PhD position within Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network "BEYOND": Sensitivity of microbially-mediated nutrient cycling to river pollutant stressors in a changing climate

Sensitivity of microbially-mediated nutrient cycling to river pollutant stressors in a changing climate: Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network “BEYOND”

This fully funded PhD position is available under the recently launched Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Doctoral Networks (DN) project “BEYOND”; Beyond the current: Improving European flowing waters in an era of global change. BEYOND will train the next generation of water professionals who will deliver scientific and technological innovation across disciplines, institutions and countries needed to solve European water quality problems in an era of global change.

The aim of this PhD position is to understand the effects of pollutants on in-stream microbial processes. The experimental objectives are:

1) Investigate how microbial community compositions change across environmental pressure gradients (land-use, climate, riparian conditions, water chemistry) related to sensitivity to chemical and physical stressors.

2) Test how pollutants affect microbial community structure, C, N and P cycling and broader ecosystem services.

3) Test if specific microbial community groups influencing key processes may differ in stressor sensitivities than whole community diversity and whether this can inform better monitoring and management of rivers.

The project will be supervised by Dr Eulyn Pagaling, Prof Marc Stutter, Prof Phil Jordan and Dr Anna Lupon.

The position duration is three years. You will be based in the Environmental and Biochemical Sciences Department at the James Hutton Institute located in Aberdeen, Scotland in collaboration with the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Ulster University, N. Ireland.

The Doctoral Candidate will also have an opportunity to take part in short visits and secondments to BEYOND partners University College Dublin, Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Environment Protection Agency and CHIVAS for additional training and knowledge exchange.

More information on BEYOND project and PhD selection process can be found at the following websites: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101169293 and https://www.slu.se/beyond.

Qualifications

The following are essential criteria:

• An MSc (or an equivalent) degree in environmental microbiology, catchment biogeochemistry, stream ecology or environmental sciences.
• Strong familiarity with statistical data analysis.
• Proven good laboratory practice, quality control and dataset handling.
• An interest in fieldwork and research concepts of isolating environmental processes using field and lab assays and experiments and then understanding their context in-situ in catchments and watercourses. 
• Skills in molecular microbiology, including DNA extractions, PCR and metabarcoding.
• Have potential for conducting outstanding research, as demonstrated by scientific accomplishments (quality of MSc thesis, journal or conference presentations, outreach activities, other aspects e.g. code repositories,).
• Be interested in working in a multidisciplinary and international research environment.
• Have excellent communication skills in English, verbally as well as in scientific writing.
• Be willing to undertake international travel for training and research activities of BEYOND and project-specific short-visits and secondments at partner institutions.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must also meet the following criteria:

1) be of any nationality, but must not have resided or carried out main activity in the UK, for more than 12 months in the last 36 months;

2) have not yet been awarded a PhD degree.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, nationality, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. The work language will be English.

Selection process

The applications must be received by 15th of March 2025, including the following documents (all strictly in PDF format):

• Curriculum vitae,
• Master [alternatively, the expected graduation date of a Master degree] and Bachelor diplomas (in a single PDF file),
• Master and Bachelor grades transcripts (in a single PDF file),
• Motivation letter stating your specific interest, motivation and qualifications for the project in question (max 1 A4 page),
• A research statement describing how your expertise and previous experience align with the PhD project objectives (200 words),
• The names of at least two reference persons (provide names and contact details) who can provide information on your research performance.

The applicants must fill the BEYOND application form following the URL below:

https://forms.gle/rKrwomLcZr7Dwm9L9  

The applicants are encouraged to apply for up to three different BEYOND PhD positions, but please note that you have to apply for them separately via relevant institutional websites. Please check the details at https://www.slu.se/beyond

Salary

The monthly gross salary consists of a country-dependent living allowance, a mobility allowance (£522 GBP), and, if applicable, a family allowance (£430 GBP). In the UK the monthly living allowance is £ 2,917 in year one, rising to £ 3,093 in year three.

Timeline

The expected start date for this position is 1st of September 2025.

Candidates selected for interviews will be contacted within 1 month from the closing date.