Position Announcements
Post Doctoral Research Assistant - Ecology and Diversity of planktonic protists.
Job Title: Post Doctoral Research Assistant - Ecology and Diversity of planktonic protists.
Location: Laboratory of Oceanography and Geosciences, LOG- UMR, 8187, Wimereux, France. http://log.univ-littoral.fr/.
Resp. of the position: Pr. Urania Christaki
Duration: 12 months (prolongation possible)
Application Deadline: 30/11/2012.
Date of start of the contract: 1/1/2013
Salary: ~ 1650 Euros/month (net salary)
Research topic: The challenge of modeling and predicting ecological change requires linking taxonomic data to functional roles of individual microbial groups. A multiple approach of observation, experimentation and modeling is needed to address this type of challenge. This project funded by the University of Littoral (http://www.univ-littoral.fr/), the FRB (http://www.fondationbiodiversite.fr) and the 'Nord-Pas-de Calais' Region, is an interdisciplinary study integrating genetic, genomic and ecological aspects of eukaryotic micro-plankton.
Description of the job: The research program of this post-doc is to understand relationships between taxonomic diversity and functional adaptations of planktonic protists in marine waters. Research will focus particularly on identifying the environmental factors that affect the biodiversity of marine protists. This aspect will be completed in the laboratory under controlled conditions (photobioreactor). Two types of environmental forcing will be studied: the effect of climate change, through temperature modifications; and the anthropogenic induced eutrophication, through N/P ration modifications in the photobioreactors. The following hypotheses will be tested:
i) The abiotic factors influencing the composition and diversity of plankton communities
ii) The identification and the abundance of the dominant specy/ies, and the potentially toxic algae and parasites governing these same factors.
Qualifications: Candidates should be suitably qualified (PhD level) in aquatic microbial ecology. Knowledge of isolating, culturing and identifying autotrophic, and in particular heterotrophic protists, would be of great value. Knowledge of molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR) and basic bioinformatics of tag-pyrosequencing data would be also very useful. The candidate should be also be willing to participate to the field trips for sampling.
Full CVs and covering letters, accompanied by the names and email addresses of all references, as well as any requests for additional information, should be sent to both Urania Christaki (urania.christaki@univ-littoral.fr) and Sebastien Monchy (sebastien.monchy@univ-littoral.fr).