3-year Post-Doctoral Researcher Position in Experimental and Molecular Food Web Ecology

The Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Tvärminne Zoological Station and Academy Research Fellow Dr. Susanne Kortsch are seeking a Postdoctoral researcher. The 3-year position is funded by the Research Council of Finland project entitled ‘Heatwave-driven rewiring of coastal food webs’. The overarching aim of this project is to predict how coastal ecosystems respond to marine heatwaves, a common feature of climate change and one of the most pervasive threats to marine biodiversity globally.

Specifically, the project aims to:
1. Quantify shifts in species dietary preferences under climate warming and resource availability scenarios.
2. Analyze trophic rewiring in mesocosm food webs under heatwave scenarios.
3. Assess the implications of these changes for coastal ecosystem functioning and stability.

This will be achieved through a combination of mesocosm experiments, DNA sequencing, and food web modeling. Combining these approaches will offer a mechanistic understanding of how coastal ecosystems respond to rapidly intensifying heatwaves, a critical insight for effectively managing and safeguarding our coastal marine environments.

YOUR PROFILE
We are interested in two alternative research profiles, or preferably a combination of both:
Profile 1: A completed Ph.D. in in molecular community or environmental ecology (e.g., DNA/eDNA metabarcoding) with a strong interest in applying molecular techniques to community and food web ecology (trophic ecology) across multiple trophic levels (e.g., plankton, benthos, and fish).
Profile 2: A completed Ph.D. in experimental community ecology (e.g., multitrophic experiments or feeding selectivity experiments) with a strong interest in uncovering food web structure and functioning, along with a keen interest in learning and applying new techniques, such as DNA metabarcoding.

Closing date: 31 January 2025