PhD position investigating symbioses under global change

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (EMG) and Umeå Marine Science Centre at Umeå University, Sweden, invite applicants for a PhD position in symbioses under global change. The position is expected to start on October 1 2022 or according to agreement. Application deadline is 19 July 2022.

Project description
Symbioses are prevalent across many biomes and can be critical to the biodiversity, productivity and survival of some of the most charismatic ecosystems on Earth. However, sometimes these symbioses break down. Whilst this may be survivable for the individual partners, it can lead to widespread death of both host and symbiont. Such dynamic symbioses include lichens, fig-wasps and coral reefs.  Here we use coral reefs as a model system to empirically investigate the consequences of symbiotic breakdown.

The ecosystem services provided by coral reefs are worth over €78 billion annually and include coastline protection, tourism, food and medical derivatives. However, the health of corals can be significantly impacted by coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae (Symbiodiniaceae) from tropical corals and can be caused by stressors such as thermal perturbations, disease and freshwater runoff. Thermal perturbations are thought to be a major bleaching trigger and have been well documented in conjunction with major global bleaching events. These mass bleaching events cause widespread coral death, with catastrophic ecosystem and service provision impacts.

Despite the devastation caused by severe coral bleaching, it is still difficult to assess if corals will survive in the warmer oceans projected for the end of the century as we do not fully understand the stability of the symbiotic relationship, particularly over long timescales. To better understand the relevance of current symbiotic breakdowns and their role in the future survival of both host and symbiont, the investigation of historic symbiotic breakdowns in required. Corals provide an ideal model system for this approach.

The focus of this project will be genomic analysis and interpretation. The doctoral student will have the opportunity to collect coral DNA and coral skeleton cores from Mayotte in the Western Indian Ocean (SCUBA diving is required). Within the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (EMG) and the Umeå Marine Sciences Centre (UMF) the doctoral student will be exposed to a dynamic research environment and receive training in cutting edge methods for extracting and reconstructing biological events from coral skeletons and DNA. This intellectually stimulating environment has a large doctoral student cohort that will provide peer-support throughout the research program. All project supervisors are highly research-active; the doctoral student will interact with these international research groups, providing an opportunity to learn about other techniques and research areas which may be applicable to their research. Additionally, the supervisors are based in research-active departments that span a broad range of ecological, environmental, genomic and bioinformatic research, exposing the scholar to a range of other research areas. To facilitate this, the doctoral student will actively participate in the ‘Marine Global Change Group’ in EMG / UMF spending equal time between EMG and UMF. These group meetings provide opportunities to discuss cutting edge topics in the field, review recent papers and to present current research plans to academics with a common research interest in an informal and supportive atmosphere. The supervisory team will be: Professor Nick Kamenos (Umeå University, Sweden) and Drs Heidi Burdett (Lyell Centre, UK), Thomas Claverie (University of Mayotte, France), Sebastian Hennige (Edinburgh University, UK) and Graham Hamilton (University of Glasgow, UK).

Qualifications
To be admitted for studies at third-cycle level (PhD level) the applicant is required to have completed a ‘second-cycle’ degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are at second-cycle level, have an equivalent education from abroad (for example a Master’s degree), or have equivalent qualifications.

To fulfill the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at third-cycle level within the subjects of ecology, the applicant is required to have completed courses within a first-cycle subject relevant to ecology or genetics comprising at least 120 credits. At least one course at second-cycle level in a subject that is central to the doctoral student's planned specialisation shall have been completed, as well an independent piece of work (degree project) with relevant specialisation of at least 15 credits.

Other requirements are:

• Drivers licence and willingness to drive in Sweden and Mayotte, France.

Meriting, but not required, are:

• Experience working in a field and laboratory environment over a sustained period. Especially meriting is experience of field work in East Africa / Indian Ocean.
• Experience in sampling corals for DNA in the field, extracting DNA and some experience in bioinformatic analysis.
• SCUBA diving qualifications or willingness to learn.
• Published papers in peer review publications.

The successful applicant should be able to write and speak in English, creativity, power of initiative, independence, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to collaborate.

How to apply
You apply through our recruitment system on 19 July 2022 at the latest. The application, written in English (preferably) or Swedish, should include:

• A short (max 2 pages) description of why you are interested in, and suitable for, the position
• CV
• Certified copies of degrees and certificates from higher education
• List of completed university courses and the grades
• Copy of degree thesis and possibly other scientific publications
• Names and contact information of three reference persons

Contact
For questions regarding the position, please contact Nicholas Kamenos: [email protected]