PhD Research Fellow in Systematic Mycology

At the Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo (UiO), we have a vacancy for a four-year PhD Research Fellow in Systematic Mycology, supervised by Mika Bendiksby and Charlotte Bjorå. The position includes one year of duty work (distributed over the employment period) that includes various meriting activities (e.g., teaching, specimen curation, outreach activities, and student supervision). Starting date: January 1st 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

This PhD opportunity allows you to engage in a self-developed and innovative systematics research project on fungi, or plants in combination with fungi. The successful candidate for this position will work in close collaboration with staff members of the ISOP research group, primarily with Mika Bendiksby and Charlotte Bjorå. In our research, we focus on the discovery, understanding, protection, and utility of fungal and plant diversity. We often use a phylogenetic approach on genomic data to study a range of biological aspects in fungi and plants, and fungarium- and herbarium specimens are important data sources and depositories in our research. An ideal project will effectively utilize NHMs fungal and/or plant collections, include fieldwork for collecting new materials, and align with our research profiles and ongoing activities. The ISOP group has a strong record for field-based research in the Arctic, Nordic countries, east- and southern Africa, and Indonesia. It is desirable that the proposed PhD project aligns well also with at least one of the research themes at our museum-wide research hub STADIS. The hub focuses on stability and discontinuity within and between different biological system levels, such as genomes, phenotypes, species, communities, and ecosystems.

For almost 200 years, specimens of fungi and plants have been collected, studied and preserved at NHM. The improvement, maintenance and use of scientific collections is central to our work. The herbarium and fungarium comprise over 1.2 million plants and 600,000 fungal specimens, of which the majority are Nordic. The museum provides excellent research facilities in-house, including various molecular- and microscopy laboratories. NHM has ten research groups that pursue research and education within basic and advanced biosystematics and biodiversity as well as geological studies.

Qualification requirements

The candidate must have:

  • A degree equivalent to a Norwegian master’s (MSc) in biology. Other relevant backgrounds might be considered upon individual evaluation. For candidates not having finished their master’s degree, the thesis must have been submitted for evaluation by the closing date of the call. It is a condition of employment that the master’s degree has been awarded with at least an equivalent to grade B in the ECTS grading scale.
  • The ability to work independently and in a structured manner
  • The ability to cooperate with others
  • Excellent communication skills (including written and spoken English)

It is preferable that the candidate has (and can document) one or more of the following competences:

  • A degree equivalent to a Norwegian master’s (MSc) in systematic mycology/botany
  • Knowledge and research experience with DNA-based techniques applied in biosystematics and biodiversity studies
  • Experience in relevant analytical/statistical methods and bioinformatics tools (e.g., phylogenetics, R)
  • Data management skills following best reproducible open science practices
  • Experience with microscopy
  • Ability to do field work in remote and potentially challenging environments
  • Hold a driver’s license
  • Experience with scientific publication and outreach
  • Experience in collection-based research (using physical and/or digital specimen data)
  • Strong team- and networking skills

Personal skills

We are looking for a highly motivated, creative, and structured candidate with excellent collaborative qualities. Research experience, ambitions, and potential will also count when evaluating the candidates.

We offer

  • a dynamic, friendly and professionally stimulating working environment
  • salary NOK 532 200 – 575 400 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
  • membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
  • attractive welfare benefits

How to apply

The application must include the following six elements as separate documents:

  • A one-page (maximum) application/cover letter with a brief account of your motivation for applying for the position
  • A self-developed and innovative research project (following the template for this position provided here: template_for_project_description.docx[MB1] ; max 2 pages!
  • CV (either as an attachment or filled into our electronic recruitment system)
  • Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, or official confirmation that the master’s thesis has been submitted
  • Relevant certificates/references
  • List of publications (if any), including submitted manuscripts and MSc thesis.
  • The name, academic relation, and contact information for at least two reference persons, of whom one must be an advisor for the master’s thesis or equivalent thesis

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).

For an overview of our researchers, see https://www.nhm.uio.no/english/about/organization/research-collections/index.html or contact Professor Hugo de Boer (h.de.boer@nhm.uio.no). For more information about ongoing and planned research activities in the ISOP group, please contact Professor Mika Bendiksby (mika.bendiksby@nhm.uio.no) or Associate Professor Charlotte S. Bjorå (csletten@nhm.uio.no).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented academic qualifications as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Apply here: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/248954/phd-research-fellow-in-systematic-mycology

Seksjonssjef for Botanisk hage

The Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, is recruiting a new director for its botanical garden section. The living collections include over 5500 plant taxa from across the world, and are used in teaching, outreach, research and nature management. In addition to showing plant biodiversity the gardens are also important for ex situ conservation, the national seed bank, research collections and the garden database.

