LOCATION: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ROYAL NIOZ – TEXEL (THE NETHERLANDS)
VACANCY ID:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2021-58
CLOSING DATEÂ Â Â Â Â October 31st, 2021.
THE PROJECT
Food webs are altering under climate change and many animals have needed to switch to alternative food sources due to changes in their prey resources. This obviously requires flexible foraging adaptations. We hypothesize that changes in the gut microbiome are critical in such diets shifts, especially when animals switch from a carnivorous to an herbivorous diet or vice versa.
In this project we will examine the gut microbial community of a migratory shorebird in decline, the red knot (Calidris canutus), which has shown a radical diet shift from shellfish to seagrass rhizomes caused by a climate-induced bill shortening and changes in food supply. We take a both a descriptive and an experimental approach.
THE CANDIDATE
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate holding a master degree in Biology. Experience in marine ecology, animal ecology and molecular ecology are a plus. Furthermore, the ideal candidate must be interested in joining an interdisciplinary project and willing to perform sampling campaigns. The candidate is expected to perform research in both locations and will be advised by both supervisors. Due to the international character of our research, good command of English, spoken as well as written, is a prerequisite.
We highly encourage applicants from all members of our community and of diverse background, including LGBTIQ+ communities, to join us.
CONDITIONS
Employment of this position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO (The Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research). We offer a position for a period of 1 year (fulltime). At the end of this first year, the employment will be extended for a fixed-term of a maximum of 4 years, if the first year evaluation held with the employee is positive. The salary is compliant to the CAO-OI (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes), a pension scheme, a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus of 8,3%, flexible work arrangements and arrangements and 42 days of holiday leave (fulltime position).
You may expect attractive secondary employment conditions. We offer generous relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.
MORE INFORMATION
For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Jan van Gils or  Aldert Zomer additional information about the procedure, please contact  Sigrid Moerbeek (senior HR advisor).
For more information about the Department of Earth Sciences, at Utrecht University see here; for more information about the Department of Coastal Systems at NIOZ, see here.
For further information about the position, follow this link.