General

The department of Geophysics at UNIS is seeking candidates for a full time, 2 year position as a postdoctoral research fellow in Physical Oceanography. Currently, the department constitutes 4 professors, 4 associate professors, 3 post-doctoral research fellows, 6 PhD students, and 10 Adjunct Professors (10 and 20% positions).

UNIS

UNIS is the world's northernmost educational institution, located in Longyearbyen. UNIS has technical and scientific equipment, laboratories and infrastructure for teaching and research in Arctic natural science and technology for sea, land and atmosphere.

The disciplines include Arctic Biology, - Geophysics, - Geology and - Technology. All teaching is in English, and about half of the staff and students is from abroad. UNIS is a state-owned corporation.

Longyearbyen is located in Svalbard, in the midst of a varied and beautiful Arctic nature with good opportunities for outdoor activities. Longyearbyen is a modern town with approx.

2200 inhabitants and has a good service offering including kindergartens, swimming / sports hall and a varied association, sports and cultural life.

The research within the department is currently focused into two groups, one in Air-Cryosphere-Sea Interactions (ACSI), and the other in Space Physics. The announced position is within the ACSI group.

Description of the vacant position

The position is affiliated with the research project the Nansen Legacy (http://nansenlegacy.org). The Nansen Legacy is the Norwegian Arctic research community’s joint effort to establish a holistic understanding of a changing marine arctic climate and ecosystem. The project will provide a scientific knowledge base needed for future sustainable resource management in the transitional Barents Sea and the adjacent Arctic Basin. It is a collaborative project between ten Norwegian research institutions, and will run from 2018-2023. Activities in the project include international cooperation, and several cruises with the new, ice-going research vessel Kronprins Haakon.

The vacant position will be part of the Air-Cryosphere-Sea Interaction Group within the Arctic Geophysics (AGF) Department at UNIS. The contribution of the AGF Department to the Nansen Legacy project requires personnel that are able to deploy and recover moored instruments in collaboration with the technical staff in the project, contribute to the design of a comprehensive Arctic Ocean monitoring system, analyse, and ultimately, publish scientific results from such systems in the scientific literature. The AGF department’s main deliverable to the Nansen Legacy project is to provide data sets from year-long moored instruments and process cruises around Svalbard, and write peer-review publication on processes contributing to the ocean heat budget of the region northeast and east of Svalbard. This work and deliverables will be conducted in close collaboration with research groups from the University of Bergen (UiB), the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and the Institute of Marine Research (IMR).

The UNIS postdoc will be involved in Research Focus RF1; Physical Drivers (and deliverables in T1-2.1, T1-1.2, and T1-2.3) described in the Nansen Legacy Implementation plan. The emphasis is on the understanding of the processes that control the position and the variability of the thermohaline Polar Front in the northern and central Barents Sea process study area (study area hereafter), and hence, the ability for volume, heat, and salt exchange across this front. Variability in the Polar Front is dependent on the presence of Atlantic and Arctic water masses in the Barents Sea, and knowledge is needed on what controls the inflow of Atlantic Water (AW) through the gateways of the study area, what controls the drift of sea ice through the northern and southwestern gateways of the study area, and how this is linked to freshwater content and the distribution of Arctic Water (ArW) in the study area. Therefore, the UNIS postdoc will map the distribution of ArW and AW in the study area, and describe the front between them. Together with the Nansen Legacy team, the UNIS postdoc will be responsible for analysing mooring and cruise data, model data (from T1-4), sea ice satellite data, and SST satellite data from the study area. These data will in turn be validated with in-situ hydrographic data from different platforms (CTD, Glider, and AUV).

Qualifications and personal qualities

• The applicant must have completed a doctoral degree in physical oceanography or a related field, or have submitted his/her doctoral thesis for assessment, prior to the application deadline. It is a condition for employment that the PhD has been awarded
• Proven experience in field work coordination and working in an Arctic/Antarctic environment is a clear advantage
• Experience with reporting for national/international projects is an advantage
• Documented skills in handling large data sets and successful publications of such are also an advantage
• Ability to work independently and willingness to cooperate with others
• The applicant must have proven skills and interest in scientific writing and good oral presentation skills in English

Employment conditions

The employment contract is of 2 years and potentially includes some supervision duties.

All salaries are set in accordance with the Norwegian government's University salary scale. Post-doctoral research fellows start at a gross salary of NOK 522 800 annually. The salaries depend on experience/seniority. As a resident in Svalbard an annual allowance of NOK 34 560 (Svalbardtillegg) will be added to the salary. A Social Security contribution of 2 percent, to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, will be deducted from the salary. Income tax on Svalbard is 8 percent, plus 8.2 percent toward National Insurance coverage. UNIS offers a membership in the Norwegian Public Pension Fund.

Selection and appointment

A committee appointed by the Director of UNIS will evaluate the qualifications of the applicants, and invite the highest ranked person(s) for an interview. The appointment will be made by the Director of UNIS based on the recommendation from the committee.

Contact information/Application

Inquiries about this position may be directed to:

• Associate Prof. Ragnheid Skogseth, phone: +47 79023377, email: ragnheid@unis.no
• Prof. Frank Nilsen, phone: +47 79023338, email: frank.nilsen@unis.no

Please apply online on www.jobbnorge.no.

Please include the following documents to the online application form:

• an extensive CV including a full list of publications & previously held grants
• a list of fieldwork experience and relevant instrumentation skills
• education, pedagogic or teaching certificates (including a list of previously supervised graduate and PhD students, where applicable)
• 5 publications (authored or co-authored by the candidate) that he/ she wants to have evaluated for consideration for appointment to this position

Deadline for applications is April 14.

Apply for position