PhD Position Fully Funded to study adhesive mechanisms in microscopic animals at University of Vienna: Bioadhesion in arrow worms;
Description: The Wollesen lab at the Department of Evolutionary Biology of the University of Vienna is looking for a passionate PhD student with an inquisitive approach towards science to study adhesive mechanisms in microscopic animals. Arrow worms (Chaetognatha) are torpedo-shaped predators that seize their prey with their characteristic jaw apparatus and until today, their evolutionary relationship to other organisms is debated. Living in intertidal zones with strong currents, these critters can attach and unattached firmly within milliseconds to the substrate, however, the process underlying this behavior is not understood.
In your PhD project you will work in an international team in the lab of Assistant Prof. Tim Wollesen at the University of Vienna. His young research group at the Department of Evolutionary Biology studies body plan evolution of spiralian animals such as chaetognaths, rotifers, mollusks, and kamptozoans. You will become an expert on the development of a non-model organism, the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera. In line with your PhD project, you will learn how to design and carry out state-of-the-art single-cell RNA sequencing experiments and perform proteomic and gene expression analyses.
In addition, you will learn how to microinject and knockout genes, apply various microscopical techniques, and write scientific publications. You will also culture living animals and will identify cell types in the developing organism. Your research project will be carried out in collaboration with the proteomic core facility of the EMBL Heidelberg and the Technical University of Vienna. Your research project (3-years contract/ 30 hours/ week) will be integrated into a recently awarded Austrian Science Fund (FWF) research project.
Your profile
- MSc in biological sciences
- Team worker and with the ability to work independently
- Fluently spoken and written English
- (molecular) wet lab skills
- background in transcriptomics and proteomics
- experience in situ hybridization, immunochemistry, and cryosectioning
- experience with seawater aquaria
- experience in collection and culture of marine invertebrates
Your tasks
- Participation in research
- Participation in publication of data, presentation of data, public outreach
- (co-) supervision of master students
- Attendance of courses
More information on the department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology: The Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology within the Faculty of Life Sciences aims at a mechanistic understanding of ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes from organismic to ecosystem scale. Specifically, we study and teach biodiversity, symbioses, metabolic pathways, ecophysiology and ecosystem functioning in light of environmental change.
Gender equality, diversity and non-discrimination: The University pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity. The University lays special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female applicants.
The University of Vienna has an institutionalised gender equality policy and within this framework VDSEE strives to strengthen the career development of female scientists at all qualifications levels and to support compatibility between family and work/training. The Gender Equality and Diversity unit of the University of Vienna provides services which, based on the issue of gender equality, aim at ensuring equal opportunities for all university members.
How to apply:
Apply via VDSEE –> choose Position “#2: Tim Wollesen” Contact: tim.wollesen@univie.ac.at
Deadline: 10th March 2023