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Saturday, January 02, 2010

PhD student, environmental bio-optics

Opportunity for PhD research in the field of environmental bio-optics at SYKE (Helsinki, Finland)

The Marine Research Centre of the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) conducts wide-ranging research on the open Baltic Sea and Finnish coastal waters. Three research programmes focus on the state of the sea environment, marine ecosystems, and ecology and biodiversity. The Academy of Finland will finance a 3-yr PhD-student appointment in our cross-disciplinary bio-optical research team. The student will mainly work on the project ‘Bioluminescence in the Baltic Sea: exploring the potential of night-time optical markers for optical-taxonomical classification of harmful dinoflagellate blooms’. We will attempt to chart the occurrence of dinoflagellate blooms in the Baltic Sea, based on their specific optical properties including their night-time bioluminescence. The project further includes genetic screening of cultured dinoflagellates for the presence of bioluminescence genes, the development of a prototype bioluminescence recorder for use in automated measurement systems, and upscaling findings to the scale of satellite observations of phytoplankton biomass.

The PhD-student will be trained and supported by our research teams with experience in dinoflagellate ecology and genetics, optical modelling, and remote sensing, both in the field and in the laboratory. The candidate is expected to contribute to field work onboard our research vessels Aranda and Muikku.

The PhD student will be advised by Drs. Stefan Simis, Seppo Kaitala, and Anke Kremp working in the Marine Research Laboratory, located on the Kumpula campus in Helsinki, Finland.

Qualifications: M.Sc. degree in biology/ecology/biophysics and a keen interest in environmental monitoring, methods development, and laboratory bases studies. Oral and written English at academic level. We particularly welcome applications from individuals who can demonstrate experience in: molecular lab studies, working with cell cultures, phytoplankton taxonomy, physical (optical) modelling, electronic engineering, remote sensing.

Duration: The funding is for 3 years, starting as soon as possible.

Salary: Salary will be in the range € 2,450 - € 2,700 according to standard salary practises in SYKE.

Additional information about SYKE can be found at www.environment.fi/syke. Information about Baltic Sea research and monitoring activities at www.balticseaportal.fi. Additional information about the position or the project may be requested by e-mail (stefan.simis@environment.fi, seppo.kaitala@environment.fi).

Applications, consisting of a CV and accompanying motivation letter in English, should be addressed to Stefan Simis, SYKE Marine Research Centre, PO Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland. Applications should be received latest 11 January 2010 to be considered for interviews in January.

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