Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Environmental Science programme. The position is available from 01 August 2023 or later.
Title:
Re-advertisement: Microbial ecology of the active Greenlandic Ice sheet surface microbiome
Research area and project description:
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an European Doctoral Network (ICEBIO*), consisting of 11 PhD studentships (3 of which will be hosted by the Department of Environmental Science) to investigate glacier microbiology and biogeochemistry.
In this particular PhD studentship, you will describe the interactions between microbes belonging to all three kingdoms within the tree of life (Archaea, Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes). In the project you will be primarily be working to further refine the bioinformatics pipeline in our TotalRNA pipeline. This could focus on investigating which microbial populations that are able to grow on selected types of carbon of various origin. You will be working with metagenomes, metatransciptomes and MAG obtained in simple incubations experimets performed in our in house model of the greenlandic ícesheet.
Glaciers and ice sheets were long believed to be sterile environments, but just like other large ecosystems (e.g., tropical forests, tundra), they are now widely recognized as one of the Earth’s biomes, teeming with life. Active algae, fungi, bacteria and viruses dominate the glacial environment and they have the ability to change the physical and chemical characteristics of the ice and snow, with global effects. The combination of RNA and DNA based analysis will give strong new knowledge on who is doing what in this truly cool environment.
As a PhD student with specific focus on bioinformatics you will get the chance to work broadly together with microbial ecologist in the department as well as with other students in ICEBIO. As an integrated part of your PhD study you will be trained in writing research applications and you will get the chance to work with research based advisory work to relevant ministeries.
*The ICEBIO consortium comprises 5 leading research teams across Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland) and two industrial stakeholders (Germany and France). ICEBIO's mission is to train 11 doctoral researchers in glacier microbiology and biogeochemistry.
The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Program offers a highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions. Please see the following link.
Project description (½-4 pages): This document should describe your ideas and research plans for this specific project. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS) in one of those areas: Biology, Microbial Ecology, Microbiology, Environmental Sciences, or Data Science.
Recruited researchers can be of any nationality. Because funding is provided by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral EU Programme, recruited researchers must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date. Candidates CANNOT have been awarded a doctoral degree yet in any field.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact Professor Carsten Suhr, csj@envs.au.dk
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application. Application deadline is 05 April 2023 at 23:59 CEST. Preferred starting date is 1 August 2023.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:
- The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
- Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.