PHD Stipend on Microbial communities in activated sludge and their Biopolymers (18-22097)

PHD Stipend on Microbial communities in activated sludge and their Biopolymers (18-22097)

At the Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, a PhD stipend is available within the doctoral programme Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering. The stipend is open for appointment from 01.12.22 or soon hereafter. The position is located within the Section of Bioscience and Engineering at the Center for Microbial Communities, with working place in Aalborg. The Section of Bioscience and Engineering consists of 90 people of which about 30 is associate- and full professors. The section conducts internationally competitive research within a range of topics within Biology and Biotechnology and publishes more than 100 peer reviewed publications annually. The section is responsible for the educations in Biology, Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology and Environmental Science and is mostly located in Aalborg, but also conducts research and teaching at Esbjerg Campus.

Job description

The PhD stipend is part of the project “Recovery of extracellular polymers from wastewater treatment residuals as a new circular biopolymer (REThiNk)”, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The overall goal is to promote the transition of wastewater treatment plants into production facilities by turning excess activated sludge into valuable biopolymers via extraction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) found in the biomass. The research of this PhD project will primarily focus on global community structure of full-scale activated sludge plants, factors controlling their assembly, and the relation of individual members to the production of various EPS components based on mining of metagenome assembled genomes.

We seek a motivated young scientist with experience with DNA sequencing, genomics, bioinformatics, EPS, and wastewater treatment microbiology. Applicants must have a Master of Science (MSc.) degree in Microbiology, Biotechnology, or similar from an internationally recognized university with practical experience analyzing community composition, multivariate statistics, metagenomics, bioinformatics, EPS, and wastewater treatment microbiology. The project will take part in collaboration with partners at Aarhus University and Delft Technical University, so short terms stay can be expected. We expect good collaboration skills, team spirit, and the ability to work independently and an excellent level of both spoken and written English. Limited teaching within the area can be expected, but also in other study programmes at the University.

Application:

The application must contain: (1) Cover letter of 1-2 pages describing the motivation for applying and an account of the applicant’s background in relation to the announced position; (2) Project description, which is required for technical reasons – in this case, where you apply for a specific project, you may upload a copy of the project description above; (3) CV; (4) Diploma and transcripts of records; and (5) Other relevant information.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. We value diversity and see it as a strength.

For further information about scientific aspects of the stipend, please contact Professor Per Halkjær Nielsen (phn@bio.aau.dk ).

We are a dynamic workplace with high professionalism and efficiency, a good working environment and with a focus on work-life balance. We strive for a culture with collaboration that promotes openness and curiosity towards new initiatives and ideas and with a constructive approach to problem solving. As an employee at the department, you will be part of an international research environment, with a focus on innovation, knowledge sharing and excellency as well as interdisciplinary collaborations.

The Department of Chemistry and Bioscience provides cutting-edge research and teaching in biotechnology, biology, environmental science, chemistry and chemical engineering. Our research solves important topics for the benefit of society, and through research-based teaching, we educate independent, collaborative and solution-oriented bachelors, graduates and PhDs.

At the department, we have high-profile research groups and individual researchers who deliver world-class applied and basic scientific research with a mission-driven approach, and who contribute to the development of new technologies, methods, and new basic insights within natural science and engineering. The department is divided into two sections: Section for Bioscience and Engineering and Section for Chemical Science and Engineering, as well as one administration. Both sections have activities on both Aalborg and Esbjerg campuses. The day-to-day management is handled by the head of department, the deputy heads of research and education, and the head of the secretariat in collaboration with section leaders.

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master’s degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Engineering and Science in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that subsequent to the deadline for applications the head of department supported by the chair of the assessment committee will select candidates for assessment. All applicants will be informed whether they will be assessed or not.
For further information about stipends and salary as well as practical issues concerning the application procedure contact Ms. Vigdis Skomager-Bohnfeldt, The Doctoral School at The Faculty of Engineering and Science, email: vkns@adm.aau.dk ,  phone: +45 9940 7408.
For more information of The Doctoral School of Engineering and Science: www.phd.engineering.aau.dk  

The application is only to be submitted online by using the “Apply online” button below.
AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

Agreement

Appointment and salary as a PhD fellow are according to the Ministry of Finance Circular of 28 June 2019 on the Collective Agreement for Academics in Denmark, Appendix 5, regarding PhD fellows, and with the current Circular of 11 December 2019 on the employment structure at Danish universities.

Vacancy number

18-22097

Deadline

09/11/2022

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Online application – some good advice

Aalborg University uses an electronic recruitment system for receiving applications. Towards the bottom in the respective job advertisement you will find a link, which you need to use when applying for the position. Before uploading your application it is important that you have all relevant documentation ready in a Word or PDF format, as you need to upload all material at the same time. You cannot leave the application and return to it a couple of hours later without having to start over.

The system does not support ZIP or images files. Filenames can only contain numbers and letters, and each document must take up no more than 20 MB.
If you experience technical problems, we encourage you to try again. If the technical problems, contrary to expectation, cannot be solved, please contact the member of staff listed as the contact person in the job advertisement.