Postdoc in Novel Technology Solutions for Diagnostics of infection and Antimicrobial resistance

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Postdoc in Novel Technology Solutions for Diagnostics of infection and Antimicrobial resistanceDepartment of BiotechnologyAbout the positionThe Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agriculture Sciences and Biotechnology (ALB), at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN), invites applications from outstanding candidates for a Postdoctoral research fellowship in . The position will run for two years, starting in the summer of 2024. The candidate will be located at the Department of Biotechnology, with a workplace in Hamar.The appointed candidate will be working within a proliferating scientific environment, consisting of academic staff members, Ph.D./Postdoctoral fellows, and students with scientific expertise ranging from theoretical methods (machine learning, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and business analytics) to experimental methods (genomics, microscopy, spectroscopy, cell biology, and clinical microbiology).The researcher will be working in the group of . The is also part of the Norwegian Network for One Health Resistome Surveillance (NORSE), a national network of 13 Norwegian institutions, and the National Centre of Expertise — Heidner Biocluster.The project involves several national and international research collaborations, including UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, Harvard University (USA), University of Southampton (Soton, UK), and the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi, India), as well as a further research collaboration with clinicians at the University Hospital of North-Norway (UNN, Tromsø), University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg (Germany), and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Delhi, India).As part of the project, the candidate will potentially spend short-term visits (up to 2 months) at our collaboration partners' labs, including Professor Balpreet Ahluwalia (UiT), Prof. Gunnar Skov Simonsen (UNN), and Prof. Sumeet Mahajan (INN and Soton).About the projectThe WHO considers bacterial infection due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a critical global threat to modern healthcare and societal well-being. It’s been 35+ years since a new class of antibiotics was introduced to the market. This, together with the increased and inappropriate use of existing drugs, means that we are heading towards a world where antibiotics are no longer effective. Remarkably, most prescriptions and administration of antibiotics are still carried out in the absence of any information about the causative pathogens and their resistance profiles.The project's long-term objective is to develop a decision-making diagnostic system for rapid, accurate, sensitive, and PoC detection of bacterial infection, pathogen ID, characterization of its resistance profile, and prediction of antibiotic susceptibility.The candidate will also work closely with the project group of the recently funded Norwegian Research Council project, the .The project's main objective is to develop a proof of concept (PoC) decision-making diagnostic system for rapid, accurate, sensitive, and on-site detection of bacterial infection, pathogen ID, characterization of its resistance profile, and prediction of antibiotic susceptibility from an OH perspective. The project's long-term objective is to translate our diagnostic system from the lab to tertiary care hospitals and farms for detection, screening, and therapeutic intervention.The main tasks of the Postdoc position are to (a) optimize the in-house developed novel method for culture-independent sample preparation for body fluids, including urine, blood, and milk; (b) perform experimental genomics, quantitative phase microscopy or other advanced microscopy methods, and Raman spectroscopy analysis on clinical samples; (c) correlation of the generated data; (d) pilot study to evaluate the performance of the development method in clinical and on-site settings.Please refer to our latest publications, which highlight our work.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55635-z
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1154620
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c00612
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64616-x
https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.08.479540

QualificationsThe candidate must have a Ph.D. in molecular biology, microbiology, genomics, biotechnology, or another relevant scientific discipline, such as technology & physics, which could be relevant if the candidate is exposed to the relevant biology applications and tools.Required qualificationsThe Postdoc will work on enabling technologies, including next-generation sequencing methods, Raman spectroscopy, data analyses, and possibly advanced optical microscopy methods. The candidate should have exposure to next-generation sequencing and should be open to learning Raman spectroscopy and advanced optical microscopy methods. The required qualifications are:

Experience with next-generation sequencing technology, preferably Illumina and Oxford Nanopore.
Experience and demonstrated proficiency with the entire sequencing workflow, from sample preparation to bioinformatic analysis.
Hands-on experience working on human clinical samples like blood, urine, feces, etc.
Experience with analyzing large-scale next-generation sequence data, especially whole-genome sequencing and metagenomics.

