PhD fellowship in Evolutionary Hologenomics at The GLOBE Institute

We are offering a PhD fellowship in Evolutionary Hologenomics commencing 1 January 2022 or as soon as possible hereafter.
We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic candidate to fill a 3-year PhD fellowship on studying spatial biogeography of animal-associated microbial communities and their contribution to the adaptive capacity of animals at the Centre for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Our group and research
The Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics (CEH) is a Center of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation to develop and implement state of the art ‘omics and associated computational techniques, to address through experimental and theoretical research. CEH's main purpose is to address basic scientific questions through interdisciplinary approaches, operating at the intersection of natural sciences, medical sciences and the humanities.

Information on the department can be found at: https://globe.ku.dk/

Project and job description
Animal-associated microbial communities are a central topic of study in biological sciences for their relevance in the normal functioning of their hosts. While a great effort is being carried out in characterising animal-associated microbial communities worldwide, we still know very little about general distribution patterns of animal-associated microbiotas within host taxa and geographical space. It has been hypothesised that spatial microbiota variation within host taxa could contribute to confer hosts with enhanced adaptation capabilities, a hypothesis that has not been experimentally tested yet.

The PhD student will first generate a database and perform a meta-analysis of available georeferenced gut microbiota data to extract general patterns of microbiota variation associated with environmental and host biological traits. Then, the student will need to carry out field work and captivity experimentation with shrews and lizards in the Northern Iberian Peninsula, in which the fitness of animals translocated from different environments and subject to microbiota transplants will be measured (thus, the project will require spending long periods of time outside Denmark). Finally, sequencing and phenotypic data will need to be generated and analysed using a variety of analytical approaches.

Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Antton Alberdi, Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the GLOBE Institute, [email protected], +45 53 84 01 19

Start:                1 January 2022

Duration:         3 years as a PhD student

Essential experience and skills:

• You have a MSc in animal biology, ecology, genomics, microbiology or similar.
• You have documented experience in generating and analysing shotgun metagenomic and DNA metabarcoding data.
• You have documented experience in working with wildlife.
• You are willing to spend long periods of time in Spain.
• You have proven capacity to develop and publish high impact research (minimum one research paper published in an international journal).
• You have proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams.
• You have excellent English skills written and spoken.

Other criteria of relevance are:

• You speak Spanish (relevant for acquiring permits and perform field work).
• You speak Basque (relevant for acquiring permits and perform field work)
• Teaching experience.

As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database . Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and powerful computing infrastructure.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years.

It is conditioned upon the applicant’s success­ful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree. Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree­ment between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary begins around 28.597 DKK /approx. 3.845 EUR (October 2021-level) plus pension.

Questions
For further information please contact Associate Professor Antton Alberdi, [email protected], www.sund.ku.dk

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format: 

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.

4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline:  28 September 2021, 23.59pm CET
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.
The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.
Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences comprises approximately 7500 students, 1500 PhD students and 3200 employees. The Faculty advances the field of health sciences through its core activities: research, teaching, knowledge sharing and communication. With basic research fields ranging from molecular studies to studies of society, the Faculty contributes to a healthy future through its graduates, research findings and inventions benefitting patients and the community. The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position. 

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.