Doctoral student in Microbial Nitrogen Cycling in Oxygen-Depleted Waters
Göteborgs universitetPublicerad: 2026-06-20
Ansök senast: 2026-07-31
Beskrivning
The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.
This PhD studentship is part of the ERC Synergy project RECLESS (Recycling versus loss in the marine nitrogen cycle: controls, feedbacks, and the impact of expanding low oxygen regions). RECLESS aims to predict how ongoing ocean deoxygenation impacts microbial nitrogen transformations and thereby the future availability of nitrogen to support oceanic primary production and carbon sequestration. The project brings together researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg, Vienna and Southern Denmark as well as Carnegie Science, and synergistically integrates innovative oceanographic, biogeochemical, ecophysiological, and model-based approaches.
The position will contribute to our ongoing efforts to unravel the pathways, dynamics, and environmental controls of microbial nitrogen transformations in oxygen-depleted waters. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to utilize novel instrumentation for oxygen-contamination-free sampling and incubation (in situ technology), and state-of-the-art stable isotope techniques. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and international team, with interdisciplinary collaborations and opportunities for fieldwork.
General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages.
https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies
Duties
The successful candidate will contribute to expanding our understanding of microbial processes in oxygen-depleted waters; specifically, the doctoral student will:
• Participate in fieldwork campaigns (at research stations and seagoing expeditions; including, but not limited to, the eastern tropical Pacific and Baltic Sea), undertaking sampling, lab-based and in situ incubations
• Elucidate pathways and environmental controls of microbial processes involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, using in situ and lab-based rate measurements through the use of stable isotopes
• Utilize novel instrumentation for in situ incubations and oxygen determinations
• Contribute to the development and optimization of laboratory and field-based analytical methods
• Work in collaboration with other members of RECLESS on interdisciplinary projects
• Publish and present their work in internationally recognized journals and conferences
Doctoral studies comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree. The education should include courses of at least 60 higher education credits, distributed over the study period and planned together with the supervisor and the examiner.
As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include outreach and administration. The employment is extended by the corresponding time.
Eligibility
Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.
The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are:
1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totaling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.
Assessment criteria
The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the education at third-cycle level.
The following are considered requirements for the position:
• Master's degree or equivalent in microbial ecology, biogeochemistry or a related discipline
• Knowledge of elemental cycling within aquatic systems
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills in English
The following is considered advantageous for the position:
• Experience collecting, processing, and analysing samples from aquatic systems
• Familiarity with stable isotopes and/or mass spectrometry techniques (e.g. GC-MS)
• Involvement in fieldwork and/or seagoing research
• Knowledge of low-oxygen aquatic environments
• Ability to process, analyse and visualise scientific data using R, Python, or similar tools
The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the doctoral studies.
Admission and employment
Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.
The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100.
Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time.
A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.
The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.
Type of employment:Fixed term employment, 4 years.
Extent:Full time, 100%.
Location: Until further notice at the Department of Marine Sciences in Gothenburg
First day of employment: Upon agreement, preferably by November 1, 2026
Please note, doctoral studies at the Department of Marine Sciences require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the Department of Marine Sciences has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies.
Contact information
If you have any questions about the position, please contact:
Dr. Laura Bristow - Associate Professor, laura.bristow@gu.se
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact:
Helen Tholander - Human Resources Officer, helen.tholander@gu.se
Unions
Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-union-representatives
Application
You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline. All documents in the application should be submitted in English.
The application should contain:
• A degree certificate or similar
• A CV
• A representative example of scientific writing (e.g., MSc thesis, manuscript, or report)
• A statement of interest (1 to 2 pages)
• Contact information of two references (name, contact information, and relation)
Applications must be received by: 2026-07-31
Information for International Applicants
Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:
https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
Salaries are set individually at the University.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
This PhD studentship is part of the ERC Synergy project RECLESS (Recycling versus loss in the marine nitrogen cycle: controls, feedbacks, and the impact of expanding low oxygen regions). RECLESS aims to predict how ongoing ocean deoxygenation impacts microbial nitrogen transformations and thereby the future availability of nitrogen to support oceanic primary production and carbon sequestration. The project brings together researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg, Vienna and Southern Denmark as well as Carnegie Science, and synergistically integrates innovative oceanographic, biogeochemical, ecophysiological, and model-based approaches.
The position will contribute to our ongoing efforts to unravel the pathways, dynamics, and environmental controls of microbial nitrogen transformations in oxygen-depleted waters. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to utilize novel instrumentation for oxygen-contamination-free sampling and incubation (in situ technology), and state-of-the-art stable isotope techniques. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and international team, with interdisciplinary collaborations and opportunities for fieldwork.
General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages.
https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies
Duties
The successful candidate will contribute to expanding our understanding of microbial processes in oxygen-depleted waters; specifically, the doctoral student will:
• Participate in fieldwork campaigns (at research stations and seagoing expeditions; including, but not limited to, the eastern tropical Pacific and Baltic Sea), undertaking sampling, lab-based and in situ incubations
• Elucidate pathways and environmental controls of microbial processes involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling, using in situ and lab-based rate measurements through the use of stable isotopes
• Utilize novel instrumentation for in situ incubations and oxygen determinations
• Contribute to the development and optimization of laboratory and field-based analytical methods
• Work in collaboration with other members of RECLESS on interdisciplinary projects
• Publish and present their work in internationally recognized journals and conferences
Doctoral studies comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree. The education should include courses of at least 60 higher education credits, distributed over the study period and planned together with the supervisor and the examiner.
As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include outreach and administration. The employment is extended by the corresponding time.
Eligibility
Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.
The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are:
1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totaling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.
Assessment criteria
The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the education at third-cycle level.
The following are considered requirements for the position:
• Master's degree or equivalent in microbial ecology, biogeochemistry or a related discipline
• Knowledge of elemental cycling within aquatic systems
• Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills in English
The following is considered advantageous for the position:
• Experience collecting, processing, and analysing samples from aquatic systems
• Familiarity with stable isotopes and/or mass spectrometry techniques (e.g. GC-MS)
• Involvement in fieldwork and/or seagoing research
• Knowledge of low-oxygen aquatic environments
• Ability to process, analyse and visualise scientific data using R, Python, or similar tools
The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the doctoral studies.
Admission and employment
Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.
The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100.
Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time.
A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.
The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.
Type of employment:Fixed term employment, 4 years.
Extent:Full time, 100%.
Location: Until further notice at the Department of Marine Sciences in Gothenburg
First day of employment: Upon agreement, preferably by November 1, 2026
Please note, doctoral studies at the Department of Marine Sciences require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the Department of Marine Sciences has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies.
Contact information
If you have any questions about the position, please contact:
Dr. Laura Bristow - Associate Professor, laura.bristow@gu.se
If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact:
Helen Tholander - Human Resources Officer, helen.tholander@gu.se
Unions
Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-union-representatives
Application
You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline. All documents in the application should be submitted in English.
The application should contain:
• A degree certificate or similar
• A CV
• A representative example of scientific writing (e.g., MSc thesis, manuscript, or report)
• A statement of interest (1 to 2 pages)
• Contact information of two references (name, contact information, and relation)
Applications must be received by: 2026-07-31
Information for International Applicants
Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit:
https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
Salaries are set individually at the University.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
