We would like to advertise some exciting postdoc projects
available at the interdisciplinary research center IceLab
in Umeå University, Sweden. They can be found at the link:
https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/postdoctoral-scholarships/6-1263-24/
. In particular, the project "Environmental paleomicrobiology: Inferring
community composition and function from metabolic fossils" combines
quantitative modeling techniques to rich empirical data sets to understand
the evolution of microbial communities in response to changes in oxygen
availability. The postdoc positions are two-year fellowships financed
by Kempestiftelserna and are part of the IceLab Multidisciplinary
Postdoctoral Program. A fellowship amounts to 700 000 SEK over two
years. The scholarships are tax-free. Application deadline September 20,
2024. Start winter/spring 2025 (exact start date according to agreement).

Project description:
This project explores the impact of coastal deoxygenation on microbial
ecosystems. As oceans face declining oxygen levels due to climate change
and human activities, understanding how these changes affect microbial
communities becomes increasingly important. Using an interdisciplinary
approach that combines molecular ecology, paleogenomics, bioinformatics,
and mathematical modeling, we aim to characterize the taxonomic and
functional diversity of microorganisms in coastal systems such as the
Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, and northern fjords. By analyzing newly
acquired data from water columns and sedimentary archives, we seek to
uncover how past and ongoing deoxygenation events have shaped microbial
community structures and their roles in ecosystem processes.

A key part of this research will be the use of metabolic models to
simulate and study possible microbial community dynamics. These models
will be informed by extensive genomic and transcriptomic data, enabling
us to assess which metabolic pathways may be active under varying
environmental conditions. Our goal is to determine the reliability of
genetic signatures as indicators of specific metabolic functions and to
assess how these functions have evolved over millennia. By integrating
empirical data with simulations, we aim to provide new insights into
the resilience and adaptability of microbial communities in response
to environmental stressors, ultimately improving our understanding of
their contributions to broader, biogeochemical cycles.

This postdoc will be housed in IceLab and hosted by either the Institute
of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics or the Department of Ecology
& Environmental Science depending on what is most appropriate for the
candidate. The postdoc will be supervised by a multidisciplinary team with
complementary expertise in environmental DNA, microbial ecology/evolution,
and mathematical modeling.

Specific Qualifications for the project:
To qualify for the fellowship, the candidate should have a PhD degree,
or a foreign degree that is deemed equivalent, in a relevant discipline
such as aquatic microbial ecology, molecular biology, applied mathematics,
mathematical/computational biology, evolution, etc. We note that since
the project is multidisciplinary and can be tailored to the specific
expertise of the candidate, we are inclusive of many academic backgrounds
that may be appropriate for addressing the topic. The ideal candidate
should be motivated to carry out research in data-driven science with
a strong interest in ecology. The candidate should also possess skills
in analyzing varied molecular data sets via computer programming.

Contact Information:
Eric Capo, Assistant Professor at Department of Ecology & Environmental
Science, Umeå University (eric.capo@umu.se).
Eric Libby, Associate Professor at Department of Mathematics and
Mathematical Statistics, IceLab, Umeå University (eric.libby@umu.se).

Eric Libby <elibbyscience@gmail.com>

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