The new director of the botanical garden is responsible for strategic planning, development and daily management of the section. The appointee should have a genuine interest in leading a diversity of functions with overall responsibility for daily running, human resources, economy and the scientific tasks. The position is placed directly under the museum director.

Up to 40% can be used for research related tasks. We are seeking to recruit a person with a research profile relevant to living plant collection, nature types, ex-situ conservation or experimental botany research. The applicant should motivate how the research will be adapted and integrated into the gardens professional profile. The director of the garden will collaborate with scientific employees in the Department of Science and Collections, especially those that are responsible for specific collections and features in the gardens. The appointee can supervise students at all levels and choose to join an existing research group.

To find out more about the required and desired qualifications, profile and application procedure, please see link below. Application deadline will be March 31st 2022.

https://www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-stillinger/stilling/219914/seksjonssjef-for-botanisk-hage

ForBio Annual Meeting in Oslo

The Research School in Biosystematics – ForBio will have its Annual Meeting at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, at the end of November (29 Nov – 1 Dec). It will use a hybrid format to enable participation in person and ’in silico’. We will use our venues at the Climate House and Tøyen Manor to host a diverse and inspiring meeting. All MSc and PhD students, postdocs, supervisors, faculty and the broad biosystematics community are invited to attend.

Take a look at the meeting page for more information about the program, keynotes and registration. You can register until October 22nd:

https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/meeting/2021/Annual%20Meeting%202021.html

Best, Hugo

Also a few spots left on the CETAF DEST and ForBio course: Basics of Taxonomy – describing, illustrating and communicating biodiversity

Time and place: Oct. 11, 2021–Oct. 24, 2021, Kristineberg Marine Research StationAdd to calendar

DEST (Distributed European School of Taxonomy) and ForBio are pleased to announce that the popular Basics of Taxonomy Course will be organized again in 2020 with support from the Swedish Academy of Sciences.

This two week course gives a comprehensive theoretical overview and hands-on experience about different methodologies on how to describe, illustrate and communicate biodiversity. The course covers the following topics, each taught by an expert in the matter:

  • Digital drawing
  • Scientific illustration
  • Scientific writing and communication
  • e-Taxonomy and biodiversity informatics tools and workflows
  • DELTA (DEscription Language for TAxonomy)
  • Short overview on macrophotography/photo-stacking

Teachers
Dr. Matz Berggren, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg
Dr. Charles Oliver Coleman, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Dr. Tomas Cedhagen, Department of Biosciences – Aquatic Biology, Aarhus University
Dr. Gábor Lövei, Department of Agroecology – Crop Health, Aarhus University
Dr. Dimitrios Koureas, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Selection and registration

Criteria for selection will be scientific merit, motivation and usefulness of the training course for the applicants. Students who complete this course will receive a 5 ECTS course certificate. For more information from DEST about the course see here.

You can register for the course here. There is a limited number of places available. The course has a minimum number of attendants for it to be taught.

The registration fee for this course will be roughly 400 €, and will include course attendance, teaching, course material, accommodation and meals. ForBio will cover the registration fee and travel for ForBio members based at Norwegian institutions.

Contact Hugo de Boer for more information.

A few spots left on the STI and ForBio course: Baltic macrophytes – systematics, sampling, species identification. Apply by 31.08

Time and place: Sep. 12, 2021 9:00 AM–Sep. 18, 2021 5:00 PM, Askö laboratory – Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre, SwedenAdd to calendar

Сourse scope:

The course will present and provide an overview of macrophytes in the Baltic sea. It will cover the systematics, taxonomy and identification of different macrophyte groups, including macroalgae, phanerogams and bryophytes. Sessions will include lectures, fieldwork and laboratory exercises. The students will learn various techniques for identification and sampling.

Learning targets:

  • General understanding of systematics and taxonomy of macrophytes
  • Techniques for collecting macrophytes
  • Techniques for species identification

Maximum number of participants: 20, in case of more applicants, participants will be selected based on the scientific, educational and/or professional merit of the course, with priority given ForBio members and students/researchers enrolled in the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI).

Target group: PhD students, master students, postdocs, researchers, consultants, government officials, museum staff with relevant background in biology.

