Join our team of seaweed enthusiasts
Job title: Seaweed Biologist
Contract type: Fixed term (1 year), full time (37.5 hrs/week)
Application deadline: 01.07.2021
Compensation: Commensurate with experience
Employment period: August 1st 2021 to July 31st 2022 (some flexibility on start and end dates)*
Location: Trondheim, Norway
*This is a fixed-term position for 1 year, but we are currently exploring options to extend funding. In your letter of motivation please mention your availability and ambitions beyond the stated contract period.
Are you our friendly new colleague who has the potential to develop into a trusted and valued member of our seaweed family? We are looking for a seaweed biologist to join our team in Trondheim, Norway. The successful candidate will work in the laboratory/hatchery, at our sea farm, and with selected customers across Europe to support and co-lead ongoing growth trials in collaboration with a large multinational textile manufacturer. The outcomes of this research have the potential to revolutionise the nascent seaweed industry in Europe and North America.
Job responsibilities
Coordinating and communicating with our commercial research partners to design trials and discuss findings. This will be done principally via video calls but may involve periodic travel to Europe and the USA.
Planning and executing experiments in the lab/hatchery and at the sea farm.
Assisting with routine monitoring of seaweed growth and environmental parameters at our sea farm in Frøya.
All aspects of seaweed cultivation (on a range of seaweed and kelp species) necessary for the successful completion of experiments, including: “mother plant” conditioning, gametophyte culture maintenance, substrate preparations, seeding, and routine maintenance and cleaning of laboratory and hatchery facilities.
Collection, analysis and presentation of experimental data, including public dissemination of results via academic journals and conference presentations.
Providing technical and scientific support to selected seedling customers across Europe (both remotely and in person).
The candidate will report to the Seedling Production Manager and Environmental Research Coordinator.
Essential attributes
An Msc or PhD in a biological science (or other relevant field).
Demonstrable experience presenting scientific findings in both written and spoken form (including oral presentations). Publications in research journals will be viewed positively.
Familiarity with good laboratory practices.
Exceptional scientific integrity/honesty; comfortable with scientific experimentation and basic statistics.
Familiar with computing packages/software for word processing, data analysis, data visualisation and statistics.
A team player, adaptable, self-motivated, observant, proactive and a problem solver with good organisational and critical thinking abilities.
The ability to think on your feet and come up with innovative solutions, often with limited resources.
Willingness to learn new skills and work in a fast changing and evolving industry.
Comfortable working at sea and outdoors (in all weather conditions).
Excellent command of spoken and written English (our common working language).
Desirable attributes
Experience of seaweed cultivation and/or knowledge of seaweed biology/phycology.
Experience of clean cultivation of macroalgae/microalgae within a laboratory setting.
Experience with maintenance of gametophyte cultures.
Knowledge of aquaculture.
Project management experience.
Evidence of developing new, innovative laboratory protocols.
Practical skills that will enable you to partake in the construction and maintenance of laboratory and hatchery equipment.
Norwegian language skills or the desire to learn Norwegian.
We offer
An exciting, varied and meaningful job in a new and growing industry.
The possibility to shape your own workdays.
A great work environment with positive, friendly and highly motivated colleagues.
Opportunities for personal and professional development.
About Seaweed Solutions
We are a small and highly motivated international team, who have been working to establish seaweed cultivation as a new, large and environmentally sustainable industry in Norway and Europe since 2009. This year we will harvest over 100 tonnes of seaweed (Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta), making us one of the largest seaweed cultivators in Europe. We have a hatchery in Trondheim and two cultivation licenses off the island of Frøya, where we produce seaweed for food, feed and other markets.
To apply please send a letter of motivation, C.V., and contact details for two referees to David Aldridge (aldridge@seaweedsolutions.com). Questions about the position can be sent to David Aldridge (aldridge@seaweedsolutions.com) or Ana Borrero (borrero@seaweedenergysolutions.com).