Desired qualifications

Previous experience within infection biology and antibiotic resistance.
Hand-on experience in working with spectroscopy methods such as Raman or absorption spectroscopy.
Fluency in scripting in Python/Perl and R.

The candidate will also have to demonstrate excellent spoken and written English. Further preference will be given to candidates with good teamwork and communication skills and documented scientific publications or other writing experience.Evaluation of candidates for the position will be based on a total assessment of educational background, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation and other eligibility requirements, as defined in the advertisement.The position and associated tasks must be carried out in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations for government employees, including also the Act on Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology, etc. Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, come into conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to take up the position at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. Necessary approvals must be maintained throughout the employment relationship.How to applyThe application and attachments must be submitted electronically and include the following:

Application cover letter summarizing the candidate’s motivation and how they meet the position requirements.
CV (summary of education and work experience).
Copies of academic certificates/transcripts.
List at least two references with complete contact information.
A complete list of scientific and other publications.

Attachments must be uploaded as separate files. If the attachments exceed 30 MB, they must be compressed prior to upload. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all attachments are uploaded. Documents submitted after expiry of the deadline will not be considered in the evaluation of your application.We offer

Position is paid and placed in position code 1352, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Government Salary Scale
Working in a multidisciplinary team including computer scientists, ML/AI experts, bioinformaticians, medical doctors, biologists, and physicists.
Access to state-of-the-art computer infrastructure, including access to a Norwegian supercomputer.
A challenging and exciting project having a positive societal impact. Along with opportunities for personal and scientific development.
An academically stimulating work environment with engaging colleagues in a critical, expanding, and prioritized research area.
An independent and flexible work setting in which the successful candidates may, to a large extent, influence themselves. Daily contact with inspiring, skilled colleagues.
Life insurance and occupational injuries insurance are included. Pension contributions to Statens pensjonskasse (State Pension Fund) will be automatically deducted. All residents in Norway are automatically included in the Norwegian public health system.

For more information about INN University as an employer, please see .General informationFor further details about the position, please contact Professor Rafi Ahmad, PhD, email: rafi.ahmad@inn.noHINN believes that there is strength in inclusion and diversity. We desire employees with different competencies, professional combinations, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to an even better way of solving problems. We will facilitate for employees who need assitance to realise their goals. Relevant adaptations can be, for example, technical aids, adapting furniture or adjusting routines, work tasks and working hours.If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, gaps in the CV or immigrant background, we shall call at least one applicant in each of these categories for an interview. In order to be considered as an applicant in these groups, the applicants must meet certain requirements. You can read more on this here: h .We encourage applicants to tick in Jobbnorge if they have a disability, a gap in their CV or immigrant background. The ticks in the jobseeker portal form the basis for anonymised statistics that all state-owned enterprises report in their annual reportsInformation about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.About Inland Norway University of Applied SciencesInland Norway University of Applied Sciences (INN University) is home to over 16,000 students and 1,500 employees, and has campuses in Lillehammer, Hamar, Elverum, Rena, Evenstad and Blæstad.INN University aspires to build strong and enduring academic and research environments that will spearhead regionally, nationally and internationally. We are developing a new and better institution with high academic and pedagogical quality, aiming at achieving university accreditation by 2025.Our vision is "Stronger Together".The campus is located in the city of Hamar, an urban region with 80,000 inhabitants. Hamar is a little over 1 hour from Oslo and less than 1 hour from Norway's main airport. The campus has about 3,000 students and 300 employees. With its stable climate, varied nature, and rich cultural heritage, the region can offer experiences all year round. The location between Lake Mjøsa and the mountain ranges means everything is suitable for hiking, cycling, golf, fishing, or skiing - cross-country skiing or alpine skiing.

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