PhD in biology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Telomere length, immune responses and immune costs

Requirement profile

Eco-immunology targets one of the great challenges in biology and medicine - how the immune system has evolved to optimize protection and minimize immunopathology (incl. autoimmune) costs. Recent research suggests that seemingly harmless pathogens and short-term episodes of immune system activation entail delayed (‘hidden’) fitness costs. However, the mechanisms mediating these costs are still unknown. The project thus aims to explore these mechanisms and a major target is to experimentally test if accelerated telomere degradation is a causative mechanism through which small immune costs can accumulate and be translated into senescence and reduced Darwinian fitness. We use established captive songbird set-ups to conduct carefully designed breeding experiments combined with state-of-the-art laboratory techniques for blood analysis. The work integrates theory and methods of evolutionary ecology, immunology and molecular biology, and has broad significance including for e.g. epidemiology and ageing research.

Project description

Main focus will be on; (1) how parent age and sex affect the telomere length of their offspring and how offspring telomere length in turn affects their physical condition, immune defence and health, (2) sex differences in (direct and delayed) immune costs in relation to which parts of the immune system that is being activated, and (3) studies of how mild disease may affect telomere shortening and if this in turn can be related to physiological aging.
The PhD student will have main responsibility for management of a laboratory population of zebra finches and setup of mating experiments, implementation of immune challenge experiments and blood sampling, laboratory work using modern molecular techniques to analyse telomere length, immune and oxidative stress parameters, analysis of behavioral and physiological data using advanced statistical methods, collaboration with other group members, research groups at LU and internationally, as well as writing scientific publications for international peer-reviewed journals.

Required Qualifications

Master degree in biology, with specializations in animal ecology, evolutionary/behavioural ecology and molecular ecology. We seek a bright and highly motivated candidate with high motivation and a sincere interest in this particular project. You should have a Master degree in biology, with specializations in animal ecology, evolutionary/behavioural ecology and molecular ecology.
It is highly desired that the applicant has - documented experience of laboratory work using modern molecular techniques such as qPCR analyses (to quantify telomere length) and experience with analyses of immune and oxidative stress assays will be advantageous.
Solid knowledge of basic statistics and experience (documented) of analysing large data sets with modern statistical methods and tools (such as in R or SAS).
You also need to have good analytical skills, excellent oral and written communication skills in English and documented experience with scientific writing.
Strong interest in experimental laboratory work, in particular experience of work on (breeding) birds held in aviaries, as well as blood sampling on birds are important.

Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.