PhD student in Arctic freshwater ecology

Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment

Third-cycle subject area

Biology with specialization in ecology

Description of the doctoral project

The overall aim of this PhD project is to understand the influence of climate-driven changes in vegetation cover and winter conditions on habitats and food websites of Arctic/alpine lakes. Climate change is promoting the expansion of terrestrial vegetation, which enhances nutritional demand in the Arctic/alpine landscapes and contributes to long-term deposits in nutritional input to lakes (i.e., oligotrophication). Currently, changing winter conditions, including short ice-covered periods and enhanced snow cover, alter underwater light availability for primary production and oxygen availability for aquatic organisms during winter. This project will use a space-for-time field survey approach to (i) consider the effects of lake oligotrophy and changing winter conditions on benthic biofilm communities across different lake habitats; (ii) evaluate the consequences of biofilm compositional changes for the production and trophic transfer of health-promoting biomolecules (i.e., essential polyunsaturated fat acid PUFA) versus harmless biomolecules (i.e., cyanotoxins) to higher trophic levels including fish; and (iii) quantiphy the extensive to which oligotrophy and changing winter conditions alter Arctic/alpine food webs, including diets, the relative importage of bone.

About the Position

The candidate will work with an international consortium involved collaborators from across the Nordic countries and North America. The project will use samples and data collected from Arctic/alpine lakes in Sweden and other circumpolar regions. Implementation methods will include:

• Seasonal sampling of food web components, from primary producers to fish, during open-water (summer) and under-ice (winter) conditions.
• Analysis of biomarkers (PUFA and cyanotoxins) in biological samples using chromatographic techniques.
• Integration and synthesis of previous data with newly collected data on fat acids, cyanotoxins, and stable isotopes.
• Application of Bayesian mixing models to investigate consumer diets and food web paths

Requirements

To meet the general entry requirements you must have been awarded a second-cycle (Master).Qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comparison at least 240 credits of least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or required substanally equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or across the road (Higher Education Ordinance 1993:100, Chapter 7, Section 39).

Specific entry requirements for the third-cycle courses and study programme in  Biology with specialization in ecology. To meet the specific entry requirements, you must have least 90 HEC in biology-related subjects. This must include a degree project and at least 30 HEC must be at second-cycle level.

You must also meet the equivalent English language requirements as that necessary for the Swedish upper-second qualification English B/6.

Your profile

Applicants should hold a degree in aquatic ecology, limnology, ecology, or equivalent. Experience in winter biological sampling at ice-covered lakes is highly meritorous. Strong skills in static analysis, experience in scientific publication, and fluency in writing and oral Swedish are merits. Advantageous attributes include a working knowledge of aquatic food webs (e.g., algae, macroinvertebrates, zooplankton, fish), Arctic ecology, and/or biogeochemistry. Experience in relevant biological sampling techniques and in biomarker analysis is also advanced. Emphasis will also be placed on staff qualities including the capacity of critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the capacity to work independently and in a team. Strong write and spoken English skills, as well as a driver and license valid for use in Sweden, are required.

About us

The Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment is working with applied environmental science, with a national responsibility for considering 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: http://www.slu.se/aquatic-sciences

Read more about staff benefits and life as an SLU employee on https://www.slu.se/om-slu/jobba-pa-slu/ 

Read more about third-cycle courses and study programmes on http://www.slu.se/utbildning/program-kurser/forskarutbildning/

Form of employment / Funding

Employment as a doctoral student (4-year programme).

Doctoral student. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salary progression is fixed.

Location:

Uppsala

Scope:

100%

Start date:

December 2026.

Application and selection:

Please submit your application using the link below. The deadline is 12 October 2026.

Read more about the attributes that your application should include at https://www.slu.se/en/study/programmes-courses/doctoral-education/how-can-i-become-a-doctoral-student/application/

Selection among eligible applicants is based on the documents assigned to the application, and is loaded out with respect to the applicant

Academic Union was represented:

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