A three-year PhD position in marine microbial ecology is available at the research unit Nordcee (
The successful candidate will join a team of scientists studying the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in oxygen limited environments led by Assistant Professor Beate Kraft.
The project:
Ammonia-oxidizing archaea are key players in the nitrogen cycle of the world's oceans. They are frequently found in oxygen-depleted environments like marine oxygen-minimum zones or sediments though they are thought to have a strictly aerobic physiology. We found evidence for a so far undiscovered anaerobic metabolic pathway in a cultured representative. This PhD project's aim is to investigate the distribution of this pathway and the role of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in oxygen depleted habitats by combining comparative genomics, metaproteomics and transcriptomics.
Required qualifications:
Applicants should hold an MSc degree in (environmental) microbiology, environmental sciences, or related fields and have working experience with common techniques in molecular biology. Experience in metagenome and/or -transcriptome analyses is of advantage. Proficiency in spoken and written English is mandatory.
The PhD student will be supervised by Don Canfield as main supervisor and Beate Kraft as co-supervisor.
The expected starting date is 15 April 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.