Type of employment: Fixed-term employment, Four years full time
Extent: 100 %
Location: Department of Marine Sciences, Gothenburg
First day of employment: According to agreement
Reference number: UR 2017/159
Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Gothenburg, was formed 1 July 2015, in order to achieve the vision of “a university marine research, teaching and interaction with society at the highest international level.” The department has about 110 employees – researchers, teachers, students, technicians and administrators. The Department conducts teaching and research in various fields such as marine biology, oceanography, chemistry, marine geology, heritage and environmental science. The research carried out in specialized Individual projekt and greater interdisciplinary program. The department is located in Gothenburg and university research stations in Tjärnö and Kristineberg. The current service has its headquarters in Gothenburg. More information about the Department of Marine Sciences also www.marine.gu.se.
Project description
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student in the project ”Signals in the Sea”. The project explores chemical signalling between marine zooplankton and phytoplankton. A central part of the project concerns the effects of copepodamides, a novel group of signalling lipids from marine zooplankton. Phytoplankton sense copepodamides and respond with defensive traits such as toxin production, altered swimming behaviour, increased bioluminescence, and splitting of colonies. A wide variety of phytoplankton respond to copepodamides, which suggest the signals may modulate marine food webs. The PhD project is focused around the effects of copepodamides in nature. You will work with different plankton organisms from behavioural, ecological, and biochemical perspectives. Experience with motion analysis, image analysis, analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, scientific writing, plankton ecology, social skills, and programming is meriting. The successful applicant will be self-motivated, solution oriented, and have a solid interest in natural sciences. You should have a relevant degree in biology, chemistry, physics, or equivalent. The project involves fieldwork at marine research stations and on board research vessels
Job assignments
As a PhD student at the department of Marine Sciences you will:
• Design, perform, and analyse experiments in plankton ecology.
• Dissiminate results in peer reviewed journals and elsewhere.
• Write a thesis
• Teaching may be included
Eligibility
The qualifications for education on a doctoral level are: degree in advanced level, at least 240 university points, of which 60 are on an advanced level, or in an other way acquired similar knowledge.
You should have an exam in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or equivalent
Assessment
Regulations for the evaluation of qualifications for education on a doctoral level are given in SFS 1998:80.
Meriting skills
Experience from any of the following is meriting: Plankton ecology, analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry, image analysis, motion analysis, programming, other experiences of scientific work, programming (e.g. matlab or R), experience from field work in the marine environment.