ENAC

The River Ecosystems Laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland is seeking one PhD student to work on the global glacier-fed stream microbiome.

Over the last four years, in the context of the Vanishing Glaciers project, we were able to collect microbial and environmental data from 170 glacier-fed streams around the world. Unique data from 16S rRNA and 18 rRNA sequencing, massive shotgun metagenomics, process rate measurements, physicochemical characterization of the streams, and GIS-based analyses of their glaciers are now available to further explore the fascinating life of prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses in the streams that drain the roof of our planet. Please, visit https://www.glacierstreams.ch/ for a first appreciation of the Vanishing Glaciers project.

Main duties and responsibilities include

• Work on the microbiome of glacier-fed streams
• Perform metagenomics and metatranscriptomics on the glacier ice microbiome 

Your Profile

• MSc or similar in ecological, evolutionary or environmental sciences
• Basic background in microbial ecology and bioinformatics
• High motivation and dedication, very strong work ethic
• Excellent oral communication and technical writing skills
• Strong quantitative skills
• Open minded and curious, eager to learn
• High social competencies to integrate in an interdisciplinary team

We offer

• A world-class research and training environment with access to state-of-the-art research facilities (https://www.epfl.ch/en/ )
• A multi-cultural and stimulating work environment
• Highly competitive salaries (CHF 4’000/monthly gross salary for the first year, increasing slightly each year)

Application

Interested applicants should send, as one single pdf, a motivation letter, CV, three key publications, and the contacts of four references to [email protected] . Pre-application inquiries should be sent to [email protected] .

Deadline for applications : 20.01.2023. All applicants will be informed about the status of their applications within two weeks of the closing deadline.

Starting date: March 2023 at latest.