Postdoctoral position (2 years) in biodiversity monitoring using eDNA

We are announcing a postdoctoral position in ecology with a focus on monitoring biodiversity in northern ecosystems using eDNA. The postdoctoral project will be part of a larger EU-funded project with researchers from both Sweden and Finland. The employment is on fulltime for two years, but can be extended up to one additional year. The deadline for applications is September 29th, 2024 and the position is expected to start within 2024, or according to agreement. Welcome with your application!

Research description
Global and European agreements highlight the urgency to monitor biodiversity. Furthermore, the new Nature Restoration Law will substantially increase the need for biodiversity monitoring in EU countries. Monitoring biodiversity, however, is very time demanding and costly due to the extensive expertise needed to identify species in different environments and the associated laborious field work. Environmental DNA (eDNA), the detection of DNA traces left in the environment by different organisms), has great potential to become an efficient tool in biodiversity monitoring.

The presently used eDNA methods have been shown to be well suited for temperate ecosystems, but commonly fail to detect key species in ecosystems located at more northern latitudes. Many sensitive ecosystems in Northern Sweden and Finland are under pressure from e.g. climate change and forest management practises. The overall objective is to develop efficient and standardized eDNA sampling and processing methods tailored to Northern habitats and species.

The planned postdoctoral work consists of two parts. In the first part, the needs and potential for monitoring of species and ecosystems in northern Sweden and Finland using eDNA are assessed. The suitability of eDNA methods and tools already available for biodiversity sampling is evaluated, and how they can be used or optimized to be functional in northern habitats is analyzed. In this, we will work with stakeholders using or in need of eDNA tools for various biodiversity sampling tasks, surveying their needs through a questionnaire, interviews and workshops

In the second part metabarcoding approaches will be conducted in parallel with extensive shotgun-based metagenomics in order to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of different methods and markers when it comes to monitor species in Northern ecosystems. Data produced will be used to reconstruct a long time series of biodiversity changes in a boreal ecosystem using archived samples. The selected candidate will be involved in the project design, data analysis, publication of results and communication with stakeholders. For more information on our newly developed shotgun-based approach, see:

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.06.569882v1

Opportunities for professional development, as an example in project management, leadership, mentoring, supervision, teaching and grant writing, are available and encouraged.

The Postdoc will work with professor Roland Jansson and associate professor Per Stenberg (Umeå University), and also a network of researchers and stakeholders involved in biodiversity monitoring from Finland and Sweden. The position is funded by an Interreg Aurora project.

Qualifications
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision.

To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area. Postdoctoral fellows who are to teach or supervise must have taken relevant courses in teaching and learning in higher education.

The successful candidate should have an interest and documented experience in ecological questions and/or methods. This could mean a PhD in ecology, genetics, or a closely related field. Previous experience is required in at least one of the following: eDNA analysis, analysis of large-scale DNA sequence datasets (bioinformatics), or biodiversity monitoring. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to conceive, execute and complete research projects, ability to think independently and creatively as well as ability to work in a team and independently are expected. Experience in working with boreal ecosystems and communication with stakeholders and/or outreach activities is meriting.

How to apply
The application should contain the following, written in Swedish or English:

• A personal cover letter motivating your application and how you can contribute to the research (max one page),
• CV including list of publications, highlighting max 3 relevant publications, with links to the publications
• A copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
• Contact information for two reference persons,
• Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.

The closing date is September 29th, 2024.

Contact
Any additional questions about the research or application should be directed to Roland Jansson (roland.jansson@umu.se) or Per Stenberg (per.stenberg@umu.se)

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science carries out research and postgraduate education in ecology, environmental science and physical geography. The department has about 150 employees, about 30 of whom are post-docs. For more information, visit: https://www2.umu.se/en/department-of-ecology-and-environmental-science/