PhD Candidate in Microbiology

23 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Radboud University

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

31 Mar 2024 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Are you fascinated by how micro-organisms interact with each other and with eukaryotic hosts? Are you interested in the development of methods to identify and obtain novel micro-organisms in culture? Then join the Department of Microbiology as a PhD candidate!

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are becoming more and more important for the sustainable cultivation of aquatic animals. A major challenge in these systems is the accumulation of nitrogenous animal waste products in the water (e.g. ammonium from fish waste), which can lead to decreased welfare. These nitrogenous compounds can be removed from the water by specialised biofilters which harbour nitrogen-cycling micro-organisms that convert these compounds into di-nitrogen gas. In addition to this, we discovered that fish have symbiotic nitrogen-cycle organisms in their gills which also convert excreted ammonium directly into di-nitrogen gas, thereby functioning as a natural, built-in biofilter.

In this PhD project, you will develop new methods to selectively study and isolate these nitrogen-cycling micro-organisms. You will study these micro-organisms in the biofilters as well as in the fish gills to, on the one hand, study their physiology and interactions within the biofilter system, and, on the other hand, investigate the precise nature of the interactions of the symbionts with their fish host, and of the nitrogen-cycling micro-organisms among each other. All in all, this project will increase our understanding of this unique host-microbe interaction and contribute to the development of a more sustainable aquaculture.

Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

• You are enthusiastic, curious and open-minded.
• You have a keen interest in host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions.
• You hold a Master's degree in Microbiology, Biology, Molecular Life Sciences, or a related field.
• Prior experience in microbiology research and bioinformatics is advantageous.
• You are proficient in English and have good communication skills.
• You can work independently as well as in a team.
• You have statistical and data analysis skills.

Additional Information
Benefits

• It concerns an employment for 1.0 FTE.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,247 in the fourth year (salary scale P ).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services . Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions . You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Selection process

You can apply until 31 March 2024, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Maartje van Kessel. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.

The first round of interviews will take place on Friday 5 April.

You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information .

Additional comments

For questions about the position, please contact Maartje van Kessel, Assistant Professor at [email protected] .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/338151/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Radboud University

Country

Netherlands

City

Nijmegen

Postal Code

6525 XZ

Street

Houtlaan 4

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/338151/phd-candidate-in-microbiology/apply/…

Contact

City

Nijmegen

Website

http://www.ru.nl/

Street

Houtlaan 4

Postal Code

6525 XZ

STATUS: EXPIRED