PhD Candidate in Seaweed Biology and Land-Based Cultivation

Job Details

At the Department of Biology, NTNU, there is a vacant PhD position in the field of Marine Science, within the research team of Prof. Kjell Inge Reitan. This is an educational position that will give promising research recruits the opportunity for professional development. The PhD position has a duration of 3 years. The position is funded by NTNU in collaboration with the research project “SFI Seaweed - Centre of gravity for industrial seaweed research and innovation” funded by the Research Council of Norway.

The PhD position is linked to the “SFI Seaweed - Centre of gravity for industrial seaweed research and innovation” project financed by Research Council of Norway. SFI Seaweed is a strategic long-term project with aim to solve the existing and future bottlenecks across the seaweed value chain in Norway and Europe. Future seaweed cultivation is based on understanding and control of environmental factors, technology developments of land-based cultivation for further growth in the sea. This SFI brings together an interdisciplinary team from research, industry and public body partners.

The PhD position will focus on the reproduction and early life-stage development of the red alga Palmaria palmata, alongside the optimization of vegetative cultivation in land-based, fish farm effluent-based IMTA systems. 

The position is based in Trondheim, with experimental work carried out at NTNU and SINTEF Ocean facilities. Your immediate leader will be the Head of Department of Biology, NTNU.

Duties of the position

• Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a PhD degree
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the Marine Sciences division at the Department of Biology, NTNU 
• Participate in international activities such as conferences and/or research stays at foreign educational institutions

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.

Requirements

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's Doctoral Programme , see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in marine biology, marine biotechnology, aquaculture, or an equivalent biological/environmental science discipline. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year university study, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level.  Students can apply, but the Master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position, and no later than October 01, 2026
• A strong background in the cultivation of marine macroalgae is required; experience with marine microalgae will also be considered.
• You must have a strong and relevant academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale . If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD  education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• Excellent spoken and written English skills are required. Candidates from non-English-speaking countries outside the Nordic countries must present a public language test report. Approved tests are TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Candidates with experience working with Palmaria palmata are strongly encouraged to apply
• Upper knowledge (equivalent to B2 or higher level) in a Scandinavian language is an advantage, but not a prerequisite, to interact with local project partners and students. The successful candidate will be encouraged to learn Norwegian and utilize the basic Norwegian language training offered by NTNU

Contact Information

Deadline:21 Sep 2026

Questions about the position

Kjell Inge Reitan

Professor

kjell.i.reitan@ntnu.no

Alexander Skomakerstuen

HR-konsulent

alexander.skomakerstuen@ntnu.no