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Postdoc in bioinformatics of oil spill microbiology: Denmark

The Arctic Research Centre (Department of Biology, Aarhus University) invites applications for a 1-year postdoc position in bioinformatics of oil spill microbiology. This is an exciting opportunity to join a research project on Arctic microbial oil degradation in Greenland’s marine environment. The position is available from 1st of September 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Job description/research project/research area:

You will contribute to a project on oil spill biodegradation in Greenland. Earlier during this project, we have acquired a unique dataset of chemical and microbial DNA sequence data from in situ oil spill biodegradation experiments in Greenlandic seawater and sediments.

You are expected to investigate relationships between the composition of oil degrading microbial communities (measured 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and qPCR quantification), environmental parameters and the chemical composition of the oil over time (measured by GC-MS).

This includes:

  • Advanced bioinformatic analysis of genomic data
  • Advanced cheminformatic analysis of GC-MS data
  • Define additional metagenomic analysis of selected samples and perform metagenomic data analysis. Metagenomic analysis will be conducted by, and in collaboration with, the group of Prof. Charles Greer (National Research Council, Canada).
  • Investigate relationships between microbial, chemical and environmental data
  • Publish results in scientific journals

Your profile

Our ideal candidate holds a PhD in relevant domain (e.g. microbiology) or similar and has a strong experience with bioinformatic analysis of complex and large datasets.

Candidates holding a MSc degree with a very strong experience in bioinformatics are also welcome to apply. The position can be converted into a research assistant position.

The following experiences are considered as an advantage:

  • Background knowledge about modern molecular techniques (amplicon sequencing, metagenomics)
  • Background knowledge on chemical analysis (GC-MS or similar)
  • Background knowledge about microbiology and microbial ecology, in particular related to oil biodegradation
  • Publishing in peer-reviewed journals
  • Developing and writing project proposals

Where experience is lacking, the candidate must be motivated to learn and will get the opportunity to develop new skills. The applicant should be interested to co-supervise students. Excellence in both written and spoken English is a requirement.

Who we are

The Arctic is borderless, and so is the Arctic Research Center (ARC). The center recognizes the need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to adequately address contemporary and critical Arctic issues. Therefore, a large number of researchers from a wide variety of disciplines have joined forces to investigate effects of climate changes and related consequences such as increased risk for oil spills on the Arctic cryosphere, ecosystems and societies. Joint field campaigns constitute a focal point in the work of ARC and are an effective means to unite and integrate the different academic fields involved, sparking interdisciplinary collaboration and synergy.

The candidate will also be affiliated with the Section for Microbiology at the Department of Biology. Research at the section integrates microbiological, molecular biological and biogeochemical methods to study the microbial ecology of natural and man-made environments.

The successful candidate is offered:

The successful candidate will be employed by the Department of Biology at Aarhus University and be a part of the Arctic Research Centre at the Department of Biology.

We guarantee access to well-developed research infrastructure.

We work together with the Section for Microbiology at the Department of Biology, with the Section for Environmental Chemistry and Physics at Copenhagen University and with the National Research Council, Canada.

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