PhD Scholarship in Microbial Connectivity Across Tropical Coastal Seascapes (MOSAIC)

Open Position

Applications are invited for a PhD student to work with Dr Ulisse Cardini and Dr Jeroen van de Water on “Microbial connectivity across tropical coastal seascapes: community structure and biogeochemical function along spatial connectivity gradients in three ocean basins” (MOSAIC).

Background

Tropical coastal ecosystems — mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and coral reefs — are among the most productive and biodiverse habitats on Earth, yet they are rapidly degrading under mounting anthropogenic pressure. These ecosystems do not exist in isolation: spatial connectivity among them sustains critical ecosystem services, from carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling to coastal protection and fisheries productivity. Microorganisms are central to these exchanges, mediating biogeochemical fluxes and linking ecosystems through the water column and sediment. Increasing human pressure on coastal environments also introduces pathogenic microorganisms that can travel across connected habitats and disrupt ecosystem functioning. Whether and how spatial connectivity shapes microbial community structure and function across tropical coastal seascapes — and whether patterns are consistent across ocean basins — remains almost entirely unexplored.

The Project

This PhD project is embedded within SEASTRONG, an EU Horizon Europe research project that brings together 15 international partners to investigate connectivity among mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef ecosystems across three tropical regions: the Seychelles (Indian Ocean), Fiji (South Pacific), and Belize (Caribbean). SZN leads the microbiome component, providing a unique comparative framework across three ocean basins.

The PhD student will address four specific aims:

1. Characterize microbial community structure across three substrate types (water column, sediment, foundation species) and three ecosystems in all three regions.
2. Test whether spatial connectivity predicts microbiome similarity across ecosystem boundaries, including the pathogen filtration capacity of seagrass beds.
3. Assess whether key microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes vary systematically with connectivity gradients.
4. Determine whether microbiome–function relationships are conserved or region-specific across ocean basins.

Sampling will follow a hierarchical replicated design across sites, mangrove-seagrass-reef corridors, and regions. Molecular analyses will include amplicon sequencing as well as shotgun metagenomics on a subset of sediment samples. Data will be integrated with in situ biogeochemical flux measurements generated by the SZN team and spatial connectivity maps generated by SEASTRONG partners.

Your Qualifications

Candidates should have an MSc degree in marine biology, microbiology, ecology, or a related field. A background in microbial ecology and/or marine biogeochemistry is essential, along with experience in molecular biology techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, amplicon sequencing) and willingness to conduct fieldwork in remote tropical locations. Familiarity with bioinformatics tools for microbiome analysis and multivariate statistics is desirable. Candidates should be fluent in spoken and written English and able to work both independently and within an international team.

What We Offer

A fully funded three-year PhD scholarship within a vibrant, international and interdisciplinary research environment, with fieldwork opportunities across three tropical regions, access to the full SEASTRONG consortium network (15 partners across Europe and beyond), and potential research visits to the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). The project is expected to yield ≥3 first-author publications.

At the GMC-SZN, the group strives for gender and diversity equality and welcomes applications from all backgrounds. The position is supervised by Dr. Ulisse Cardini (SZN) with co-supervision of Dr. Jeroen Van de Water (NIOZ), and funded through SEASTRONG for 3 years, with a tentative starting date of October 1st, 2026.

How to Apply

To apply, please follow the link below and the guidelines therein.

The closing date for applications is August 31st, 2026, h. 12.00.

More information and application: https://szn.it/index.php/it/bandi-e-concorsi/bandi-di-concorso/ph-d-program/ph-d-program-open-calls