Postdoc position: “Plankton Food Web Dynamics”

The departments of Coastal Systems (COS; principal investigator dr. Eleonora Puccinelli) at the Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research (NIOZ) is looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join our research on phytoplankton-zooplankton food web interactions in the North Sea.

THE INSTITUTE

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the Dutch national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary, fundamental, and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of the ocean and seas. NIOZ includes the National Marine research Facilities (NMF) department that operates a fleet of research vessels and the national pool of large seagoing equipment, and supports excellence in multidisciplinary marine research, education, and policy development.

The Department

The department of COS is one of the research departments of NIOZ. The COS department integrates state-of-the art laboratory, field, and modelling studies in the dynamics of marine species and food webs. COS examines how physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to determine the distribution, composition, and productivity of marine species across the food web, in marine habitats from the coast to pelagic environments.

THE PROJECT

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are an essential part of the nutritional requirements for all living organisms. The primary source of these fatty acids in aquatic systems is phytoplankton. The amount of omega-3 produced varies among phytoplankton taxa, and the composition of the community, which depends on a range of factors including nutrient availability. Zooplankton is a major primary consumer of phytoplankton, representing a key trophic link between the primary producers of omega-3 and various secondary consumers. This project aims to increase our knowledge of omega-3 production and transfer across marine trophic levels focussing on the North Sea. This work is part of the large EU-HORIZON ACTNOW project, which aims to advance our understanding of cumulative impacts on European marine biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services for human wellbeing. Working on samples already collected in the North Sea as part of the ACTNOW project in June 2023, the postdoc would be focussed on processing these for fatty acid and stable isotope analyses. The candidate will be responsible for the sample analyses and validation of the results, as well as writing scientific publications within the duration of this postdoc. The data generated will be linked to a range of other datasets already available for the study system. Additionally, we envision the postdoc being actively involved in the supervision of Master students while embedded in the team of Dr Puccinelli at NIOZ.

THE CANDIDATE

We seek an enthusiastic and ambitious candidate who has an energetic and collaborative personality. You have a keen interest in marine plankton food web dynamics. You have:

• A PhD’s degree in marine ecology/biology, biochemistry, biogeochemistry, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience with lipid and fatty acid analysis, from extraction methods to analytical analysis.
• Knowledge of stable isotope analysis in aquatic environments would be an advantage.
• Knowledge of phytoplankton and/or zooplankton ecology.
• A demonstrated ability to work on programming software such us R, Phyton or Matlab.
• Track record of scientific publications.
• Strong communication and writing skills in English.
• You are a team player and well organized, but also able to work independently.

NIOZ wants to be a transparent institute with a healthy working climate and an inclusive culture, where people from diverse backgrounds and gender bring their talents and further develop these talents. We aim for inclusive decision-making processes and expect our leadership to show visible commitment, awareness of bias, and cultural intelligence.

CONDITIONS

• Employment of this full-time position at Royal NIOZ is by NWO-I, for a total duration of 2 years.
• Salary compliant with CAO-WVOI (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Research Institutes) scale 10 or 11 depending on relevant experience.
• The freedom to fulfill your role and space and opportunities for your personal (talent) development with the help of the NIOZ Academy.
• 338 annualized holiday hours for a full-time 40-hour work week.
• Pension scheme via ABP, 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.33%.
• 2nd class public transportation travel is reimbursed 100%.
• Employment benefits plan to exchange a portion of your salary for days off or vice versa, or can be used to purchase a bicycle with tax benefits.
• We offer relocation expenses for employees coming from abroad and support with finding accommodation.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Eleonora Puccinelli. For additional information about the procedure, please send an e-mail to working@nioz.nl.

Closing date for applications: November 29^th2024. Online pre-interviews are foreseen for December 2024, and selected candidates will be invited for a preferably in-person interview at NIOZ on Texel in January 2025. We aim to start the position as soon as possible in 2025.