Doctoral student in ecology with specialization in marine viral ecology

Welcome to Linnaeus University! We meet the societal challenges of today and tomorrow in a spirit of openness, curiosity and creativity. By creating arenas for exchange of knowledge from different subjects, fields and cultures, we open up for new ideas and create new opportunities for long-term sustainable societal development. Linnaeus University – where people grow.

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.

Field of subject for the appointment: Ecology, with specialisation in marine viral ecology

Admission subject: Employment as a doctoral student with the final goal of a doctoral degree is time-limited according to HF ch. 5 § 7. The total period of employment must not be longer than what corresponds to full-time postgraduate education for four years.

Placement city: Kalmar, Sweden

Job description

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on the planet and the majority infect microorganisms. Through infection and lysis, viruses impact nutrient and carbon cycles by release of organic material for the remainder of the microbial community to consume. In addition, as the infection is host specific, the viruses drive dynamics in the bacterial community composition, which may impact the functionality of the microbial community. On an individual level, viruses may also impact host functionality and metabolism through transcriptional reprogramming, expression of auxiliary metabolic genes, and gained viral resistance. Still, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the importance of these interactions on global carbon and nutrient cycles.  

In this project, the impact of viruses on metabolic transformation of bacteria will be investigated, both regarding metabolic changes driven by community composition changes and gained resistances as well as how phages change transcriptional responses during infection. This will be investigated using both isolated phage-host model systems, large-scale community experiments, and long-term community field sampling data. As a PhD student in this project, you will work with microbial and molecular experimental methods, including stable isotope labelling, as well as bioinformatic analyses of genomes, metagenomes, and transcriptomes. As such, this is a unique opportunity to gain a number of analytical skills and training.

We seek you that is a skilled and motivated PhD student with a passion for aquatic viral ecology. Important personal qualities are to be creative, good at problem solving, a team-player, independent, resilient, and structured. The project will be conducted in collaboration with other scientists in the Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS) and at Stockholm University.

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, completed the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which 60 credits on second-cycle level, or in another way, in Sweden or abroad, has acquired principally equivalent knowledge.

Assessment grounds


• A high proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Documented experience within the field of microbial ecology, viral ecology, or bacteriophage biology.
• Experience of:

• Microbial or viral laboratory work, including e.g. cultivation and enumeration
• Molecular methods
• Bioinformatic analyses and data management
• Statistical software analysis



Contacts:

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Karin Holmfeldt (karin.holmfeldt@lnu.se), +46(0)-480-447310,

Head of Department Professor Jonas Waldenström (jonas.waldenstrom@lnu.se), +46-(0)480-446195,

Personnel Officer Marianne Palmér (marianne.palmer@lnu.se), +46-(0)480-447303

Welcome with your application no later than January 18, 2023.

The application should be in English and contain a CV (with the applicant's phone number and e-mail and contact details including phone number and e-mail of two reference persons), a cover letter, documentation of exams and grades, copy of passport as well as any other documentation that the applicant wishes to present. The cover letter (2-3 pages) should contain your expectations from, and intention with the Ph.D.-education. Please describe why you are interested in the specific scientific project that has been described above. You should also provide details on how your background and experience is relevant for the scientific project described above.


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. The credentials you invoke must be verified with certification and they must be attached digitally in your application. The application and other documents to 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.