Phd Researcher - Halle (Saale), Deutschland - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ

Geprüftes Unternehmen

Halle (Saale), Deutschland

vor 3 Wochen

Geschrieben von:

Lena Wagner

beBee Recruiter

Beschreibung

The UFZ

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) with its 1,100 employees has gained an excellent reputation as an international competence centre for environmental sciences.

We are part of the largest scientific organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz association.

Our mission:
Our research seeks to find a balance between social development and the long-term protection of our natural resources.

The job

The plant microbiome, i.e.

the community of associated microorganisms, plays a crucial role for mutual acclimation to environmental changes and the subsequent evolutionary adaptation (A&A).

Beneficial microbes can enhance plant tolerance traits against stress, which reinforces shoot and root protection by modifying phytohormonal levels, antioxidant and enzyme production, osmotic adjustment or biofilm formation to increase water and nutrient uptake, gas exchange and water use efficiency.

Since these findings were mainly retrieved from studies on crops or herbaceous plants, it remains little investigated how trees and their microbiomes react to environmental changes, including more frequent and intensified droughts and pathogenic pressures.

Hence, this project aims to investigate, how oak-associated microorganisms respond to various environmental conditions and stresses.

Considering the endogenous rhythmic growth and the modularity of the oak, the project intends to determine an oak core microbiome and characterize key stone taxa, which enhance resilience against the applied stressors.

The project uses molecular sequencing tools to monitor bacteria and fungi associated with above
- and belowground compartments of clonal oak saplings in an Ecotron and Tree Canopy Exposition Experiments, and along the PhytOakmeter field monitoring sites.

Your tasks

Contribution to joint samplings in the three platforms of the Research Unit
Preparation and DNA extraction of soil, root and leaf samples
Accessing microbial communities using molecular tools and highthroughput sequencing techniques
Bioinformatical and statistical downstream processing of the sequencing data
Presenting and publishing of results on international conferences and in international journals

We offer

Excellent technical facilities which are without parallel
Work in interdisciplinary, multinational teams
Excellent links with national and international research networks

Profile:

A scientific University degree (Diploma/ M.Sc.) in biology, microbiology, ecology, bioinformatics, or related fields of science
Highly motivated and teamoriented
Broad interest in plantassociated microbial communities
Good statistical (preferable with R) and analysis skills
Very good oral and written communication skills in English
Travel availability
Driving licence B