Doctoral student in Ecology

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The Department of Biology and Environmental Science is part of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. The research activities within this multidisciplinary department include the areas of aquatic ecology, cell and organism biology, evolutionary biology, microbiology, environmental science and environmental engineering as well as disease ecology.

The marine microbiology research group in Kalmar seeks a PhD candidate for studies of the ecology of marine bacterioplankton.

Field of subject for the appointment

Ecology, with specialization in Marine Microbial Ecology

Placement city:

Kalmar

Job description

Bacteria are major drivers of biogeochemical cycles in the sea, but molecular detail on how they impact on particular element cycles remains largely unknown. Even less is known to how bacterial ecosystem functioning is affected by changes in environmental conditions. The Ph.D. study will focus on how key environmental factors favour the growth of specific bacterial groups or species, and which physiological features that allow particular bacteria to be successful in the environment. The research strategy includes studies of bacterial diversity and activity in the natural marine environment and is complemented by laboratory studies of natural microbial assemblages and/or specific cultured bacteria. Analyses will involve state-of-the-art techniques in microbiology, microbial ecology and molecular biology, e.g. gene expression analyses of photoheterotrophic bacteria utilizing the rhodopsin-system to harvest light energy. Bioinformatics will be used to retrieve information from genomic and metagenomic data.

According to the Higher Education Ordinance a person appointed to a doctoral studentship should primarily devote himself/herself to his/her own studies. An appointee may, however, work to a limited extent with education, research, artistic development, and administration. However, before a doctoral degree has been awarded, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20% of a full-time post.

Requirements

A person fulfils the general entry requirements if he/she has


• been awarded a degree on second-cycle level or equivalent in Biology, Aquatic Ecology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, or other closely related fields
• completed the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which 60 credits on second-cycle level, or may have acquired principally equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad
• in other way, in Sweden or abroad, acquired principally equivalent knowledge.

Specific requirements refer to


• High proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Ability to work independently to solve problems.
• Capacity to interact well in a research group (i.e. team work).
• Important personal qualities are to be creative and organized.

Assessment grounds


• Experience with aquatic microbial ecology research including working in the field and familiarity with microbial methods and experimental design is desired.
• Experience with advanced molecular biology methods (e.g. [meta]genomics and/or [meta]transcriptomics), quantitative PCR, and bioinformatics is advantageous.
• Experience with assessing the microbial biodiversity in natural samples using next-generation sequencing methodologies is appreciated.
• Expertise in cultivation of bacteria, including experiments with mixed natural assemblages or isolated bacterial cultures.

Contacts

Professor Jarone Pinhassi, (jarone.pinhassi@lnu.se);

Head of Department Per-Eric Betzholtz, +46- (0)480-44 62 49, (per-eric.betzholtz@lnu.se);

Human resources consultant Stiina Salmgren, (stiina.salmgren@lnu.se), +46- (0)480-44 64 06. 

Union representatives can be contacted via the university switchboard at +46- (0)772-28 80 00.

Application

The application (in English) should contain:


• a CV (with telephone and e-mail)
• documentation of exams and grades
• an application letter describing personal motivation and experiences relevant to the research project
• any other documentation that the applicant would like to present
• contact details (including telephone number and e-mail address) of two reference persons.

Applications should arrive no later than September 1, 2020. Mark your application with 2020/527-2.2.1.


Linnaeus University has the ambition to utilize the qualities that an even gender distribution and diversity brings to the organization.

Please apply by clicking on the "Apply" button at the bottom of the ad. Applicants are requested to the application resolving CV, cover letter , a copy of a relevant essay , grades and certificates and other relevant documents. The applicant also requested to submit with their application a proposed research plan within the current area of research. All documents must be attached to digital in the application. The application and other documents shall be marked with the reference number. All documents cited must be received by the University no later than 24.00 (Local time in Sweden) on the closing day.