About the position NILU is seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated PhD-candidate with interest and competence in in vitro human toxicology and air pollution, good communication skills and a positive attitude to both work and colleagues. NILU offers a 3-year PhD-position within the field of human toxicology in relation to air pollutants. The position is connected to the strategical internal project ChemHealth, which aims at investigating the health effects and hazards connected with human exposure to pollutants in ambient and indoor air. Air pollution is characterized by a complex mixture of chemicals and particulate matter (PM), which are known to cause adverse health effects. Within this project, airborne pollutants, PM and the associated chemicals, will be collected from outdoor and indoor settings in Norway and tested in relevant in vitro models for their toxicological properties i.e. cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, ROS, inflammatory effects, endocrine disrupting activity. The pollutants will be characterized for their chemical and physical properties to investigate the features responsible for the observed biological effects. A state-of-the-art holistic approach will be established to link the chemical and the toxicological properties of the pollutants. The department of Environmental Chemistry aims at contributing to a healthy and zero-pollution environment and a green transition by performing project-based research and being a research provider at the forefront of human toxicology and environmental chemistry. We offer a very advanced and extensive infrastructure, and high-quality research in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certified and ISO accredited laboratories. Our research portfolio covers high profile projects at both national and international levels. The Health Effects Laboratory is part of the Department for Environmental Chemistry and is mainly involved in project-based research focusing on human hazard characterization of environmental pollutants, chemicals and nanomaterials. We perform in vitro toxicity testing in standard and advanced models on various biological endpoints with a focus on genotoxicity. Duties of the position Laboratory work: prepare environmental samples for toxicological investigations, perform toxicological experiments on diverse biological endpoints using traditional and advanced in vitro models Data collection, processing of data and statistical analysis Write and publish scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, presenting work at scientific conferences Tight collaboration with NILU’s chemistry laboratories for chemical characterization of the environmental samples Qualification requirements Master Degree (MSc) in toxicology or other relevant field (e.g. cell biology, molecular biology) Experience with data analysis and statistics Excellent communication skills and scientific writing in English Proficient English (written and oral). Average grad for master courses and thesis must be B or better (Norwegian education system) The successful candidate is to enter a PhD-degree program in a degree-granting university, and the work should lead to successful completion of a PhD-degree. The position is located at NILUs office in Kjeller. Personal characteristics Highly motivated and proactive Positive mind Scientifically creative Good team worker, but also work independently Responsible and structured Good laboratory skills We offer At NILU, we work for our common future. Our research contributes to the fight against climate change and to secure a healthy environment and a sustainably society. This means that work is more than just work: what we do each day makes a difference. We offer flexible working hours, work-from-home agreements, subsidised fitness training, and excellent pension and insurance schemes. Salary is competitive. During a working day at NILU, you will encounter: An international and interdisciplinary environment with pleasant colleagues from all over the world Great creativity and generous sharing of knowledge Broad experience and excellent opportunities for professional development A global network of partners Most of our approximately 180 employees work at the main office in Kjeller, a short train ride from Oslo. We also have an office in Tromsø and an office in Trondheim.