Osoite The Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, at the University of Turku invites applications for contract-based, fixed term Postdoctoral researcher position for two years. Employment starts on as agreed.
The selected candidate will work within the framework of a Research Council of Finland-funded project "Fungal parasitism along a salinity gradient: an overlooked driver of marine phytoplankton blooms" (led by Dr Silke Van den Wyngaert, ).
The project aims to explore the molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation in chytrids, zoosporic fungi from the Chytridiomycota phylum. As lethal parasites of phytoplankton, chytrids significantly influence the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms, impacting key ecosystem processes. While traditionally isolated from and studied in freshwater environments, chytrids are increasingly observed in brackish and marine waters. The salinity barrier is considered one of the most difficult physicochemical barrier to cross, playing a crucial role in determining microbial community composition. Molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation in chytrids will be investigated through comparative genome and transcriptome analyses.
Job description
The selected candidate will:
The selected candidate will work within the framework of a Research Council of Finland-funded project "Fungal parasitism along a salinity gradient: an overlooked driver of marine phytoplankton blooms" (led by Dr Silke Van den Wyngaert, ).
The project aims to explore the molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation in chytrids, zoosporic fungi from the Chytridiomycota phylum. As lethal parasites of phytoplankton, chytrids significantly influence the dynamics of phytoplankton blooms, impacting key ecosystem processes. While traditionally isolated from and studied in freshwater environments, chytrids are increasingly observed in brackish and marine waters. The salinity barrier is considered one of the most difficult physicochemical barrier to cross, playing a crucial role in determining microbial community composition. Molecular mechanisms of salinity adaptation in chytrids will be investigated through comparative genome and transcriptome analyses.
Job description
The selected candidate will:
- conduct assembly and genome analysis of chytrid cultures and single cells isolated from the Baltic Sea.
- perform comparative genome analysis and analyze transcriptome experiments.
- draft study outcomes for submission to peer-reviewed journals.
- have the opportunity to contribute to other ongoing projects, including targeted Fungal Parasite Omics analyses.
