She/he/they will join an international and diverse team of researchers led by Liane G. Benning, who is very committed to fostering a fully inclusive research environment. Non-discrimination and equal treatment are integral parts of our group policy. 

The Doctoral researcher will be based in Potsdam and will be one of 11 PhD students in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network ICEBIO. 

ICEBIO's mission is to train  predoctoral researchers in glacier microbiology and biogeochemistry. Glaciers and ice sheets were long believed to be sterile environments, but just like other large ecosystems (e.g., tropical forests, tundra), they are now widely recognized as one of the Earth’s biomes, teeming with life. Active algae, fungi, bacteria and viruses dominate the glacial environment and they have the ability to change the physical and chemical characteristics of the ice and snow, with global effects. Despite their global influence, many of the microbiological processes within the cryosphere remain poorly quantified. A deeper understanding of such processes are relevant to researchers interested in the possibility of life on icy extraterrestrial bodies, the survival and proliferation of life forms on our early Earth, and the positive and negative feedbacks that the cryosphere may have on global warming. The microbial communities living in association with icy environments may also harbor unique metabolic pathways, providing novel opportunities in biotechnology.

The ICEBIO consortium comprises 6 leading research teams across Europe (Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland) and two industrial stakeholders (Germany and France).

The main aim of this particular PhD project will be to develop a workflow for the analyses of targeted and untargeted metabolites produced, consumed, retained or exported from/on seasonally changing snow and ice fields.

Your responsibilities:

• Conduct original research related to microbial metabolic processes in snow and ice environments
• Develop a robust analytical workflow for metabolite analyses from microbial carbon compounds in glacial environments using a range of analytical platforms, including Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICRMS).
• Assess the seasonal metabolite variability and cycling in glacial snow and ice algal blooms
• Publish in international peer-reviewed journals
• Present research results at regular group, department, national and international meetings as posters or oral presentations
• Become an integral part of the ICEBIO team 
• Spend various extended time periods at other ICEBIO consortium partners to diversify your training and collaborations
• Participate in Arctic field campaigns

Your qualifications:

• MSc in biology, biochemistry, molecular microbiology, geoecology or equivalent
• Experience in biochemical reactions with focus on metabolite pathways
• Hands on training in analyses of complex mass spectrometric data sets
• Fieldwork experience is a bonus not a must
• Proficiency in spoken and written English