Postdoctor in Bioinformatics in ecotoxicology (Ecotoxicomics)

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 56 000 students and 6 600 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.At the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences (BioEnv) we have teaching and research activities that stretch from the alpine ecosystem, through forests, cultivated land and streams, all the way into the marine environment. In these environments we study different levels of biological organisation from genes, individuals and populations to communities and ecosystems. We work within ecology, evolution, physiology, systematics and combinations of these fields in order to understand the impact of natural and anthropogenic changes of the environment.

The department is placed at two different localities: in Natrium at Medicinaregatan 7B in Gothenburg and at the Kristineberg marine research station operated by the Marine Infrastructure at the University of Gothenburg. The current employment is based in Natrium.

 

Subject area
Aquatic ecotoxicomics

 

Subject area description 
Anthropogenic chemical pollution, led by pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals, has profound impacts on the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems and is therefore increasingly recognised as a driving force behind biodiversity loss. The effects on the genetics and gene expression of aquatic organisms are fields of growing attention. Changes at the molecular level may influence higher levels of biological organisation and ultimately lead to reduced fitness, as well as rapid adaptation after chemical exposure.

The primary goal of the position is to determine in-situ gene expression responses in Gammarus pulex towards mixtures of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals inhabiting urban and agricultural streams. Additionally, the position will aim to explore microbial community responses at the structural (alpha and beta-diversity) and functional levels (metagenomics) to the same group of chemicals.

This position is part of the FORMAS project “Mixture pollution in agricultural streams: linking the effects of chemicals to the genome of freshwater organisms using an ecotoxicogenomic approach.” The project will provide insights into understanding the gene expression of macroinvertebrates, as well as the structural and functional microbial responses to complex chemical pollution in Sweden and Germany.

The project is led by Dr. Pedro Inostroza, and the project team includes top-level collaborators Professor Thomas Backhaus (RWTH Aachen University - Germany) and Professor Werner Brack (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - Germany).

 

Duties

• Build de novo transcriptomes and analyse their gene profiles from macroinvertebrates exposed to real-world chemical mixtures.
• Explore microbial community responses to chemical pollution through the analysis of amplicon and metagenomic data from aquatic ecosystems.
• Assist in the establishment of bioinformatic pipelines for transcriptomic, amplicon, and shotgun analyses.
• Analyse the data using appropriate bioinformatic and statistical tools.
• Collaborate and work closely with the PI and the international team.
• Write reports and scientific manuscripts.

 

Eligibility
The eligibility criteria for employing teaching staff are set out in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the Appointment Procedure for Teaching Posts at the University of Gothenburg. 

To be eligible for appointment as a postdoc, the applicant is required to have a doctoral degree, a doctoral degree in art or a foreign degree that is deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met before the employment decision is made. 

In the first instance, those who have completed their degree no more than three years prior to the end of the application period shall be considered. Those who have completed their degree more than three years prior to the end of the application period may also be considered in the first instance if special grounds exist. Special grounds relate to leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, commissions of trust within union organisations, service within the defence services or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignment relevant to the subject area.  

 

For more information and application
Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.

 

Applications must be received by: October 2, 2023

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.