Postdoc position: “to shed light on the biology of the enigmatic DPANN archaea and their hosts”

The Spang Team within the Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry (MMB) located at the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), is looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a background in cultivation of halophilic organisms, microscopy, transcriptomics, microbial genomics or related fields with an interest in symbiosis and archaea. The position is offered for 21 months.

ROYAL NIOZ

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development.

THE DEPARTMENT

The research of the Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry (MMB) has a long history of studying Archaea, and other marine microbes, their interactions, and their role in biogeochemical cycling in a variety of marine environments, varying from tidal flats and coral reefs to the deep ocean and sediments. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, bioinformatics resources and analytical equipment, and has an excellent level of technical support.

THE PROJECT

The research team of Anja Spang has a key interest in the role of symbiosis in the evolution of life on Earth ranging from the origin of the eukaryotic cell to symbiotic relationships between different extant microbial groups, such as syntrophic and symbiotic interactions involving archaeal partners. A focus of her research lies in the study of DPANN archaea, which comprises organisms with extremely small genomes and cell sizes, that includes the so far only parasitic members of the archaea.

In this project, we are using cultivation, microscopy, molecular biology and transcriptomics approaches to identify hosts of uncultivated DPANN symbionts, enrich and characterise previously uncultivated DPANN representatives and elucidate symbiont-host interactions between Candidatus Nanohaloarchaeum antarcticus and Halorubrum lacusprofundi host to expand our knowledge of the diversity of DPANN archaea-host systems and gain insights into the functional role of DPANN symbionts and their potential impact on host ecology. 

THE CANDIDATE

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a PhD and background in cultivation, omics, microscopy, molecular biology, and related fields. We seek to attract candidates from the widest possible pool and strive to build an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. Therefore, we welcome applications of candidates representing the broadest possible range of age, gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

NIOZ wants to be a transparent institute with a healthy working climate and an inclusive culture, where people from diverse backgrounds and gender bring their talents and further develop these talents. We aim for inclusive decision-making processes and expect our leadership to show visible commitment, awareness of bias, and cultural intelligence.

CONDITIONS

• Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I for a duration of 21 months.
• Salary compliant with CAO-WVOI  (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes) scale 10 or 11 depending on relevant experience. 
• The freedom to fulfill your role and space and opportunities for your personal (talent) development with the help of the NIOZ Academy.
• 338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.
• Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%.
• 2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.
• Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.
• We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Anja Spang. For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to working@nioz.nl

Closing date for this vacancy is October 11th. Interviews are scheduled in the week of October 21st.