Job description
For the HORIZON-INFRA-2021-TECH-01 project “Biodiversity Digital Twin for Advanced Modeling, Simulation, and Prediction Capabilities” (BioDT) the University of Oslo is looking for a biodiversity research data infrastructure network coordinator with expertise in data science and biodiversity informatics. The BioDT project is a 36-month (2022-2025) pan-European research infrastructure project coordinated by the CSC IT Center for Science (Espoo, Finland) and includes 22 project partners from across 12 countries. GBIF, represented by GBIF Secretariat and GBIF Norway at UiO, lead work package 4 on data content streams.
Information about the position
The appointment is a full-time, 2.5-year position planned to start in the third quarter of 2022. The position will be associated with the Norwegian Participant Node (GBIF Norway) of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and based at the University of Oslo Natural History Museum in Oslo. The appointed candidate will take part in a multinational team for delivering the responsibilities of UiO for the Horizon Europe-funded Biodiversity Digital Twin (BioDT) project and will be responsible for the mobilization of data content streams in collaboration with the main biodiversity research data infrastructures in Europe including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Long-Term Ecosystem Research in Europe (eLTER), Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo), and the LifeWatch ERIC e-Science European infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research.
Work tasks
- Coordination to facilitate collaboration across the European research infrastructures (RIs) for biodiversity information including GBIF, eLTER, DiSSCo, and LifeWatch.
- Coordination across RIs to facilitate the biodiversity data streams to the BioDT.
- Capture data requirements from the BioDT project for communication to the RIs.
- Capture requirements from the RIs and support data streams to the BioDT.
- Analyze and identify gaps in biodiversity data coverage for BioDT from the current RIs.
- Contribute to mobilizing new data sources to fill identified data gaps for the BioDT.
- Contribute to outreach and engagement activities in Europe with the RIs.
- Contribute to basic data mobilization support services for institutions in European countries, prioritizing emerging activities and new partners.
- Capture requirements and facilitate collaboration on data standards from across the RIs.
- Documenting and communicating data content and quality requirements, and addressing issues diagnosed in relation to the data streams to the BioDT.
- Collaborating with other team members at the RIs to mobilize new data resources through interactions with the biological community.
- Supporting RIs and data publishers and data users with both technical and data content-related questions.
- Supporting the wider network of GBIF and other RIs through technical support and training, including a strong communication component (email, video calls, etc.).
Qualification requirements
- Minimum M.Sc. or an equivalent academic degree in data science, biodiversity informatics, ecoinformatics, natural sciences, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience in biodiversity informatics and/or data science.
- Experience with research infrastructures for biodiversity information including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Long-Term Ecosystem Research in Europe (eLTER), Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo), and the LifeWatch ERIC e-Science European infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research.
- Expertise with FAIR data principles, open science, and open data management.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate and work in a distributed team.
- Experience with teamwork in an international and multicultural setting.
- Experience with coordinating international teams, seminars, and workshops.
- Excellent English language skills (written and spoken).
Desired qualifications and personal qualities
- Experience with relevant data including primary biodiversity information, species occurrence data, taxonomic data, ecoinformatics, and ecological data.
- Research experience in biodiversity informatics and/or data science.
- Teaching experience within data science and/or biodiversity informatics.
- Knowledge of cloud computing environments and methodology.
- Knowledge of suitable programming languages for data flow and analysis, including R, Python, PL/SQL, and/or SPARQL.
- Basic experience with collaboration tools like Git (GitHub) and related solutions.
- Scandinavian language skills are an advantage.
We offer
- Salary NOK 650 300 – 752 800 per annum depending on qualifications (position code Senior engineer 1181).
- A chance to contribute to building a world-class research infrastructure that is central to the European strategic plans for research, digitization, and European Green Deal.
- A vibrant international research network with excellent opportunities for building a career in data science.
- Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
- Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities.
How to apply
The application must include
- A cover letter that includes a statement of motivation.
- CV (summarizing education, positions, research profile and merits, pedagogical qualifications, and other qualifying activities).
- A list of scientific publications (if relevant).
- Contact information for two reference persons (name, relation to candidate, e-mail, and phone number). No reference letters should be submitted.
- Please note that all documents should be in English. Interviews will be part of the appointment process.
The application with attachments must be delivered in our recruiting system Jobbnorge.
Contact information
Chief engineer Dag Endresen, dag.endresen@nhm.uio.no, +47 40612982, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2352-5497
Professor Olav Skarpaas, olav.skarpaas@nhm.uio.no, +47 99294394, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9727-1672
Acting Research Director Hugo de Boer, h.de.boer@nhm.uio.no, +47 98126030, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1985-7859
For questions about the recruitment system, please contact HR-Officer David Ulleland: david.ulleland@nhm.uio.no
Formal regulations
Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.
According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.
Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition.Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.
If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.
Foto: Colourbox
About the University of Oslo
The University of Oslo (UiO, https://ror.org/01xtthb56) is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.
The Natural History Museum (UiO-NHMO, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1840963) has about 160 employees organized into five sections. The section for research and collections has about 80 employees, organized into nine research groups, and conducts research in biodiversity and evolution. The research covers both biology and geology (incl. paleontology), and the scientific staff is responsible for managing and developing the largest scientific collection in Norway (approx. six million objects). NHM’s scientific staff also contributes by teaching and supervising students admitted to various programs at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and disseminates research-based knowledge to the public through exhibitions, lectures, and popular science media.
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, https://ror.org/05fjyn938) is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world’s governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, free and open access to data about all types of life on Earth. The Norwegian Participant node in GBIF (www.gbif.no) is hosted at the UiO-NHMO.