PhD position in marine biology in the EU project “Remedies”

About this job

This is NTNU NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim. At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world. You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KHQjc4ndas&t=41s About the position The Department of Biology (IBI) at NV faculty has a vacant 3-year PhD position for a marine macroalgae research in the Marine Sciences section The position is part of a NTNU well known niche nationally using enabling technology for research and education of algal (phytoplankton, ice algae, macroalgae) dynamics to provide knowledge needed for better ecosystem function and management. This position will be shared with researchers at Department of Biotechnology and Food Science (IBT) focusing on biochemistry (also at NV faculty at NTNU). In addition, the PhD will also collaborate with SINTEF Industry (Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine) focusing on industrial applications. The overarching aim of the Marine Sciences section is focused on sustainable management, production, and utilization of biological marine resources. The announced position will be important in utilizing the momentum in educating the next NTNU generation of marine scientists using enabling technologies to understand, monitor and improve ecosystem health including reduction of human induced stress in the environment. Our departments do work with industry to find solutions and enhance the understanding of ecosystem function to utilize resources in a benign manner to provide “good ecology = good economy”. The PhD candidate will be part of the EU Horizon project “Restoring ocean and waters in waterfront cities and their ports”. The specific objectives are to 1) protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, 2) prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, seas and waters and 3) make a blue economy sustainable, carbon neutral and circular. In Trondheim, our major environmental challenge is sewage and industry wastewater discharge into the Trondheimsfjord, inducing multiple stressors for marine production and biodiversity. Cascade effects, including replacements of kelp species with filamentous algae (“turf”), loss of fish and poor water quality. Remedies approach: Restore declining population and habitats, including cultivation of kelp to remove excessive nutrients, heavy metals and provide biomass for products in the new blue economy. Our goal is to contribute to reduced pollution, better restoration, maintenance of biodiversity and improved water quality. The main activities for the PhD will be to contribute to ensure habitat functions in macroalgae along coastal areas near Trondheim (restoration) which also include cultivation of seaweed at sites with different degrees of pollution level (e.g. nutrient loads and heavy metals). Identification, mapping and monitoring macroalgal growth zones and key environmental variables such as light, temperature, salinity, nutrient loads (e.g. nitrate, phosphate, silicate) by using different robotic platforms (using the operation pyramid comprising mini satellites, aerial drones, autonomous surface and underwater vehicles and moorings) in collaboration with Applied Underwater Robotic laboratory (NTNU) and Fjordlab (part of Ocean Space Centre in Trondheim of (NTNU & SINTEF) will be carried out. The seaweed elemental composition will be analyzed for using cultivated seaweed as bioindicators (uptake of nutrients and pollutants), and biorefinery, including product development, for selected applications will be part of the project. The hired candidate will be able to join a dynamic, cross-disciplinary team that is working on the development of new techniques to provide ecological, physiological and biochemical information needed for enhanced environmental monitoring and corresponding industrial applications. The primary workplace will be at the Trondheim Biological Station, but changes in the place of work may occur during the project period. Your immediate leader will be the head of the department of Biology. Duties of the position Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate Provide time-series of Key Environmental Variables (KEV) in Trondheimsfjord and corresponding growth dynamics of selected macroalgal species comprising brown, red and green macroalgae Model species for natural habitats and growth cultures will be the kelp species Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta and the brown wreck Fucus vesiculosus Combine information on elemental composition and ecophysiology (eg. photosynthetic parameters and pigment composition) in model species to use the algae as bioindicators of water quality and habitat stress level Chemical characterisation of seaweed biomass (cultivated, from restoration areas and from wild populations)

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