The Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway, has a vacancy for a 3-year PhD position. The position is part of the project “Characterizing the migratory strategies of Atlantic lumpfish to improve stock assessment of this commercially important species (ECOLUMP)” funded by the Research Council of Norway.
The main objective of the project is to understand the plasticity of the lumpfish lifecycle by characterizing potential subpopulations or ecotypes corresponding to different migratory strategies. The successful candidate will use an interdisciplinary approach including otolith microchemistry and stable isotope analysis to retrace the migratory history of the fish. Methods to determine age in lumpfish will also be established. Orientation cues (visual or magnetic) and swimming behavior will be investigated using telemetry and laboratory experiments. This new knowledge will be used to improve the current stock assessment methodology.
The successful candidate will be a part of the research group Ecosystem Acoustics and will be supervised by Dr. Caroline Durif, Dr. Skiftesvik and Dr. Browman at IMR and Prof. Albert Imsland at UiB. The candidate is required to start no later than April 15, 2024, and the position is contingent on successful enrolment in the PhD-program of the University in Bergen within 2 months of this starting date. The position is based at IMR Austevoll Research Station. Some experimental work will be conducted at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon, France. Travel to Bergen for compulsory course work at the University of Bergen is required.
Required qualifications
- A Master’s degree or equivalent in biological sciences on topics relevant to this PhD project (e.g., marine biology, behavioral ecology, ecology, marine science, environmental science or fisheries biology). A non-Norwegian degree (M.Sc.-level) must correspond to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
- Experience with field work
- Experience working with fish
- Experience with laboratory work
- The candidate must meet the formal requirements for admission to the Ph.D. program in natural sciences at the University of Bergen
Desired skills
- Experience with/interest in fish behavior
- Experience working with fish early life stages
- Skills in image analyses
- Strong practical, analytical and writing skills (in English)
- Ambition to publish high-quality articles in peer-reviewed journals
- Ability to work independently and effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary scientific team.
- Goal-oriented and pro-active about reporting on progress
- The working language at IMR is Norwegian, and good communication skills in Norwegian will be beneficial for both the applicant and IMR. Language training is offered, the costs for which will be reimbursed based upon successful completion of each level.
- Since some of the work will be carried out in France, knowledge of French will be beneficial.
We offer
- Challenging tasks in a creative, and international working environment within one of Europe’s leading marine research institutions
- An exciting project in a strong scientific environment
- Flexible working hours
- Public pension scheme in Statens pensjonskasse (SPK)
Closing Date: January 7, 2024
