14 open positions for doctoral researchers in the RTG2530 “Biota-Mediated Effects on Carbon Cycling in Estuaries”

The overall mission of the Research Training Group 2530 (RTG2530) is to fill existing knowledge gaps on biota-mediated effects on estuarine C cycling under current conditions and with respect to global change scenarios. The RTG2530 has been established by an interdisciplinary group of 15 Principal Researchers at Universität Hamburg with scientific backgrounds ranging from terrestrial and marine ecology, via geoscience to microbiology and molecular plant and animal biology.

The Research Training Group (RTG 2530) “Biota-Mediated Effects on Carbon Cycling in Estuaries” starts its second phase in October 2023. We are inviting applications for 14 PhD positions (f, m, d) with an interest in interdisciplinary research on the role of biota on estuarine carbon cycling. The 14 doctoral projects built on the results of the first cohort of doctoral researchers and comprise experimental studies at three established research stations along the Elbe estuary, mesocosm studies and/or laboratory experiments. These will be combined with modelling approaches for integrating “biota-mediated effects on C cycling”.

Application Deadline: June 15th, 2023

• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – Zooplankton – fish larvae interactions in the Elbe estuary under global change”
• Research Associate for the Project “Effect of rising temperature and flooding frequency on surplus C release from alluvial forest trees”
• Research Associate for the Project “Importance of smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) for carbon cycling in the Elbe estuary”
• Research Associate for the Project “Estimating effects of microbial functional diversity on marsh ecosystem carbon balance”
• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – Root exudation in estuarine marshes: from description to prediction”
• Research Associate for the Project “Influence of aquatic subsidies on nutrition ecology and activity of small mammalian marsh consumers”
• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – Effects of the coupling between CH4 and nitrogen transformation processes on CH4 and N2O fluxes in tidal marshes”
• Research Associate for the Project “Carbon cycling in estuaries – Quantifying expression and catalytic activities of CO2 capture processes in the river Elbe Estuary”
• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – The effect of warming on phytoplankton-microzooplankton interactions in the Elbe Estuary and underlying physiological processes”
• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – Climate and vegetation effects on DOC-mobilization in estuarine marsh soils”
• Research Associate for the Project “Adaptation of estuary fish to rising temperatures, salinity and turbidity”
• Research Associate for the Project “Climate change effects of fish diversity and metabolism in the Elbe Estuary”
• Research Associate for the Project “Biota-mediated effects of carbon cycling in estuaries – Impacts of warming on microzooplankton-mesozooplankton interactions in the River Elbe Estuarine Ecosystem”
• Research Associate in aquatic microbial ecology, using molecular tools to follow spatial and temporal changes in prokaryotic and microeukaryotic (fungi & protists) diversity

We are offering

• an excellent research environment
• supervision by an interdisciplinary team
• a structured study program with RTG lectures, lab and field courses