PhD student to join a research project about protist diversity, ecology and phylogeny.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join a research project about protist diversity, ecology and phylogeny.

Short project synopsis : The working group of Prof. Boenigk (https://www.uni-due.de/biodiversitaet/) investigates the different aspects of evolutionary ecology and functional biodiversity. The research focus is on interactions between biodiversity, functional differentiation and ecosystem functions. Morphological data as well as metabarcoding-, metatranscriptomic- and metagenomic data are used for the identification of organisms. Target organisms are isolated from aquatic and terrestrial habitats and morphologically, genetically, and ecophysiologically characterized in the laboratory. Main model organisms are algae and heterotrophic protists, which are the most abundant but at the same time the least investigated organismic group. Recent phylogenetic studies proof multiple transitions between phototrophic and heterotrophic taxa. The work will comprises taxonomic, biogeographic and ecophysiological methods for the analysis and the comparison of the diversity and distribution of golden algae.