Vacant job

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked among the world's leading universities. There are approximately 46,000 students and 8,500 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our strive to understand, explain, and improve our world and the conditions of human life.

Description of the Activity

You will be working 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 studying terrestrial ecosystems to increase the 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 the factors that influence the spatial and temporal variation in the structure and function of microbial communities and their resistance to different types of stress. Particular emphasis is placed on environmental factors such as soil moisture, temperature, limiting nutrients, 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 subsequently integrated into models operating at various spatial and temporal scales.

Being a PhD Student

As a PhD student, you are both admitted as a student and employed by Lund University.

The doctoral education provides you with training in a scientific approach. You develop the ability to think critically and analytically, to independently formulate and solve scientific problems using appropriate methods, and to make research ethical assessments. During the education, you also have the opportunity to participate in research projects and develop your leadership skills and pedagogical competence. Throughout the doctoral education, you receive support from your supervisors. The education concludes with a doctoral thesis and a doctoral degree.

More information about the doctoral education at the Faculty of Science can be found at naturvetenskap.lu.se (https://naturvetenskap.lu.se).

Subject and Project Description

We are looking for a PhD student who will investigate whether and how microbial communities in soil can adapt their properties to improve their function during drought and after the drought has ended. The project aims specifically to clarify how microorganisms' resistance (resistance) and recovery capacity (resilience) to drought arise, as well as which ecological, physiological, and/or evolutionary mechanisms underlie these processes.

The work will combine controlled laboratory experiments, greenhouse pot experiments, and field experiments to increase the understanding of how microbial ecology affects ecosystem biogeochemistry. There will also be opportunities to integrate ongoing studies where experimental drought tests 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 a qualified doctoral education in soil microbial ecology and biogeochemistry. The work is primarily laboratory-based but also includes opportunities for fieldwork. The project is particularly suitable for applicants with a background in soil microbial ecology, ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemistry.

Tasks

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral education, which largely consists of writing a doctoral thesis. During the education, you will learn to determine microbial growth rates in intact soil samples by tracking 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, which in turn can be represented in models for ecosystem fluxes. To answer your research questions, you will have the opportunity to use a combination of field experiments (e.g., rainout shelters), greenhouse experiments, and microcosm experiments in the lab. A large part of the work will be related to analytical methods in the lab. You will analyze large amounts of biological data extracted from your experimental systems, use advanced analytical methods, and write scientific articles. You are expected to actively participate in ongoing projects in the research group and plan and conduct your own analyses of how microorganism processes depend on water availability and how they can adapt to drought. As a researcher, you will also present your research in seminars and at international conferences. The PhD education also includes a number of mandatory courses and optional special courses that contribute to your development in formulating and presenting scientific questions. In addition to studies, a maximum of 20% of working time may be devoted to teaching and other departmental work. Depending on your background, you may teach basic courses in biology or more advanced courses such as soil and plant ecology.

To read the full advertisement, go to Lund University's website: Lund University's website (https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:953578/).