The Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU, Uppsala approximately 110 employees and together with two other departments forms an inspiring research environment at the BioCenter at the Ultuna campus in Uppsala. Here you will find expertise in plant biology, mycology, plant pathology, microbiology, food science, calculation-based genetics, chemistry and biotechnology and competitive infrastructure such as plant-growing facilities, advanced microscopy and molecular biology, x-ray and NMR. The department conducts research, teaching and environmental monitoring in the field of inorganic, physical and organic chemistry, biochemistry, natural product chemistry, food science and microbiology. Visit us at https://www.slu.se/en/departments/molecular-sciences/

Description:

We are looking for a doctoral student in the subject area biogas technology and anaerobic microbiology. The project focus on operation and evaluation of biogas processes with focus on dry digestion. Evaluation will be done with various chemical and microbiological methods, both DNA and culture-based techniques. The overall objective is to understand the connection between process function and its microbiology and the importance of different substrates and other operational parameters. The project is part of a research project within the Biogas Research Center (BRC, www.biogasresearchcenter.se). BRC is a competence center for research and development for resource-efficient biogas solutions, including both the actors from academy and industry. The PhD position is placed within one of BRC’s seven different research areas, and the research will be carried out in close collaboration with industrial partners and with two further doctoral students placed at Tema M- Environmental Change and the Department of physics, chemistry and biology at Linköping University. The project will be peformed within the group for Anaerobic Microbial Biotechnology (AMB) at SLU in Uppsala lead by Prof Anna Schnürer (https://www.slu.se/en/ew-cv/anna-schnurer/). The supervisor group includes researchers from both SLU and Linköping University

A doctoral student should primarily devote himself to the postgraduate education. However, a doctoral student gets a limited extensive work on education, research and administration. Such work may, before the doctoral degree has been completed, not cover more than 20 percent of full working hours. An employment as a doctoral student is extended by one year at the time and the total period of employment corresponds to full-time post graduate eucation for four years.

Qualifications:

Applicants should have a master in in the area of microbiology or molecular/applied biotechnology. You should be motivated with a strong interest in industrial biotechnology and microbiology. Documented experience of molecular work and cultivation of strict anaerobic microorganisms is merit, as is knowledge of the biogas process. You should have good knowledge of reading, writing and expressing you self in English. Great importance is also attached to personal qualities such as the ability to communicate and collaborate as well as ability to analyze and work independently.