Research engineer in environmental epidemiology

Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment
The Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment (www.slu.se/aquatic-sciences) is working with applied environmental science, with a national responsibility for assessing the condition of Swedish surface waters with respect to water chemistry, pollution and aquatic biota. The department has some 140 employees. The research focuses on geochemical and hydrological processes, aquatic ecology and biodiversity, as well as on aquatic ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. The department is part of a Soil-Water-Environment cluster, a recently established competence centre for landscape-level processes that also includes the Departments of ‘Soil and Environment’ and ‘Energy and Technology’. The breadth of expertise among the 300 members in combination with a well-equipped infrastructure creates a unique platform for high quality research as well as environmental monitoring and assessment.
Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

You will be part of the Swedish Environmental Epidemiology Center (SEEC) at SLU within the Division of Microbial Ecology at the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment. SEEC is part of SciLifeLab’s Pandemic Laboratory Preparedness (PLP) program, which was established in response to the Covid19 pandemic to provide capacity for quick response to pandemics and other health related emergencies. SEEC is a capacity that bridges the current gap between epidemiology and environmental assessment. It aims to provide rapid and effective detection of pathogens from environmental samples as well as facilitate population level epidemiology. SEEC also stands for continuous monitoring of selected pathogens in Swedish wastewaters.

Duties:
The primary task of the successful candidate is to coordinate and perform the weekly quantification of selected pathogens from Swedish wastewater samples. The monitoring program is currently focused on the analyses of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses, but further tasks will be added to the center’s analysis profile. Accordingly, you will be involved both in routine analyses and in the development and evaluation of novel methods. You are also expected to take care of basic laboratory management, electronic data reporting and to aid the communication with stakeholders. While the initial focus of the position will be on wastewater-based pathogen monitoring, the tasks of our capacity develop dynamically offering various potential future career development avenues within environmental molecular assessment from pathogen detection to biodiversity monitoring.

Qualifications:
As a minimum requirement, the applicant should have a university degree (preferably at Masters or PhD level) in biology, molecular biology, microbiology, environmental sciences, bioengineering or related subject. You should have practical experience with quantitative PCR (qPCR), while experience with diagnostics, extraction and detection of nucleic acids from challenging samples, handling of large amounts of samples, automatization, data and laboratory management as well as electronic laboratory management systems (ELN, LMS) are considered as merits.

We are looking for a candidate who can work independently in a structured manner, with attention to detail and good social skills to contribute to the general operation of the lab. The working language in the group is English but basic written and oral knowledge of Swedish language is also necessary for the communication and reporting towards our external partners.

Place of work:
Uppsala

Form of employment:
Fixed term employment of 6 months with possibility of extention.

Extent:
80%

Starting date:
According to agreement.

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2023-11-05, please use the button below.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.