Difference between revisions of "New at NCMM"

Latest revision as of 17:05, 8 February 2024

Welcome to Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM). Please get familiar with this wiki and with our web site as well.

Getting here

NCMM is located in Forskningsparken/Oslo Science Park - the address is Gaustadalléen 21. You can get here by public transport, bike or car - but please note that parking could be an issue. Oslo Science Park has a parking house, where you pay by the hour. If you are employed at NCMM, you can park for free in certain areas on the UiO campus with a UiO parking permit. Parking your bike is free, but it often fills up outside the main entrance. Therefore, please note that you can also park your bike on the side of the building, facing Blindern metro stop, and on the other side of the street, by UiOs Institute for informatics. Oslo Science park offers facilites for cleaning your bike, and there are showers avalable to staff.

NCMMs mandate and mission

Purpose

• NCMM is a driving force in developing precision medicine through basic science breakthrough discoveries in the molecular mechanisms of health and disease.
• We are committed to excellence in basic research, clinical translation, and training.
• NCMM operates as a greenhouse for talented early career group leaders and trainees, attracted internationally by providing a stimulating and supportive environment. We focus on nurturing these exceptional early career researchers and supporting the growth of their research groups. We help these groups secure funding, foster their research productivity, and guide their leadership development. We strive to be a multidisciplinary life science collaboration hub at international, national, and local levels.
• We believe in the power of collaboration. NCMM actively encourages multidisciplinary partnerships that merge basic and translational research. By bringing together experts from diverse fields, we aim to expedite the translation of scientific discoveries into practical clinical applications.

Role at UiO

Since 2015, NCMM has been an integral part of UiO's life sciences initiatives, organized within the Faculty of Medicine, while maintaining strong ties with the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

Part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership

NCMM is a proud member of the Nordic European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Partnership for Molecular Medicine, with sister nodes in Finland (FIMM), Sweden (MIMS), and Denmark (DANDRITE). We aim to strengthen our national and international collaboration networks through our focus areas, bringing together scientists from different backgrounds to accelerate research and enable precision medicine. Together, we are a significant force in advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms in Europe, thanks to our combined research expertise and cutting-edge infrastructure.

Expectations

What NCMM expects from you

• Professional Conduct → We expect every NCMM staff to maintain the highest standards of professional behavior, adhere to ethical guidelines, and follow all organizational policies and codes of conduct.
• Collaboration → We foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork. We encourage open communication and the sharing of knowledge to achieve common goals.
• Research Ethics → You should uphold the principles of research ethics, ensuring the integrity and credibility of your work, and adhere to responsible data management practices.
• Safety → You should prioritize safety in all aspects of your work, adhere to safety protocols, and maintain a sustainable and healthy work environment for yourself and your colleagues.
• Work-Life Balance → We strive for a healthy work-life balance, managing your workload effectively and seeking support when needed to reduce stress.
• Taking Responsibility → Every member of our team is expected to take responsibility for their work tasks. For PhD students and postdocs, this includes managing your own research projects and career development.
• Time Management → Managing your time effectively to achieve project goals is essential. Meeting deadlines and seeking help from colleagues or resources when facing research challenges is encouraged.
• Communication → If any challenge arises that may delay research goals or daily tasks, it's important to communicate promptly with your group leader or relevant team members to facilitate progress.
• Active Participation → As an NCMM member, you are expected to engage fully both intellectually and operationally within your research group, as well as in other relevant NCMM activities.

What you can expect from NCMM

We are committed to your success and well-being at NCMM:

• Mentorship → Our leadership team and group leaders provide you with mentorship and guidance tailored to your career development, with a particular focus on supporting early career staff members.
• Feedback and Evaluation → You can expect to receive regular feedback to foster growth, acknowledge achievements, and identify areas for improvement. Moreover, you can expect formal performance evaluations on a yearly basis.
• Basic Facilities → We provide essential facilities, including office spaces, necessary IT equipment, and safe lab spaces.
• Integration → Your group leader will introduce you to your team and assign manageable tasks or provide necessary training.
• Meeting Spaces → We offer meeting spaces for both work-related discussions and social gatherings, including institute meetings, research group meetings, and scientific seminars such as our Tuesday seminars.
• Supportive Committee → Our NCMM Trainee Committee actively supports our early career researchers, including PhD students and postdocs, across all research groups to improve the work environment.
• Open Communication → If we fall short of your expectations, please don't hesitate to inform us. You can reach out to your group leader, the NCMM Trainee Committee, NCMM management, or the safety representative.
• Respect for Diversity → We recognize that NCMM staff come from diverse personal and academic backgrounds. It's essential to show respect for these differences, as they provide opportunities for learning, collaboration, and shared success.

Mandatory introduction to NCMM

All new students and personnel must attend an introduction meeting to NCMM. Here you will get information about fire safety, HSE and lab safety. Schedule an introduction meeting with the HSE- coordinator. In order to finish your introductory training you must also answer one or more questionnaires depending on your tasks and responsibilities.

Access to offices and labs

• To get in & out of Oslo Science Park (Forskningsparken) you need an access card.
• To get access to the NCMM laboratories and some office wings, you need a key tag.
• To get access to your office, printer rooms etc. you need a key.

Contact person for all kinds of access at NCMM is Carlos Rodríguez

• For access to NCMM and UiO areas outside Oslo Science Park, and to use the University of Oslo Library, you need an UiO employee ID card issued by SiO Customer Service.
• Each group leader has main responsibility for training in procedures and using relevant lab equipment. For common instruments, please contact the NCMM lab manager.

IT access

Group leaders are responsible for ordering relevant hardware for each employee to enable them to do their job.

To get your user account and credentials, please contact the IT team: Melaku Tadesse or Pavel Zarva.

Arriving from abroad

If you come to NCMM from abroad, UiOs International Staff Mobility Office (ISMO) has useful information.

And if you plan to stay for a while, check out the course Norwegian for international researchers, or ISMOs overview over types of Norwegian courses, and the course called Working in Norway. NCMM covers the NORIR course in Norwegian.

New at UiO

• Working hours
• Leave of absence
• Parental leave
• Holiday (New in Norway? Please read up on holidays - and note that first year working in Norway you will not get paid holidays!)
• Self-service portal
• Working environment → One-to-one work dialogue
• Tax deduction card
• Getting around
• Booking meeting rooms → NCMM has 3 meeting rooms: Kilo, Micro and Milli that all can be booked in the Outlook calendar.
• Travel
• Employee benefits

New in Forskningsparken

NCMM is located in buildings C and E, and finding your way around our labyrinth is a common beginner’s challenge. Here you just have to ask Carlos or your colleagues for help during the first days. Please note that we have access to benefits as Forskningsparken members → two cantinas, a bakery, wardrobe with showers in the basement, and more.

Web resources

• NCMM’s web pages → Here you will find the most recent news from NCMM, upcoming events at the centre, contact information for NCMM staff, information about NCMM research and more.
• UiO’s general web page.
• Employee pages → Personal UiO employee page. Log in with your UiO username and password. Here you can find information and resources related to your work (the most important of these already mentioned under New at UiO).
• Forskningsparkens general web page.
• EMBL C NCMM is one of the nordic nodes of EMBL, here is the web page for the main organization EMBL.
• Nordic EMBL partnership.
• Our EMBL Nordic sister nodes → Finland (FIMM), Sweden (MIMS), and Denmark (DANDRITE).

Feedback to this wiki?

Miss something? Something wrong? Good suggestion for other items relevant for newcomers at NCMM? Please tell us! Send an email to Sissel Eikvar or fill out the feedback form.