Postdoctoral Researcher position on Antarctic Mixotrophic Microalgae

What are you going to do?

As a postdoc in the MACS project you will investigate how multiple environmental stressors affect the community composition, physiology, and gene expression of Antarctic microalgae, with a particular focus on their mixotrophic nutrition. You will resolve how mixotrophy contributes to carbon cycling during ice melt in spring and how this contribution depends on environmental conditions. You will perform laboratory experiments and fieldwork in collaboration with two other postdocs within the project. 

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Design and perform laboratory experiments with cultured microalgae to assess their response to multiple environmental factors under controlled conditions;
• Participate in a research expedition to Rothera station, West Antarctic Peninsula, to assess microalgal species composition and perform field experiments to quantify their rates of feeding and photosynthesis;
• Publication of the results in international scientific journals;
• Presentation of the results in the department, at meetings of the Netherlands Polar Program, and at (international) scientific conferences;
• Supervision of BSc and/or MSc students who wish to do an internship on Antarctic microalgae.

Your profile

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate, who enjoys a combination of laboratory experiments and field studies. You have a keen interest in marine microalgal ecology and are eager to perform research in Antarctica. You are a well-organized team player, but also able to work independently, and enjoy collaboration in an international team.

Your experience and profile:

• A PhD degree in phytoplankton ecology, environmental microbiology, biological oceanography or a related field;
• Experience with culturing aquatic microorganisms, physiological assays and fieldwork in marine ecosystems;
• Experience with omics-techniques and bioinformatic/computational analyses are a plus;
• Willingness and ability to perform extended fieldwork at Rothera station, Antarctica;
• Strong communication skills in English.

Our offer

We offer a temporary employment contract for preferably 38 hours per week for a period of 1 year, with the possibility to the extend the contract for another 15 months upon a positive evaluation of your performance. The preferred starting date is 1 January 2027. For this position the University Job Classification profile Researcher 4 applies.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,706 to € 5,760 (scale 10). In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance.  

A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants.

The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with registration at UvA- Housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.