how English proficiency must be documented Language levels | HK-dir
• Any academic works, including the Master and PhD thesis.

Dumentation has to be in English or a Scandinavian language. The application and submitted documents must be sent electronically via www.jobbnorge.no

Assessment

The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications on the basis of the written material presented by the applicants, and the detail description draw up for the position.

The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things, aim to clarify the applicants personal suitability for the position and motivations. A trial lecture may also be held.

General

The appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

More information about moving to Norway and working at UiT: http://uit.no/mobility

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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.