Working language: English/Scandinavian

Course schedule: here

Assignment and credits: The course is equivalent to 2 ECTS. ForBio will provide certificates for those that successfully complete the course assignment. 

Registration: Late registration is open until August 31st. Register here. The course includes the boatride to Askö, as well as lodging and food. There is no course fee for ForBio members. ForBio associates will have to pay 2100 SEK to the station for use of the facilities and lodging. Food will be covered for all participants.

Find out about how to become a ForBio member/associate here.

Application deadline: August 31st.

Contact: ForBio coordinatorQuentin Mauvisseauor STI representative Maria Backlund

ForBio Annual Meeting

Join us on Dec 3-4 for the ForBio – Research School in Biosystematics Annual Meeting. ForBio is organising a different annual meeting this year. We want to provide a platform to share your research and meet, but this should also be safe and inclusive. We will have a fully virtual ForBio Annual Meeting! All MSc and PhD students, postdocs, supervisors, faculty and the broader biosystematics community are invited to attend the 10th ForBio Annual Meeting, organised by the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo.

Sign up to attend, give a talk or present a poster/lightning talk by November 8th!

https://www.forbio.uio.no/events/meeting/2020/meeting2020.html

Three Associate Professors in Oslo

The Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, is recruiting three Associate Professors:

Associate Professor in Systematic Mycology
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/184266/associate-professor-in-systematic-mycology

Associate Professor in Vertebrate Zoology
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/184271/associate-professor-in-vertebrate-zoology

Associate Professor in environmental DNA
https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/184311/associate-professor-in-environmental-dna

Please share these positions widely. Application deadline is April 15th

Associate Professor in Systematic Mycology – Natural History Museum, UiO

The Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, is recruiting an Associate Professor in Systematic Mycology. This is an attractive position with 50% research time, 50% curation of the mycology collections, as well as possibilities for teaching, and of course it comes with great colleagues! Feel free to share this position among colleagues, or apply yourself! Application deadline 19 May 2019.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) seeks a dynamic researcher for an associate professorship in systematic mycology. The successful candidate should have a research profile in integrative systematics of fungi, which preferably addresses questions of both deep phylogeny and species delimitation and intraspecific diversity.  He/she should also master up-to-date molecular and bioinformatic methods in systematic biology. It is expected that the applicant will develop an independent research program that will have synergistic effects within the research group “Integrative Systematics of Plants and Fungi (ISOP) as well as with other research groups at NHM. The successful candidate will be expected to attract extramural research funding and should document ability and potential to be successful in this respect.

NHM has an array of research facilities, including advanced microscopes and a DNA laboratory where high throughput sequencing can be performed. The museum also collaborates with Department of Biological Sciences on several research facilities.

Candidates who combine fundamental research questions with powerful molecular and computational approaches within a collection-based context, will therefore be preferred.

NHM has a collaborative agreement with the Department of Biological Sciences about teaching and supervision of students at the bachelor and master level, and with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in the education of doctoral candidates. NHM also hosts an international research school in biosystematics (ForBio). The successful candidate will be expected to teach students at all academic levels, including supervision of PhD students and postdocs. Up to 50% of the working time will be devoted to curating collections (main activity), teaching and supervision of students, outreach and administrative tasks at NHM. Lectures and tuition are given in Norwegian and English. Foreign language speakers are expected to be able to teach in a Scandinavian language within two years after being hired.

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/166957/associate-professor-in-systematic-mycology

Head of Section – The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, University Museum of Bergen

The University of Bergen has announced an interesting job that might be relevant for people in our networks. Feel free to spread the position! /Best, Hugo
Head of Section – The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, University Museum of Bergen

University Museum of Bergen, Department of Natural History, has a vacancy for a permanent position as Head of Section for The Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. We are looking for a proactive and positive Head of Section capable of creating engagement both internally and externally. We need a clear, decisive and resourceful leader, with the ability to unite, motivate and inspire a diverse staff.

The section consists of three separate gardens; 1) the Arboretum and 2) the Botanical Garden with associated production facilities at Milde, 23 km South of Bergen, and 3) the Museum Garden, a historic garden with an exhibition greenhouse at the UiB-campus on Nygårdshøyden. The living plant collections are used for research, outreach, teaching and recreation. The section has 24 permanent employees, including four research positions, with additional temporary staff during the summer season. The Head of Section has a key role in promoting collaboration between the three gardens and across the different employee categories, thus contributing to a unified garden section. We are looking for a leader with good communication, motivation and leadership skills, capable of rapidly achieving legitimacy and good relations with all employees.    

