Postdoctoral fellow in evolutionary biology of sponges and rotifers

Subject description

Oxygen-depleted environments, such as aquatic sediments, are widespread on our planet. While often considered anoxic “dead zones", these zones support diverse life, including eukaryotes (e.g.,sponges, protists). These eukaryotes exhibit specialized metabolism that has evolved by e.g.,neofunctionalization of existing machinery or gene transfer. Lateral Gene Transfer (LGT) – the movement of genetic material across species borders – can allow for the wholesale acquisition of a new function. While well-documented in microbes, LGT is rare in animals due to constrains on vertical transfer of foreign DNA to offspring.

The prospective post-doctoral fellow will be hosted by Dr. Courtney Stairs in the Biology Department at Lund University. The fellow will examine the evolutionary consequence of lateral gene transfer into freshwater animals including sponges and rotifers specifically related to anaerobic metabolic reactions using laboratory and field samples.

Work duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

Work duties include:

• The successful candidate will work on the above outlined research project. It is expected that she/he will apply and optimize methodologies to pursue the overall project goals, and design and interpret experiments. All work will be carried out embedded in a research team, requiring sharing of expertise, open discussion of results and facilitating experiments of other team members. International collaboration is planned in the project, including work visits to at least one foreign lab
• Active participation at international conferences is expected, as well as dissemination of results in peer reviewed international publications
• Opportunities for supervision of degree projects (Bachelor and Master) as well as co-supervision of PhD projects may be provided and would be encouraged
• The successful candidate is expected to actively seek independent research funding during the employment period, to provide an opportunity to transition towards an independent researcher position
• Finally, the position may include limited duties in administration related to the work duties listed above

Qualification requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has 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 date of employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• A PhD degree in evolutionary biology
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Documented ability in ribonucleic acid extraction from freshwater or benthic mesofauna including sponges or rotifers
• Documented experience in transcriptomics, species identification and cryptic species identification in sponges or rotifers
• Documented experience with transcriptomic and statistical analysis in R.
• Documented experience in supervision at the BSc or MSc levels
• A good track record of publishing peer-reviewed academic papers
• Evidence of ability to work efficiently both independently and as a member of a team
• Evidence of ability to organize resources, plan and progress work activities, and meet deadlines effectively and consistently and follow critical instructions
• Ability to communicate scientific results and knowledge to non-specialists and students
• Driving license valid in Sweden is necessary for sampling trips.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Additional assessment criteria:

• Documented abilities and experiences of working with genetic, cell biological and biochemical methods that will be used in the project (see above)
• Documented ability and experience in wet and in silico work with non-model organisms or environmental samples outlined above
• Relevant cover letter and application questionnaire

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and submitted through Varbi and contain information about the details below. You also need to answer the application questions in Varbi.

• Copy of your doctoral degree 
• List of publications
  
  • Highlight two papers and provide a brief account of why these two papers relate to research project regarding adaptation of freshwater animals to environmental parameters.  
• A two page CV with contact information for two references 
• A two page cover letter with the following included: 
  
  • Two page maximum
  • Clear explanation of how your past experiences align with the outlined qualifications above; 
  • One or two sentences explaining why sponges or rotifers are excellent model systems to study gene transfer in animals; 
  • Include one or two sentences about an anaerobic pathway you are interested in and why.