Researcher - Microbial methane and mercury turnover in wetlands

Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment
We are looking for a person who is highly motivated and interested in pursuing academic research within the microbial processes in wetlands and other oxygene-depleted aquatic ecosystems.
About the position
We are seeking a researcher to engage in studies of microbial processes in wetlands and other oxygen-depleted aquatic ecosystems. The primary objective is to investigate microbiological principles underscoring methane turnover and associated metabolic processes (including mercury cycling) in wetlands, ponds and coastal sediments. The goals are to elucidate, comprehend, and predict the biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas dynamics of these environments. Additional tasks would be to analyze microbial communities in methanogenic systems as well as how they may relate to environmental variables and contribute to the operation and development of the functional microbial ecology laboratory.

Your profile
The successful candidate must have a PhD or equivalent degree in biology, bioengineering or related subjects, with strong merits in anaerobic microbiology and especially methanogen cultivation and broadly used molecular microbiology methods (DNA extraction, PCR, qPCR and metagenome sequencing). Experience of GC-MS analyses, bioinformatics and field work in wetlands will be considered as a merit as will skills in Linux, R and biostatistics for microbial community analyses. The candidate should be fluent in English and have a Swedish driving license (for field sampling). In addition to technical proficiency and competency, collaborative skills, and capacity to work in organized and responsible ways will strengthen your application. Experience of supervision of students and coworkers is required.  We place a great deal of importance on personal qualities of a candidate for this position.

About us
The Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment 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 research focuses on geochemical and hydrological processes, aquatic ecology and biodiversity, microbial ecology as well as on environmental chemistry and aquatic ecotoxicology. The department has about 150 employees, of which approximately half are researchers/doctoral students and the other half are technical and administrative staff.

For more information about the department visit: www.slu.se/aquatic-sciences

Read more about our benefits and working at SLU by visiting: https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Location:
Uppsala

Form of employment:
Fixed-term employment 6 months, with the possibility of extension.

Scope:
100%

Start date:
September 2024.

Application:
Please submit your application before deadline 13 September 2024. You can submit your application by clicking the button below.

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.