The Head of Section is the scientific and administrative leader of the garden section and reports to the Head of Department of Natural History

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/168175/head-of-section

Miljødirektoratet (Norge) søker en rådgiver for arbeid med fremmede organismer og handel med truede arter

Har du din bakgrunn i biologien og kunnskap om fremmede organismer? Har du også erfaring fra forvaltningen og fra internasjonalt arbeid? Da er det kanskje akkurat deg vi leter etter.

Seksjon for fremmede arter og internasjonal handel er en av fem seksjoner i avdeling for vann og kunnskap. Seksjonen har ansvar for fremmede organismer, handel med truede arter (CITES), genmodifiserte organismer og genetiske ressurser. Seksjonen har ca 16 kompetente medarbeidere og har arbeidssted på Brattøra i Trondheim.

Vi søker etter en dyktig seniorrådgiver som kan bidra til å styrke arbeidet med fremmede organismer og handel med trua arter. Du vil jobbe i to faggrupper på seksjonen som blant annet har ansvar for behandling av søknader etter forskrift om fremmede organismer og CITES-forskriften . Dette arbeidet innebærer blant annet å kunne vurdere fremmede organismers innvirkning på naturen, håndheve og bidra til utvikling av regelverk, samt samarbeid med andre sektormyndigheter og rådgivende organer. Du vil i tillegg til den nasjonale oppgavene også jobbe med å følge opp internasjonale forpliktelser på områdene, og å innhente ny kunnskap på området.

Stillingens hovedansvarsområder

  • Nasjonale og internasjonale oppgaver knyttet til konvensjonen om internasjonal handel med truede plante- og dyrearter (CITES)
  • Nasjonale og internasjonale oppgaver knyttet til forvaltning av fremmede organismer
  • Oppgavene vil i noen grad bli tilpasset den som blir ansatt.

Kvalifikasjoner

  • Naturvitenskapelig utdanning innen biologiske fagdisipliner som f.eks. botanikk, zoologi, økologi, bevaringsbiologi eller naturforvaltning på minimum mastergradsnivå er et krav.
  • Tilsvarende utdanning på doktorgradsnivå vil tillegges vekt
  • Erfaring fra internasjonalt arbeid og kjennskap til internasjonalt handelsregelverk tillegges stor vekt
  • Det er ønskelig med erfaring fra offentlig forvaltning.
  • Svært gode skriftlige kunnskaper i norsk og engelsk

Egenskaper

  • du trives med både internasjonale og nasjonale aktiviteter
  • du samarbeider godt med andre og bygger nettverk både internt og eksternt, men har også evnen til å arbeide selvstendig
  • du kommuniserer godt og kan formidle vanskelige fagsaker enkelt og forståelig
  • du har meget god rolleforståelse
  • du har tydelig og profesjonell dialog med eksterne
  • du leverer med rett kvalitet til rett tid
  • du er løsningsorientert, ryddig og god til å planlegge dine oppgaver

Vi tilbyr

  • Fast stilling
  • utfordrende arbeidsoppgaver på et viktig samfunnsområde
  • gode muligheter for faglig og personlig utvikling
  • et bredt tilbud av sosiale, kulturelle og sportslige aktiviteter – inkludert trening i arbeidstiden
  • fleksible arbeidstidsordninger og gode pensjons- og boliglånsordninger i Statens pensjonskasse
  • lønn som seniorrådgiver fra kr.524.200,- (ltr. 60) til kr. 658.300,- (ltr. 72) etter erfaring og kvalifikasjoner. Særskilt kvalifiserte søkere kan vurderes høyere.

Kontaktperson for stillingen er seksjonsleder Bjarte Rambjør Heide på telefon 404 54 374 /bjarte.heide@miljodir.no. Spørsmål om søknadsprosessen kan også stilles til Ingrid Krohn Hansen på telefon 988 07 145/ingrid.krohn-hansen@miljodir.no.

Som IA-bedrift ønsker vi en balansert alders- og kjønnssammensetning og å rekruttere flere personer med redusert funksjonsevne og personer med innvandrerbakgrunn.

Vi ber deg om å sende søknad med vitnemål og attester elektronisk gjennom Jobbnorge.

https://www.jobbnorge.no/ledige-stillinger/stilling/159825/vil-du-bidra-i-miljoedirektoratets-arbeid-med-fremmede-organismer-og-handel-med-truede-arter