PhD Opportunity - Role of intertidal microbial biodiversity in sediment ecosystem functions
Funding: Horizon 2020 ERA-NET COFUND
Supervisors: Dr. Bruno Jesus (University of Nantes), Dr. Cédric Hubas (MNHN-Concarneau) and Prof. Laurent Barillé (University of Nantes)
Eligibility and funding amount: EU students are eligible to apply for full funding.
Localisation : University of Nantes
Deadline: Monday 6th February, 2017.
Objectifves : (1) To identify and quantify the relation between microphytobenthos biodiversity, the carbon cycle and sediment stability in tidal flat sediments across multiple food web levels, in contrasting sediment types. (2) To determine and quantify the importance of bacterial and microphytobenthos biodiversity for EPS composition and dynamics, and sediment stability.
Research Training: The student will participate in the BIO-Tide project (Horizon 2020 ERA-NET COFUND) and will be trained in a variety of laboratory techniques and skills related to measuring microbial diversity, primary productivity and sediment cohesion. The work will involve a mixture of field and laboratory work and there is significant scope to work with project partners at the University of Ghent (Belgium), EPFL (Switzerland) and University of St. Andrews (Scotland). The student will be based at the University of Nantes but will be expected to travel and spent some time abroad carrying research within the scope of the research project. He or she will be a member of the VENAM doctoral school and will be affiliated to the MMS laboratory (U. Nantes) and BOREA (MNHN)
