Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Job announcement - NINA, Norway: Bioinformatician with focus on eDNA and DNA-metabarcoding

 NINA is among Norway’s largest applied ecology research institutes with approximately 300 employees. NINA´s staff conducts natural and social science research related to interactions between humans and nature. The company’s head office is located in Trondheim, adjacent to the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU) Gløshaugen campus. NINA also has satellite offices in Oslo, Lillehammer, Bergen and Tromsø, and a salmonid research station at Ims in Rogaland County. The position will be based in NINA´s Department for Aquatic Biodiversity in Trondheim.

NINA conducts high quality, applied research that is directly relevant to real world applications. Our projects are financed by a broad variety of private and public sector clients, including environmental managers, industry, and national and international research councils. NINA is a leading research institute in ecological genetics both nationally and internationally, hosting well-equipped modern lab facilities at our Trondheim location. We increasingly use genetic methods for mapping and monitoring of biodiversity on landscape to population levels, and for the detection and monitoring of invasive species, and threatened species. NINA runs several national monitoring projects involving eDNA from water, soil, and scat samples, analyzing diversity of fungi, plants, insects, fish, mammals and more. NINA therefore sees a strategic need for bioinformatic expertise in the genetic group in Trondheim, and wishes to expand the group with a permanent, full-time research technician in bioinformatics. 

Key tasks in the position will be bioinformatic processing of sequence data and database management, particularly in relation to environmental DNA applications. However, other types of biological data collected in NINA are also relevant for the position. Depending on their skills and preferences, the successful candidate may also be involved in writing of scientific reports and papers, statistical analyses, and graphic presentations of results.

The successful candidate will be independent and an initiative taker, preferably holding an MSc degree or equivalent in bioinformatics or biology, and with practical qualifications and experience with bioinformatic analyses, R, Bash, Python and SQL/database management. Experience with eDNA and DNA-metabarcoding data is an advantage. Competence within population genetics is a plus, but not a requirement for the position. You are proactive, a good communicator, and like to work in interdisciplinary teams. You like scripting and programming using large datasets and you can handle working with several projects at the same time. You are prepared for challenging and variable work and are flexible to meet the variation of tasks included in applied research.

The position will be based at the Department of Aquatic biodiversity in Trondheim, but the successful candidate is expected to work on a broad array of projects across all departments in NINA.

NINA has an international working environment, with employees from more than 25 nationalities. The working language in NINA is Norwegian and it is expected that the successful candidate for this position will learn Norwegian after starting in NINA, if the candidate is not already familiar with a Scandinavian language.

NINA offers

  • Permanent position in one of Europe’s strongest environmental research institutes
  • Payment according to scientific merits and experiences
  • Flexible working hours
  • Obligatory, attractive group pension scheme and insurance
  • Attractive work environment in modern offices of high standard

Applications may be submitted on e-mail to siri.svendsen@nina.no. It must include a CV with information on education, relevant work experience, references, and, if relevant, list of scientific publications.

Competitive candidates will be invited for interview.

NINA works actively to create a more diverse and inclusive work environment, as well as to recruit more women into research positions. Researchers with a minority background, women, and candidates who contribute to a wider diversity are therefore encouraged to apply.

Enquiries about the positions can be made to:

Senior Scientist Frode Fossøy (frode.fossoy@nina.no, tel: +47 99692303)

Research Director Ingeborg Palm Helland (ingeborg.helland@nina.no, tel: +47 97654820)

Application deadline is 15 of September 2022.

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