PhD student to investigate the role of bioturbation in controlling microbial community composition and microbial carbon cycling in lacustrine sediment
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Deadline: Thu, 19 Nov 2015
We are currently looking for a PhD student to investigate the role of bioturbation in controlling microbial community composition and microbial carbon cycling in lacustrine sediment
Project Description
Sediments are the largest organic matter (OM) sink on Earth and thus play a critical role in the global carbon cycle. Whether sediment OM is preserved or remineralized is to a significant degree controlled by the feeding activities of bioturbating macrofauna, and by microorganisms, which through a complex network of metabolic reactions break down OM to inorganic compounds. Despite numerous studies examining sediment macrofauna, microbial community composition, and biogeochemical cycles in sediments, the coupling between macrofaunal activity, microbial community composition, and microbial OM degradation remains poorly understood. In this highly interdisciplinary PhD project, links between macrofauna, microbiota, and OM degradation in lacustrine systems within Switzerland will be examined. Methods used will include (1) sedimentological techniques to interpret present and past signs of bioturbation and its effects on sediment OM composition and organic carbon content, (2) quantifications of dissolved electron donors, electron acceptors and metabolic end products as indicators of present microbial activity, (3) quantifications of microbial cell numbers and bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene copy numbers, (4) phylogenetic analyses on rRNA gene sequences and rRNA sequences obtained by next-generation-sequencing (NGS), and (5) analyses of macrofaunal community composition.
Suitable candidates will have an interdisciplinary background that includes at least two of the following areas: (1) sediment macrofaunal ecology, (2) aquatic biogeochemistry or ecosystem ecology, (3) use of molecular biological tools to study microbial communities, (4) enrichment/cultivation of microorganisms in the laboratory, (5) bioinformatics for the analysis of large gene sequence data sets, (6) statistics for the analysis of multivariate environmental data sets.
Application
To apply for this position, please email the following documents to Mark Lever at
mark.lever@usys.ethz.ch: (1) cover letter (2 pages maximum) stating the (a) motivation for applying to this position, (b) research interests, (c) research background, (d) general goals and reasons for pursuing a career in the field, and (e) names and email addresses of two potential referees. (2) a curriculum vitae that (if relevant) includes publications Please enter "PhD position on lacustrine bioturbation" in the subject line. Reviews of applications will begin by November 15, 2015. The position will expectedly be filled by April 1, 2016.
Source: http://www.envmicro.ethz.ch/the-grou...positions.html
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