We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic postdoc for a 3-year position to work on airborne environmental DNA for terrestrial vertebrate monitoring. The position is to commence 1 May 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Our research
The successful candidate will be part of the Environmental DNA Group at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. The group is led by Associate Professor Kristine Bohmann and currently consists of one assistant professor, two postdocs and three PhD students. We focus on environmental DNA and the use of metabarcoding and high-throughput sequencing to assess biodiversity in both modern and ancient environmental samples. Our work includes e.g. the development of laboratory protocols, technical studies, analyses of environmental DNA time-series, and exploration of novel environmental DNA sample types. The latter includes our recent study demonstrating that airborne environmental DNA can be used to detect terrestrial vertebrates.
Your job
You will work on the newly funded Carlsberg Foundation Young Researcher Fellowship awarded to Associate Professor Kristine Bohmann to form a research team dedicated to establish the use of airborne environmental DNA for terrestrial vertebrate monitoring. In addition to state-of-the-art environmental DNA laboratory and computational workflows, the team will bridge disciplines through collaboration with a strong group of national and international collaborators to fine-tune the technique, expand it to natural environments, and apply it to biodiversity studies and standardised surveys.
You will take an active part in the overall team’s work and will work with both national and international collaborators and team members. You will work especially close with the team members based in Copenhagen.
The project involves further development of the technology for use in natural settings, exploration of challenges, opportunities and limitations, and the use of metabarcoding of airborne environmental DNA for vertebrate detection in applied contexts. This can include design and optimisation of air samplers, design of experiments in different natural ecosystems as well as in more controlled settings and comparison to existing monitoring methods. There will be flexibility to shape the postdoc fellowship within this framework.
Profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:
Essential experience and skills
- A PhD in Biology or Molecular Biology
- You are highly experienced in working with ancient and/or modern environmental DNA
- You have experience with eDNA metabarcoding
- You have an active interest in the development of new methodologies for vertebrate monitoring
- Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
- An excellent publication track-record
- Excellent English skills - written and spoken
- Experience with independent international field work.
- Experience in statistical analyses in the field of eDNA using R packages
- Programming skills
- You have knowledge and/or interest in ecology, biodiversity, vertebrate taxonomy or the like
- You are interested in science communication
- You are ideally resourceful and innovative, highly motivated, and enthusiastic with great interpersonal skills and the capability to work in close collaboration with others
- In addition, we put strong emphasis on interest in working in a cross-disciplinary project and for you to take ownership of your projects while having a collaborative mindset and ability to work as part of a team.
The place of employment is at the Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include state-of-the-art ancient and environmental DNA laboratories, the associated National High-throughput DNA Sequencing Centre and computational servers to successfully complete the postdoc tasks.
Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week. The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The starting date is 1 May 2022 or as soon as possible hereafter.
Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation. Currently, the monthly salary starts at 35,000 DKK/approx. 4,700 EUR (October 2021 level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.
Foreign and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.
The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.
Questions
For further information please contact Kristine Bohmann, kbohmann@sund.ku.dk; www.sund.ku.dk
Information about the department can be found at www.globe.ku.dk
Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).
Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ at the end of this link. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:
- Motivated letter of application (max. one page).
- CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.
- A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.
- List of publications.
You may find more information here
