THE NORWEGIAN
POLAR INSTITUTE (NPI) is Norway's main
institution for research, environmental management and monitoring, mapping and
field work in the Polar Regions. The Institute is under the auspices of theNorwegian Ministry of the Environment and is a contact and service body fornational and international polar research. The NPI is currently expanding its
activities, especially within the field of climate change research. The Institute
has 160 employees in Tromsø (headquarters in Fram Centre), in Svalbard and in
Antarctica. For more information: www.npolar.no.
NPI
is seeking a Postdoctoral fellow (1.5 yr term + possible 1 year extension,
pending funding) to work within the Biodiversity Programme on fine-scale dietary
analyses of pygoscelid
penguins
and seals in the sub Antarctic in relation to krill fishing (and climate
change). The sample collections (in-hand) are from the South Orkneys Islands in
the western South Atlantic (2013/14). Samples from Bouvetøya in the easternSouth Atlantic will be collected this coming austral summer (2014/15). It is
expected that sampling will also be done in the planned extension period ofthis programme in both locations during 2015/16. This diet study will be part
of a larger effort that involves tracking data, accelerometer-magnetometer
records, habitat utilization and relationships between predators and
krill-fishing effort. The successful candidate will be integrated into project
elements beyond purely dietary assessments, dependent on the skill set(s) that
he/she brings to the programme.
Qualifications
We
are seeking a candidate who has a solid background in biology with direct
research experience dealing with predator dietary analyses (FAs, isotopes, qPCR,
scat analyses etc.). The candidate must have good skills in Excel, Access, R
programming and multivariate statistics. Education level must include a PhD in
animal ecology. Research experience dealing with marine predator diving andspatial data and a good publication record (according to career stage) willalso be viewed very positively.
Salary
The
salary will follow the Norwegian State salary code 1352 (Postdoctoral Fellows),
scale 57-64, depending on qualifications (468,400 – 533,000 nok; 77,150 –
87,800 US dollars).
General
The
position is a 1.5 year term (with a possible 1 year extension pending funding).
The work place is NPI, Tromsø, Norway. The project is part of a bilateral
research effort between Norway and the United Kingdom. Project PIs are Drs. Kit
M. Kovacs, Christian Lydersen and Andrew Lowther (NPI) and Dr. Phil Trathan(British Antarctic Survey).
The
position is available immediately.
The
Norwegian State Administration strives to mirror the diversity of its
population and thereby achieve a balanced mix of age, gender and ethnic
backgrounds among its employees. Hence, candidates with immigrant backgrounds
and women are encouraged to apply for the position.
Further
inquires about the position can be directed to Dr. Kit M. Kovacs (kit.kovacs@npolar.no; +47 77 75 05 26) or Dr. Andrew
Lowther (andrew.lowther@npolar.no; +47 77 75 05 44).
The
application deadline is 31
August 2014. The application should include a CV, names of at least two
references, and details of your relevant qualifications and experience. Theapplication must be submitted electronically via www.jobbnorge.no.
All applications can be handled
confidentially until the application deadline. Thereafter, a public list ofapplicants will be prepared. Applicants who wish to reserve their applications
from the public list must give reasons for this in their applications. In
accordance with new public information laws, information about an applicant can
be made public even if the applicant has requested not be included from thepublic list of applicants, cf. Freedom of Information Act, Section 25, 2nd
paragraph.