PhD student in Microbiology – Symbiosis in Anaeramoeba

Are you interested in working with microbiology, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University. 

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is organized into seven research programmes which all focus on different areas of cell and molecular biology: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Evolution, Molecular Systems Biology and Structural Biology. The scientific basis of what we do lies in biology, but our research overlaps with other areas such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering sciences and physics. In total, we are over 200 staff and 50 Ph.D. students. Please read more about the department’s work at https://www.uu.se/en/department/cell-and-molecular-biology. 

The PhD position is placed in Jon Jerlström Hultqvist’s research group at the Microbiology and Immunology program, please visit https://www.uu.se/en/department/cell-and-molecular-biology/research/microbiology-and-immunology/jerlstrom-hultqvist-lab.

General description
Collaborations with unrelated cells via symbiosis are common in nature. In most symbioses, nutrients are exchanged between cells in a process known as syntrophy. Scientists have been aware of syntrophy and symbioses and have studied them for over a hundred years. Despite the long study of symbioses, most have not been characterized in detail, often because the partnerships are fragile or because the organisms cannot be grown in the laboratory. A large category of such unexplored symbioses occurs in oxygen-poor environments, such as in sediments and animal guts where protists directly influence ecosystems by consuming large amounts of prokaryotes. These environments are highly significant for the cycling of many substances in nature and for humans.

This PhD project aims to investigate in detail how symbiosis functions in oxygen-poor environments. The subject of the study is an amoeba, Anaeramoeba, which was recently isolated from oxygen-poor marine sediments. Anaeramoeba has a symbiotic partner, a sulfate-reducing bacterium, that lives closely adjacent to the amoeba's hydrogenosome (a reduced version of the mitochondrion). The bacterium thereby prevents the amoeba from being poisoned by the high levels of hydrogen it produces. The bacteria have access to the cell's exterior through thin channels, allowing them to absorb sulfate from seawater. How the close and intricate connection between Anaeramoeba and the bacterium arose and has been maintained over time is still completely unknown. Methods that will be used in the project include proteomics, RNA sequencing, fluorescence microscopy, transfection, as well as other molecular, bioinformatics, and microbiological techniques.

Duties
The Ph.D. student shall primarily focus on postgraduate studies, but other duties related to teaching and administrative work may be involved, up to a maximum of 20 % of the time. Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements and admission rules can be found at the faculty website, https://www.uu.se/en/disciplinary-domain/science-and-technology/study/doctoral-studies. 

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

The applicant must have a good ability to work independently as well as in a group. A prerequisite is good written and oral knowledge of English, as the work takes place in an international environment. Strong written and oral communication skills are required. Assessment of personal suitability will be an important aspect in the selection.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

Application
Your application should be written in English and include:

• A personal letter where you describe yourself, your research interest, your experiences and why you are interested in the position (max. 2 pages).
• A CV containing your education and other qualifications and a copy of your diplomas and list of publications.
• Please provide contact information to reference persons and recommendation letters from prior research supervisors.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the   Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Dr. Jon Jerlström Hultqvist, jon.jerlstrom.hultqvist@icm.uu.se. 

Please submit your application by 6th of December 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3723.

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