Postdoctoral in Ecoevolutionary Microbiome Research and Thermobiology

Ämnesbeskrivning

The service is part of the research project "From Guts To Growth: Unravelling the Gut Microbiome's Role in Ontogenetic Trajectories Toward Climate Stress Resilience" (Hotgut). The project examines how environmental stress, intestinal microbiomet and the host organism physiology interacts during the early development and how this affects growth, metabolism, temperature control and resistance to climate-related extreme heat. The research is conducted on wild tallowzes (Parus Major) and combines controlled field experiments with laboratory-based microbiology, physiological measurements and bioinformatic analyzes.

The employee will have a leading operational role in the planning, establishment, coordination and implementation of the project's research activities. These include experiments about thermal and hormonal stress early in life and the microbiom's function and transmission. The employment therefore requires an independent researcher, which is motivated by combining field work and experimental manipulation studies with laboratory analyzes and data analysis.

Tasks

The main task is to implement and coordinate research within Hotgut in close cooperation with the project manager and partners. The tasks include:

• Plan, establish, coordinate and implement experimental field studies.

• Collect and process biological samples, including stool, oral cavity, sewage, blood and environmental samples, and contribute to the development of laboratory protocols for microbioma and physiological analyzes.

• Performing microbiological laboratory work with a focus on the microbiomet, including DNA extraction, library preparation, quality control and preparation for amplicon sequence of 16s RRNA.

• Develop, maintain and apply reproducible bioinformatic and statistical workflows.

• Contribute to data analyzes, scientific publications, conference presentations, data management, open research methods and communication of results to scientific and broader target groups.

Permissions

Competent to be employed as postdoctoral is the person who has exceeded doctoral degree, or foreign degree that is deemed to correspond to a doctoral degree, within the employment area and which has been exceeding three years before the date of employment decision. If there are special reasons, the doctoral degree may have been completed before.

Criteria

This is a meriting employment mainly focused on research. The employment is intended as an initial step in his career and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their scientific qualifications and potential as a researcher. Particular emphasis will be attached to scientific ability in the subject area.

When employing postdoctoral, the following shall form the basis for assessment:

• Good ability to develop and implement good quality research.
• Pedagogical ability.

Kvalifikationskrav

For the employment,:

• Doctoral degree in evolutionary ecology, organic physiology, microbiology, bioinformatics, ornithology or other area relevant to the employment.

• Good bioinformatic knowledge and experience of reproducible analysis of data from amplicon sequencing.

• Good quantitative knowledge, including advanced statistical analysis in R and experience of hierarchical mixed models and multivariate models.

• Very good ability to express themselves orally and in writing in English.

• Valid driver license for passenger car to be able to carry out field work.

Assessment grounds and other merits

The following qualifications are merit:

• experience of work with wild birds, especially hole-going seals, including bird handling,

ringing, book controls, blood sampling or other relevant field methods.

• Experience of thermophysiological methods such as respirometry and the measurement of body temperature.

• Experience of endocrine analyzes, analyzes of oxidative stress, metabolomics or other molecular and physiological assays relevant to the project.

Particular emphasis will be placed on scientific maturity, independence, accurate and controlled working methods, problem solving ability and ability to take responsibility for the practical implementation of the research program.

Consideration will also be taken of how the applicant's competence complements the project group and strengthens the research in the borderland between evolutionary ecology, microbiology and conservation physiology.

Conditions of employment

The employment is a time-limited employment as a full-time postdoctor during the 2 year with access it 1 Mars 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. The employment is located at the Department of Biological, Lund University. The employment time-limited in accordance with agreements, "Agreement on time-limited employment as postdoctoral", between the social partners dated 2022-02-01 (Employer, OFR, and Saco-S).

The field work will mainly be carried out under the birds' nesting season and may require flexible working hours under intensive experimental periods.

Contact information

Dr. Katharina Ruthsatz - Project manager:katharina.ruthsatz@biol.lu.se

Dr. Andreas North -andreas.nord@biol.lu.se, + 46 704 953 262

Instructions for the application

The application must be written in English and compiled in a single PDF file containing:

• a personal letter describing the applicant's motivation and fitness for the employment,

• a curriculum vitae, including a full publication list and information on relevant technical experience and experience of field work, laboratory work, bioinformatics, teaching and supervision,

• a brief description of previous research and how the applicant would contribute to the implementation of Hotgut (at most one page),

• Contact information to at least two academic reference persons, as well as

• A copy of the graduate certificate and other certificates or documents to which the applicant wants to invoke.

We abandon all of us contacts from adversiers, recruitment and staffing agencies due to government procurement rules.