PostDoc

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals.

PostDoc "Adaptive mechanisms in phytoplankton community and population dynamics under Arctic heatwaves" (m/f/d)

Background

Experimental as well as natural monitoring studies have shown that Arctic marine primary producers have a surprisingly high capacity to compensate for environmental change, but also that tipping points may appear unexpectedly in diverse systems. With the help of innovative methodological and experimental approaches, in recent years we have developed the tools to link this large adaptive capacity to physiological plasticity, intraspecific selection or functional redundancy between species. This provides new opportunities to understand the extent and limits of this adaptive capacity on a conceptual level.

Our project will investigate in situ and experimental community and population dynamics of Arctic bloom-forming diatoms and elucidate the relative roles of phenotypic plasticity vs. genetic adaptation from the standing diversity. This way we test whether the interplay of these rapid adaptive mechanisms can sustain ecosystem functions under climate change. With our experimental design, we further aim to identify ecological tipping points with respect to warming and heat waves and their eco-evolutionary consequences. This will allow for a better understanding of the principles that govern the extent and limits of ecological buffering capacity and increase predictive capabilities for phytoplankton communities in a rapidly warming Arctic. This Postdoc project is linked to the PhD project “Species-environment interactions in plankton community in response to climate change”.

The position is part of our recruiting initiative AWI INSPIRES - INternational Science Program for Integrative Research in Earth Systems. AWI INSPIRES aims at strengthening our new research program “Changing Earth, Sustaining our Future”. Details about all open positions and the general application requirements can be found at

.

Tasks

You will

• lead an expedition to a field station in Svalbard and on-site field sampling and experiments.
• perform heatwave experiments on natural phytoplankton communities and artificial populations.
• apply cutting edge ecophysiological and molecular methodology to investigate adaptive mechanisms of phytoplankton communities.
• analyze and interpret molecular and ecophysiological data to identify adaptive patterns of key species in the context of environmental and experimental stressors, as well as long-term monitoring data from coastal (Kongsfjord) and oceanic settings (Fram Strait).
• contribute to ecological models of the Svalbard area and to simulations for conceptual understanding of protist adaptation.

Requirements

• PhD in marine biology, preferably in phytoplankton ecology and ecophysiology or related field.
• Experience in polar field campaign logistics and scientific implementation, including both field sampling as well as laboratory-based experimental work and incubations of natural communities.
• Strong background in experimental design and the study of eco-evolutionary mechanisms by means of ecophysiological and molecular approaches.
• Previous experience with single strain isolation and phytoplankton population genetics is desirable.
• Excellent English language skills and a relevant publication record in international peer-reviewed journals.

Further Information

For further information please contact
Prof.
Dr. Björn Rost
(Bjoern.Rost@awi.de, +49(471)4831-1809) or
Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer
(Bettina.Meyer@awi.de, +49(471)4831-1378).
This is a full-time position, limited to 2 years. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level

13
.
The place of employment will be
Bremerhaven.
Postdocs can register with AWI’s postdoc office
, thereby gaining access to a set of tailor made career development tools.

This characterizes us

• our scientific success - excellent research.
• collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary.
• opportunities to develop – on the job, aiming at other positions and beyond AWI.
• a culture of reconciling work and family – audited, and even more than that.
• our outstanding research infrastructure – ships, stations, aircraft, laboratories and more.
• an international environment – everyday contacts with people from all over the world.
• having an influence – fundamental research with social and political relevance
• flat hierarchies – freedom and responsibility.
• exciting topics – also in technology, administration and infrastructure.

Equal opportunities are an integral part of our personnel policy and we encourage women to apply.
Disabled applicants will be given preference when equal qualifications are present. The AWI fosters the compatibility of work and family through various means. Because of our engagement in the area of work-life compatibility we have been awarded the certificate “Career and Family”.

We look forward to your application!

Please forward your application with letter of motivation explaining why you want to join one of our research areas, two letters of recommendation and a list of publications by

February 16
th
, 2020
exclusively online.
Selected candidates will be invited to present their research ideas and motivation during the “Annual recruitment days”, planned from 16 to 24 March 2020 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

mehr...

zur Vakanz

Weitere Jobs von Awi