Call for Candidates: Predoctoral Fellowship – MedAcidWarm Project

Research Context

Ocean warming and acidification pose significant threats to benthic species and jeopardise essential ecosystem services, including fisheries and shoreline protection. As atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to rise, their effects on seawater temperature and pH are expected to intensify by the middle of this century unless decisive climate-mitigation measures are implemented.

Understanding the capacity of marine species to acclimate to these environmental stressors is therefore essential for predicting changes in community structure, ecosystem stability and the continued provision of key ecosystem services.

Position Description

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly motivated candidate with a background in Molecular Biology or related fields to join our team and apply for competitive national predoctoral fellowships.

Subject to successfully obtaining a fellowship, the selected candidate will participate in the national research project MedAcidWarm. The project aims to improve our understanding of the acclimatory responses of benthic invertebrates and their associated microbiomes to projected ocean warming and acidification. It also seeks to reconstruct past changes in seawater temperature and pH using invertebrate skeletons. The project applies cutting-edge methodologies, including micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), metabolomics, microbiome analysis and transcriptomics.

The selected candidate will join the Medrecover research group, recognized as a consolidated research group by the Generalitat de Catalunya. MedRecover has a strong track record in marine conservation research and in the supervision and mentoring of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Further information about the group is available at: https://medrecover.org/

The candidate will work in a dynamic, collaborative and multidisciplinary research environment and interact with a network of national and international researchers.

Main Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Conduct fieldwork and/or laboratory experiments.
• Analyse and interpret research data.
• Prepare and publish high-quality research papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Present research findings at national and international conferences.
• Collaborate with national and international research partners.
• Contribute to the scientific activities of the MedAcidWarm project and the MedRecover Research Group.

Candidate Profile

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

• A Bachelor's and Master's degree in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• An overall average grade of at least 9/10 in both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees.
• A strong academic record.
• Good oral and written communication skills in English and Spanish.
• A proactive, flexible, solution-oriented and team-focused approach.

The following qualifications will be considered an advantage:

• Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Previous research experience in marine sciences.
• Experience with molecular, microbiological, chemical or omics-based methodologies.

Host Institution

The Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM) is the largest marine research centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). It is also the first marine science centre to be accredited as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, a recognition of the institution's leadership in the field of marine research in Spain and its commitment to create social impact.

The goal is to develop research of excellence to inspire a society in harmony with the blue planet, in line with the values of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

The CSIC and its research centres were awarded with the "HR Excellence in Research" seal in 2021, reflecting a commitment to continuously improve human resources policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

Application Procedure

Interested candidates must submit the following documents:

• A motivation letter.
• A curriculum vitae.
• The official academic transcript for the Bachelor's degree, showing an overall average grade of at least 9/10.
• The official academic transcript for the Master's degree, showing an overall average grade of at least 9/10.

Applications must be sent by 31 October to: figuerola@icm.csic.es

Please ensure that all required documents are attached before submitting the application. Incomplete applications or applications that do not meet the minimum academic requirement of 9/10 will not be considered.

Applicants are kindly requested to read this call carefully and refrain from sending emails concerning requirements, eligibility criteria or documents that are already clearly specified above. Due to the expected volume of applications, only enquiries that are not addressed in this call will receive a response.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.

More information: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/blanca-figuerola-7aa56838_phdopportunity-predoctoralfellowship-marinescience-ugcPost-7488838116355678210-Qx5B/