Doctoral student in Biology

Description of the workplace

The Biology Department has approximately 450 students, 75 postgraduate students and 300 employees.

Biology is the broad subject about all living things. It encompasses everything from processes at the molecular and cellular level to global processes at ecosystem level. The subject is divided into a range of sub-disciplines and specialisations. The PhD programme at the Department of Biology includes many of these specialisations, from molecular biology to applied ecology, from viruses and individual cells to evolutionary biology and global biodiversity. Taking on research studies at the Department of Biology generally means focusing on a delimited part of the research area of biology and may include field studies, experiments, theoretical studies, or a combination of these.

Being a doctoral student

As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University.

As a doctoral student, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis and a doctoral degree.

More about being a doctoral student at the Faculty of Science.

Work duties

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral education, which mainly consists of writing a doctoral thesis. You will be part of a research project but also part of a larger researcher group (Molecular Ecology & Evolution Lab). You will also participate in doctoral courses, seminars, and conferences.

The theme of this PhD project is to test key hypotheses in life history, telomere ecology and ageing research, using songbirds as study systems. The aims are to conduct experimental studies of costs of mild infections on somatic maintenance (e.g., telomeres) and ageing, and studies of wild songbirds investigating transgenerational effects of malaria infections, how early life conditions, migration and breeding effort affect body maintenance (telomere shortening/elongation), ageing and fitness. Key questions: Can moderate costs (induced by infection, breeding etc.) induce ‘scars’ that remain ‘hidden’ but accumulate eventually reducing lifespan and fitness? Are early-life conditions crucial in inducing these processes and pace of life strategy?

The PhD student will generate new and work with already collected material in the long-term study of great reed warblers (GRW), as well as analyse samples and data from two malaria infection experiments on songbirds. In Lund, the work involves DNA extraction, qPCR to measure telomere length, multiplex PCR to measure malaria infection and statistical analyses of large long-term data. Each year, there is several months of intense fieldwork at Lake Kvismaren, Närke, involving daily observations of all breeding GRW, collect blood samples and data of breeding performance. The project gives excellent opportunity to learn DNA techniques, statistical methods, and fieldwork.

In addition to studies, a maximum of 20% of working time may be spent on teaching and other departmental work. Normally, PhD students spend ca 10% of their working time on this.

Qualifications

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfill the requirements below.

Admission requirements

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Biology if the applicant has:

• completed an independent work (e.g. degree project) in a relevant subject comprising at least 30 higher education credits.
• have good oral and written proficiency in English.

Additional requirements

In order to complete the doctoral programme in question, the following are also required:

• a MSc in biology, with specialization in animal ecology/behavioural ecology and molecular ecology, or a closely related area,
• experience and demonstrated skills to conduct relevant laboratory work on DNA,
• ability to conduct statistical analyses using R,
• experience of field work on songbirds is very important,
• good ability to conduct independent work, as well as to formulate and analyse scientific problems,
• good written and oral communication skills
• very good knowledge of English, spoken and written
• good ability to cooperate.
• high motivation and a sincere interest in this particular project is crucial.

Additional merits
Besides the requirements above the following knowledge and skills provides additional merits:

• experience of and ability to conduct relevant laboratory work: phenol/chloroform-based DNA extraction, PCR analyses av avian malaria infections and qPCR analyses for measuring telomere length,
• experience of and ability to conduct statistical analyses in R of infection-, life history-, and fitness data.
• Extensive experience of field work on great reed warblers is a very important extra plus.
• A valid ethical permit for animals (birds) allowing to handle and take blood samples on wild birds is extra plus.
• Experience of qPCR-based telomere length analyses is an important extra plus.

Selection criteria

The selection of eligible applicants will be made taking into account the ability to benefit from the training based on the following criteria:

• Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study (e.g., gradings on relevant Master level courses including Master thesis examination).
• Knowledge and skills described in Admission requirements and Additional requirements above.
• Knowledge and skills described in Additional merits above.

We offer
Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.

More about working at Lund University

About the employment

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full time, preliminary starting date 2026-05-01.

Third-cycle studies consists of full-time studies for 4 years. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended accordingly. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

More about terms of employment for doctoral students on Lund University’s Staffpages.

How to apply

The application should be written in English and you must attach to your application:

• CV and personal letter with a justification of why you are interested in the training place/employment and in what way the research project matches your interests and your educational background.
•  Copies of issued study certificates and/or diplomas. These should prove your basic and special eligibility for the doctoral education subject and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral education project.
• Other information that you wish to refer to (copies of grades, information for references, letters of recommendation, certificate of taken animal ethics course (for birds) etc.).

We welcome your application!