Postdoctoral position in biogeochemistry

Published: 2023-03-16

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University is Sweden´s largest and most versatile department of its kind with approximately 250 employees. Our activities are interdisciplinary and combine natural science and technology with social science. We have research programs in air, water and landscape science (LUVAL); geophysics; natural resources and sustainable development; (NRHU); petrology, mineralogy and tectonics (MPT); paleobiology, and wind energy. By investigating the history of Earth, we understand how our planet has developed over time and how sustainable development benefits from this knowledge. For more information: The Department of Earth Sciences .

The postdoctoral position is a part of a high-risk collaboration project between 4 different countries, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. It is a collaboration with researchers at Uppsala University and the University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, where large scale experimental setup will be situated.

The focus of this project lies in understanding bacterial, archaeal and fungal weathering capacity of natural silicate minerals in large scale experiments. Increased weathering of silicates has been proven to increase the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere and this project aims to search for the optimal conditions for high-rate silicate weathering and CO2 capturing by the setup of a multi-variable bioreactor. A large number of small-scale experiments will be connected to a machine learning system for continuous monitoring of weathering products and biological activities and the gathered information will be used for the development of a large-scale bioreactor. In this project, we will investigate the silicate weathering and biomineralization efficiency of pure and mixed cultures of prokaryotes (bacteria and fungi). Understanding siderophore and chelating compound excretion among prokaryotes, will be of crucial importance in this project. 

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Duties
The postdoctoral position is expected to independently drive scientific projects within the area, together with the Principal Investigator of the project. Duties include general bacteriological and fungal laboratory work, microbiology, gas analyses and mass balance calculations. The position is highly experimental and the applicant should be well acquainted with microbial experimental work and analysis. The position requires travelling to Wageningen University where a considerable amount of the experimental work will be conducted. Scientific writing and editing as well as research presentations are a natural part of the position.

Requirements
PhD degree in Microbiology, Biogeochemistry  or other relevant and equivalent area, or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in areas described above. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. The starting point of the three-year frame period is the application deadline. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

Ability to independently design experiments in microbiology, siderophore or chelate analyses is required Significant weight will be given to personal suitability such as; personal maturity, perseverance, articulateness and stability. You should be a highly-motivated individual, with the ability to work independently. The candidate is expected to take own initiatives as well as to collaborate with colleagues both within and outside of the research group. The applicant is expected to have good problem-solving ability, and ability to structure his/her work adequately and use good judgement. When scientific writing and editing as well as research presentations are a natural part of the position is good written and oral skills in English an absolute requirement.

Additional qualifications
The perfect candidate has a strong interest in pursuing a career in biogeochemistry with focus on microbial silicate weathering and biomineralization (CO2 capturing). 

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Anna Neubeck, phone: +46 73 731 48 84, [email protected] or Anna Rosling, phone: +46 18 471 64 44, [email protected].

Please submit your application by 17 April 2023, UFV-PA 2023/976.

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Placement: Department of Earth Sciences

Type of employment: Full time , Temporary position

Pay: Fixed salary

Number of positions: 1

Working hours: 100%

Town: Uppsala

County: Uppsala län

Country: Sweden

Union representative: Seko Universitetsklubben [email protected]
ST/TCO [email protected]
Saco-rådet [email protected]

Number of reference: UFV-PA 2023/976

Last application date: 2023-04-17

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