Jan Egil Afset

This PhD position is part of the NTNU interdisciplinary research project “Preparedness and Response to AMR, the silent pandemic” , linking clinical and molecular medicine with social science perspectives across several closely coordinated doctoral projects. The successful candidate will work at the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, within a broad, international research environment. The project focuses on rapid precision diagnostics for severe infection , especially bloodstream infection and sepsis. The doctoral work aims to develop and optimize a method for magnetic nanobead-based enrichment of bacterial and yeast pathogens directly from whole blood, combined with rapid nucleic acid extraction and sensitive molecular and mass spectrometry-based detection. The research addresses the challenge of identifying low-abundance pathogens against a complex host background, with the goal of enabling faster and more accurate diagnosis for patients with bloodstream infections. The PhD candidate will contribute to method development and optimization, work closely with researchers and students in the research group, and collaborate with other candidates in the wider interdisciplinary AMR project. The position offers an opportunity to engage in doctoral research that connects microbiology, molecular medicine, diagnostics, and biomedical technology, while contributing to academic publications and dissemination. The project is led within NTNU by Professors Marit Otterlei and Heidrun Åm , and local contact for the position is Professor Jan Egil Afset .