Newsletter December 2023

Dear candidates, steering board members and partners, 

We are looking back at the first full year of NutriNOR, the national research school in nutrition in Norway. It was a successful year, with many activities for our members, including the first edition of our leadership program, summer school and PhD conference. Further, we were able to support several candidates with grants for other courses and summer schools. As 2023 is coming to an end, NutriNOR has 57 members, and 22 of them signed up in 2023! We also have an administrative officer in place. Please send all inquiries to Marie Skjoldal at marie.skjoldal@uib.no. 

If you are a PhD student and a member of NutriNOR, we would like to know when you are having your defense. Please send us an e-mail and let us know. You can participate in all NutriNOR activities in the year you are defending your thesis. 

Let’s take a look at 2023 before heading to 2024! 

Leadership program (March and throughout the year)
Our leadership program belongs to the professional pillar and took place in Bergen in March with our partner Leaderscope. Topics included (among others) communication and leadership styles, reflection on the different stages of the PhD journey, and leadership experiences and challenges. During the year, candidates from different PhD stages had additional online seminars. In total, 21 candidates participated in the course. The overall evaluation was very positive, so the leadership program will continue in 2024. 
One of the participants described it like this: 

“I am very satisfied with the program. I have learned a lot I will benefit from in my PhD, and also that I can use outside of the PhD.”
 

Summer school in September: ‘Food safety, risk assessment and New approach Methodologies (NAM) in nutrition and toxicology’
The first summer school organised by NutriNOR was held in Bergen with 15 participants, including two from the Netherlands via our partner VLAG research school. We were guests at the Medical Incubator Eitri, which is situated just behind Haukeland University hospital and the Faculty of Medicine. We invited lecturers from UiB, VKM and the Institute of Marine Research, and Piet Sellke from Dialogik GmbH in Germany gave a lecture on risk communication. Participants were very satisfied with both the academic and the social program – including a team building event at VilVite which generated lots of fun! 

Some responses from the evaluation: 

“Enjoyed how the summer school was set up. The lecturers were great, enough breaks, enough food and coffee throughout."
"Great dinners and fun team activity at VilVite.” 

PhD conference in November in Oslo 
The annual PhD conference was organised by candidates at the University of Oslo. The theme of the conference was how to make research posters and graphical abstracts. Candidates learned about visualisation and how to get their message through and style their own posters. The conference had 30 participants and was a great success! Thanks to the team from UiO – Torunn, Marianne, Pia and Hannibal! 

Let’s have a look at NutriNOR’s activities in 2024: We will strengthen the professional pillar by starting the internships and the individual mentoring program, and we will continue with the leadership program.  

Internship at Melk.no
Our first internship will be at melk.no. Melk.no is the dairy council of Norway and provides information about dairy products to both consumers and stakeholders. It is financed by the Norwegian farmers and its work is evidence-based and research-orientated. The 3 months internship will include updates and development of the nutrient calculators, planning of seminars, work on the webpages, and teaching within the organisation. During the internship period, the candidate’s salary, which will be at an average level, will be paid by NutriNOR and melk.no. The period will add to the usual PhD period and can be started at any time during 2024, after consultation with melk.no. 

Deadline for applications is January 20, 2024, and applications (motivation letter and CV) should be sent to marie.skjoldal@uib.no.

Mentoring program and leadership program 
During the first months of 2024, we will also start the individual Mentoring program, which will be especially relevant for candidates in their final phase of the PhD. We have mentors from a number of NutriNOR partners who will be available for a successful mentoring process. More information will be provided early in 2024. Further, we will continue with the Leadership program provided by Leaderscope. 

For the scientific pillar, we can offer several activities 
Bergen will be the host for the Nordic Nutrition Conference in June, joining nutrition researchers from all the Nordic countries. Prior to the NNC, we will arrange the NutriNOR summer school in Bergen, from June 13 to 16. This will allow participation in both events without travelling back and forth. The summer school will be arranged in cooperation with nutrition societies from the Nordic countries. More information about the event is available on the NNC webpage. 
 

The PhD conference in Oslo was a success, and in autumn 2024 we are heading to Kristiansand for the next PhD conference. We are looking forward to seeing you all again there! 

We are grateful for many good experiences and encounters in NutriNOR and are looking forward to
2024. With the best wishes for a peaceful Christmas period and for the new year,
 

Jutta Dierkes                 Marie Skjoldal