Student Opportunity Announcements
PhD Studentship - Molecular Plankton Ecology
Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Project
‘Effects of temperature and diet on lipid composition, fatty acid biosynthesis, and fitness at the planktonic plant-animal interface (LIPTEMP)’ – (3 years funding)
A PhD position is available as of February 1st, 2010, at the ‘WasserCluster – Biologische Station’, a Inter-university Centre for Aquatic Ecosystem Research of the University of Vienna, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, and Danube University Krems, Austria.
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in
Aquatic food web ecology.
Experimental lab work is essential, and
Molecular biology skills are highly desirable.
The successful candidate will be expected to investigate trophic dynamics of dietary lipids in organisms at the aquatic plant-animal interface and to study how algae and zooplankton adjust their lipid membrane composition to different water temperatures by using biochemical and molecular techniques. Candidates should also possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrated ability to interact and work with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists.
The PhD candidate will benefit from a highly interactive, international collaboration among lipid scientists. LIPTEMP connects basic (aquatic lipid ecology, plankton ecology) and environmental sciences (temperature change), linking research perspectives to highly needed knowledge of aquatic nutrition. The PhD student will be also given the opportunity to develop bridges between climate change and aquatic nutrition at the base of the aquatic food chain, a scientific topic of intense international importance.
LIPTOX, a research group at the Inter-university Research Centre WasserCluster (www.wasserkluster-lunz.ac.at) is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, including GC-MS, -FID, HPLC-ELSD, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, etc., and benefits from other analytical equipment of the three partner universities.
Candidates should send their CV that includes areas of expertise and research interests, publication list, and contact information for three references to Dr. Martin Kainz (PI of LIPTEMP) at martin.kainz@donau-uni.ac.at .