The position will be held in the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich, with access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, a diverse and interactive scientific atmosphere, and an international, English-speaking working environment. Opportunities for professional development, e.g. in project management, leadership, mentoring, teaching and grant writing, are available and encouraged.

Your responsibilities

Research will focus on the microbiology of oxic and anoxic aquatic microbial communities in laboratory-based ecosystems. Similar to Winogradsky columns, except liquid phase, these experimental ecosystems provide the opportunity for close observation and control of microbial composition and functioning, and for observation and control of environmental parameters such as temperature and resource availability. These features provide opportunities to explore important and exciting new theories in ecology and evolution. The project will be embedded in the Predictive Ecology research group of Owen Petchey, which has the general aim to advance understanding of ecology and evolution in order to facilitate and improve predictions of how organisms and their environment respond to environmental change.

Your profile

• knowledge of ecological/evolutionary theory and microbiology
• a relevant Ph.D. degree
• relevant publications in peer-reviewed scientific journal(s)
• ability to apply standard methods of microbial community manipulation and analysis, including producing and analysing data from next generation sequencing
• ability to effectively specify questions, hypotheses, and goals
• knowledge of bioinformatics, experimental design, and statistical analyses
• ability to work in a team and independently
• ability to independently produce a high quality draft manuscript

What we offer

The city of Zurich is regarded as having high quality of life and standard of living with remuneration to match. During hot summers the lake, river, and many outdoor pools provide cooling opportunities, and the close-by Alps cater for many summer and winter outdoor activities. Local and regional (Europe) rail networks meet at Zurich’s main train station and provide convenient and low environmental-impact travel to many European cities. The city’s international airport is convenient when required.