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.

 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.

Qualifications

• 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.

More information
Application review will begin in mid May 2019. Send your application as a single pdf file to Maja Weilenmann (maja.weilenmann@ieu.uzh.ch). Include in your application: a cover letter explaining your interest in and suitability for the position, your cv including your publication record, a copy of your Ph.D. diploma and courses taken, and names, institutional affiliations, email addresses and phone numbers of three referees.