Postdoctoral Students in Microbiology
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This PhD studentship is part of the ERC Synergy project RECLESS (Recycling versus loss in the marine nitrogen cycle: controls, feedbacks, and the impact of expanding low oxygen regions). RECLESS aims to predict how ongoing ocean deoxygenation impacts microbial nitrogen transformations and thereby the future availability of nitrogen to support oceanic primary production and carbon sequestration. The project brings together researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg, Vienna and Southern Denmark as well as Carnegie Science, and synergistically integrates innovative oceanographic, biogeochemical, ecophysiological, and model-based approaches.
The position will contribute to our ongoing efforts to unravel the pathways, dynamics, and environmental controls of microbial nitrogen transformations in oxygen-depleted waters. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to utilize novel instrumentation for oxygen-contamination-free sampling and incubation (in situ technology), and state-of-the-art stable isotope techniques. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and international team, with interdisciplinary collaborations and opportunities for fieldwork.
Duties
The successful candidate will contribute to expanding our understanding of microbial processes in oxygen-depleted waters; specifically, the doctoral student will:
- Participate in fieldwork campaigns (at research stations and seagoing expeditions; including, but not limited to, the eastern tropical Pacific and Baltic Sea), undertaking sampling, lab-based and in situ incubations
- Elucidate pathways and environmental controls of microbial processes involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, using in situ and lab-based rate measurements through the use of stable isotopes
- Utilize novel instrumentation for in situ incubations and oxygen determinations
- Contribute to the development and optimization of laboratory and field-based analytical methods
- Work in collaboration with other members of RECLESS on interdisciplinary projects
- Publish and present their work in internationally recognized journals and conferences
Doctoral studies comprise four years of full-time study and lead to a doctoral degree. The education should include courses of at least 60 higher education credits, distributed over the study period and planned together with the supervisor and the examiner.
As part of the employment as a doctoral student, departmental duties may correspond to up to 20% of full-time employment, usually teaching, outreach, or administration. The employment is extended by the corresponding time.
Eligibility
Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.
General eligibility requirements:
- Having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
- Completed at least 240 credits, including at least 60 at second-cycle level, or
- Equivalent knowledge acquired in Sweden or abroad
Assessment Criteria
Selection is based on the ability to benefit from doctoral studies.
Requirements:
- Master’s degree or equivalent in microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, or related discipline
- Knowledge of elemental cycling within aquatic systems
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
Advantageous qualifications:
- Experience collecting, processing, and analysing aquatic system samples
- Familiarity with stable isotopes and/or mass spectrometry (e.g. GC-MS)
- Experience with fieldwork or seagoing research
- Knowledge of low-oxygen aquatic environments
- Ability to process and visualise data using R, Python, or similar tools
Admission and Employment
Once admitted, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.
- Fixed-term employment: 4 years
- Full-time (100%)
- May include up to 20% departmental duties (extends employment duration)
- Maximum employment period: up to 8 years total, corresponding to full-time doctoral studies
Initial employment is for one year and may be renewed for up to two years at a time.
Location: Department of Marine Sciences, Gothenburg
Start date: Upon agreement, preferably 1 November 2026
Physical presence is required. Residence permit issues may affect admission.
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