PhD Position (m/f/d) “Biodiscovery of novel extremozymes from marine deep-sea sponge microbiomes”

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel is a foundation under public law jointly financed by the Federal Republic of Germany (90%) and the State of Schleswig-Holstein (10%). It is one of the internationally leading institutions in the field of marine research.

Through our research and our commitment to the transfer of knowledge and technology, we contribute significantly to the preservation of the function and protection of the ocean for future generations.

The research unit Marine Symbioses of the research division Marine Ecology is offering a

PhD Position (m/f/d)

“Biodiscovery of novel extremozymes from marine deep-sea sponge microbiomes”

with a tentative start date on January 1st 2025. The position offers the possibility to attain a doctoral degree in natural sciences.

Job Description

The potential PhD candidate will join the newly funded international Horizon Europe project XTREAM. The overarching goal of this research consortium is the sustainable exploration and biodiscovery of novel products and processes from extreme aquatic microbiomes with the aim to expedite the circular economy.

The PhD thesis will focus on large-scale bioinformatic analysis of deep-sea sponge metagenomes to discover novel enzymes from their cryptic microbiome. Machine learning algorithms will be developed and utilized to identify novel extremozymes with various biotechnologically relevant functions (i.e. carbohydrate utilization, pollutant degradation) and to unravel microbial community interactions within the sponge holobiont. The prospective candidate will heterologously express extremozymes in diverse expression hosts, verify their enzymatic activity and characterize the respective reaction parameters.

Qualification

Requirement for employment is a university degree (Master or equivalent) in (micro)-biology, bioinformatics, or in a similar related subject. The employment will be at the research unit Marine Symbioses of the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

The candidate should have first experience with bioinformatic analysis of metagenomic/meta-omic data and working with command line-based computer systems. Wet-lab experience such as PCR, enzymatic assays, cloning and heterologous expression is required. English proficiency is expected in order to present research results at project meetings and at international scientific conferences.

Desirable qualifications include an interest in marine biotechnology and in particular, the application of AI for enzyme discovery from extremophiles, as well as an understanding of microbial community interactions in sponge holobionts. Experience with publishing research results in international journals is considered a plus.

At a workplace, directly on the Kiel Fjord with many leisure and recreational opportunities, we offer you:

• Good conditions for work-life balance: We offer, among other things, the possibility of mobile working and individual working time arrangements, vacation courses for the children of our employees, and good support in finding a place in a daycare center at the Kiel site
• Support services for professional and personal life situations
• An exciting work environment with the opportunity to provide important impetus for the development of sustainable solutions
• Exciting topics in an international environment
• Work in the field of marine and climate research, a forward-looking area with social significance
• 30 vacation days + additional time off at Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
• Company pension plan and capital-forming benefits

The position is available for a funding period of three years with an option for an additional year. The salary depends on qualification and could be up to class 13 TVöD-Bund of the German tariff for public employees. This is a part-time position according to 75 % of a full-time equivalent. The position can not be split. Flexible working time models are possible in principle. The fixed-term contract shall comply with Section 2 Paragraph 1 of The Act of Academic Fixed-Term Contract (German WissZeitVG).

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel seeks to increase the proportion of female scientists and explicitly encourages qualified female academics to apply. GEOMAR is an equal opportunity employer and encourages scientists with disabilities to apply. Qualified disabled applicants will receive preference in the application process.

Please send your application for this post including i) a curriculum vitae with a list of publications, ii) Master (or equivalent) certificate or proof of records, iii) a motivation statement (max. 2 pages), and iv) contact addresses of two possible referees. Please abstain from sending application portraits and sent all required documents not later than 30^th September 2024 under the following link:

Online application

As soon as the selection procedure has finished, all your application data will be removed according to data protection regulation.

For further information regarding the position and research unit please contact Dr. Erik Borchert (eborchert(at)geomar.de).

We will answer all your questions if you send us an e-mail to bewerbung(at)geomar.de. In doing so, please refer to the keyword “XTREAM”.

For further information on GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel or the Helmholtz Association, please visit www.geomar.de or www.helmholtz.de.

GEOMAR is committed to an objective and non-discriminatory personnel selection. Our job advertisements address all people. We expressly renounce the submission of application photos.