PostDoc in Soil Ecology with focus on synchrotron analysis - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, CEC, is a center at Lund University. CEC conducts research, education and communication on environmental science and climate research, read more here http://www.cec.lu.se/. A central part of the CEC is the coordination of the strategic research area Biodiversity in a Changing Climate (BECC).

BECC is a strategic research area that brings together over 200 researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg. BECC brings together scientists from the natural and social sciences to perform research essential in understanding the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services on local, regional, national and global scales, to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management of ecosystems and biodiversity. We examine how human influence on climate and ecosystems affects biodiversity and ecosystem services from local to global scales and how this knowledge can be integrated into decisions on mitigation or adaptation to these changes. Read more here www.becc.lu.se.

The role of microbes in physical soil carbon stabilization

Soils store much more carbon (C) than the atmosphere, and microorganisms play an important role to govern whether C compounds remain in the soil, or whether they are disintegrated back to CO2. An important mechanism of long-term C storage is the physical stabilization of organic matter within the soil structure, meaning that C can be “hidden” from its decomposers in the complex matrix of soil aggregates, but the processes involved are not well understood.

We will study the dynamic process of microbial soil aggregate formation, and the nature of fungal “gluing” exudates, with help of different synchrotron light techniques, isotope probing and microfluidic systems. We will combine these micro-scale studies with experiments at field scale, where we analyse a soil aggregate structure gradient and investigate the amount of spatio-physical inaccessible C in relation to its aggregate stability.

Contact person: Edith Hammer, +46 46 2224536, e-post edith.hammer@biol.lu.se

Web address to contact person: http://www.biology.lu.se/edith-hammer 

Qualifications - requirements

• PhD within soil science, microbial ecology, geoscience or any other relevant field.
• The candidate must be capable of independent planning, execution and evaluation of experiments, and be must be able to function well in a group.
• The candidate needs to enjoy lab work, problem solving and data analysis, and needs to be flexible with working hours during workload peaks such as during synchrotron beam time allocations.
• Previous experience with methods as STXM, (N) EXAFS, XRF or other (synchrotron) vibration spectroscopic analysis is a strong merit, the interest to quickly learn the required techniques is a requirement.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English are a requirement.

 
Merits

• Previous experience in culturing of (mycorrhizal) fungi, conduction of isotope probing experiments, other spectroscopic analyses or fabrication of microfluidic systems is a merit.
• Knowledge of and experience within the research fields soil aggregation, soil carbon stabilization, and hyphosphere or mycorrhizosphere is a merit.
• Within the wider research team are ecosystem modellers working, and the ability to communicate and make the achieved data available for input into microbial or ecosystem models, as well as active interaction within interdisciplinary meetings is a plus.   
   

The postdocs main duty will be to carry out research in an active research environment including several postdocs, PhD students, and thesis students investigating research questions in similar themes, with generous opportunity for collaborative work. The postdoc is also expected to actively participate in the BECC environment, by e.g. participating, initiating and contributing to seminars, workshops and thematic research meetings. The postdoc may also participate in teaching on a limited basis.

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant have a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree could have been completed earlier.

The most important criterion for evaluating the applicants will be scientific skill. Emphasis will also be on the extent to which the applicant can contribute to the general development of the strategic research area BECC.

Attachments

CV, cover letter and at least two references to former employees/supervisors.

Personal suitability for the project will be of importance

Terms

The University applies individual payroll. Please enter salary claims in your application