PhD scholarship: "Integrating ecological and genomic diversity for
climate resilient marine spatial planning"

Are you interested in the development and use of DNA analysis to support
spatial planning in marine biodiversity conservation?

Marine ecosystems are under threat from environmental change and rapidly
increasing human activity on the sea. In response to this, the EU has
proposed a Biodiversity Strategy to protect marine areas. However,
prioritising which areas to protect is not straight forward, as optimal
solutions need to be based on scientific knowledge of the processes that
underlie biodiverse and resilient ecosystems.

To support this process we advertise for a PhD student with interest
in the development and implementation of DNA based methods in aquatic
biodiversity conservation. The PhD student will study the integrated
application of genomic and ecological diversity data for climate resilient
marine spatial planning at the National Institute of Aquatic Resources
(DTU Aqua), Denmark, with starting date November 2024.

The project:
The PhD project is part of the Danish Aage V Jensen foundation funded
project "Integrated ecological, genomic and oceanographic analysis for
planning marine habitat protection". The project is a collaboration
between three Danish Universities: Aarhus University, the Technical
University of Denmark and Aalborg University. In the project, we will
explore marine diversity and habitat connectivity from a number of angles
(species, genetic and functional), which will allow us to generalise tools
for use beyond target species to other species of interest, including
invasive species. We collaborate closely with stakeholders from citizen
and municipality groups engaging in practical conservation of marine
habitats, as well as with international partners from the Institute of
Marine Research in Norway.

The PhD project will primarily be carried out at the Section for Marine
Living Resources' population genetics group situated in Silkeborg,
Denmark. DTU Aqua is an institute at the Technical University of
Denmark. The group works broadly on genetic and genomic analyses aimed
at conservation and management of aquatic species.

The PhD project will focus on multiple metrics of biodiversity to support
ecosystem-based approaches to biodiversity conservation and management
under climate change. Work will focus on species, genetic and functional
diversity and on how this can be maintained in a changing climate using
spatial planning informed by ecological, genomic and oceanographic
analyses.

Using sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) as a model of an ecosystem
foundation species, genomic data will be used to identify climate
associated diversity, predict climate change vulnerability and estimate
gene flow of relevance to future climate adaptation in the foundation
species itself. In addition, the successful candidate will use ecosystem
species diversity data from environmental DNA in combination with habitat
connectivity data, obtained in collaboration with project partners,
to provide a holistic understanding of ecosystem response to future
climate scenarios.

The successful candidate will: 1) Generate and analyse population
genome-wide data from sugar kelp with the aim to make predictions of
species and population vulnerability to future climate change, 2) Apply
eDNA data from a range of marine habitats and locations, to evaluate
associated species diversity and its potential for biomonitoring of
select species.

Qualifications:
You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar
degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

A background in population genetics is preferred and experience with
bioinformatic analyses of large genomic data sets is an asset.

In addition, we are looking for candidates who have:
- Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Biology, Computer Science or
  Engineering
- Keen interest in research and the field of marine and aquatic sciences
- Good collaborative skills
- Proficiency in written and spoken English

Salary and appointment terms:
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish
Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed
upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years. The
starting date is November 2024.

Application:
Apply online at
https://efzu.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/da/sites/CX_1/job/3805/?utm_medium=jobshare
no later than 1 September 2024.

Further information may be obtained from Senior Researchers Dorte
Bekkevold, db@aqua.dtu.dk, and Jakob Hemmer-Hansen, jhh@aqua.dtu.dk.

You can read more about DTU Aqua at www.aqua.dtu.dk
and about the population genetics group at
www.aqua.dtu.dk/english/research/population_genetics

Candidates may apply prior to obtaining their master's degree but cannot
begin before having received it.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability,
religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Jakob Hemmer-Hansen <jhh@aqua.dtu.dk>

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