Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Here you will find approximately 46,000 students and 8,500 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our pursuit to understand, explain, and improve our world and people's living conditions.
Description of the Position
You will be active within the research environment Microbial Biogeochemistry in Lund (MBLU) at the Department of Biology, Lund University, under the supervision of Professor Johannes Rousk and Senior Researcher Dr. Lettice Hicks.
MBLU is a research environment that studies terrestrial ecosystems to increase our understanding of how soil microorganisms regulate global biogeochemical processes and how these affect ecosystems' responses to environmental changes. We are an interdisciplinary research group consisting of microbial ecologists, ecosystem ecologists, biogeochemists, and model developers who share a common research vision and combine empirical studies with modeling.
Our research focuses on carbon and nutrient cycling in soil ecosystems worldwide – from arctic tundra to tropical rainforests and semi-arid grasslands. We are particularly interested in factors affecting the spatial and temporal variation in microbial community structure and function, as well as their resistance to various types of stress. Special emphasis is placed on environmental factors such as soil moisture, temperature, nutrient limitation, salinity, and pH, as well as anthropogenic factors such as tillage, fertilization, and metal pollution.
Through field and laboratory experiments, we investigate how microorganisms regulate ecosystem functions and how these are affected by the environment. The ecological knowledge generated is then integrated into models that operate at various spatial and temporal scales.
Being a PhD Student
As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed by Lund University.
Doctoral education provides you with training in scientific methodology. You develop the ability to think critically and analytically, to independently formulate and solve scientific problems using appropriate methods, and to make research ethics assessments. During your studies, you will also have the opportunity to participate in research projects and develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your doctoral education, you will receive support from your supervisors. Your studies conclude with a doctoral dissertation and a doctoral degree.
More information about doctoral education at the Faculty of Science is available at naturvetenskap.lu.se
Subject and Project Description
We are seeking a doctoral student to investigate whether and how soil microbial communities can adapt their characteristics to improve their function during drought and after the drought has ended. The project specifically aims to clarify how microorganisms' resistance and resilience to drought arise, as well as what ecological, physiological, and/or evolutionary mechanisms underlie these processes.
The work will combine controlled laboratory experiments, greenhouse pot experiments, and field experiments to increase understanding of how microbial ecology affects ecosystem biogeochemistry. There will also be an opportunity to integrate ongoing studies where experimental drought treatments have been conducted in arctic and other terrestrial ecosystems.
The project's central analyses include determining microbial growth in intact soil samples using radioactive and stable isotope tracing methods, as well as measuring biogeochemical processes such as carbon and nutrient cycling.
The project offers qualified doctoral education in soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry. The work is primarily laboratory-based but includes opportunities for fieldwork. The project is particularly suitable for applicants with backgrounds in soil microbial ecology, ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemistry.
General Study Plan for Doctoral Education
Duties and Responsibilities
You will primarily dedicate yourself to your doctoral education, which largely consists of writing a doctoral dissertation. During your studies, you will learn to determine microbial growth rates in intact soil samples by tracing isotope uptake (stable and radioisotopes) in various biomarkers. By determining growth rates under gradients of environmental conditions (e.g., water content), you will be able to determine functional trait compositions, which can be described with mathematical functions and represented in ecosystem flow models. To answer your research questions, you will have the opportunity to use a combination of field experiments (e.g., rain exclusion treatments), greenhouse experiments, and microcosm experiments in the lab. A large portion of the work will be connected to analytical methods in the lab. You will analyze large amounts of biological data extracted from your experimental systems and use advanced analytical methods as well as write scientific articles. You are expected to actively participate in ongoing projects within the research group and plan and conduct your own analyses of how microorganisms' processes depend on water availability and how they can adapt to drought. As a researcher, you will also present your work in seminars and at international conferences. Doctoral education also includes a number of mandatory courses and elective specialized courses that contribute to your development in formulating and presenting scientific questions. In addition to your studies, a maximum of 20% of your working time may be devoted to teaching and other departmental work. Depending on your background, you may teach in introductory biology courses or more advanced courses such as soil and plant ecology.
To read the full announcement, visit Lund University's website: https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:953578/Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Here you will find approximately 46,000 students and 8,500 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our pursuit to understand, explain, and improve our world and people's living conditions.
Description of the Position
You will be active within the research environment Microbial Biogeochemistry in Lund (MBLU) at the Department of Biology, Lund University, under the supervision of Professor Johannes Rousk and Senior Researcher Dr. Lettice Hicks.
MBLU is a…