Last date to apply: 01.02.2026 Research area and project description:The NORCREEL project at the Department of Biology investigates the physiology, behaviour, and environmental tolerance of commercially important crustaceans and their responses to capture, handling, and environmental change. In this PhD project, you will study the capacity of lobsters, especially Nephrops norvegicus (Norway lobster), to survive prolonged live storage and transport, which is essential for developing a sustainable, high-value creel fishery. You will work both in laboratory facilities at Aarhus University and in collaboration with fisheries partners in the field. Experimental work will expose animals to conditions that resemble real fishing, holding, and transport situations lasting more than five days. You will assess animal condition and well-being using a combination of physiological, behavioural, and survival-based measurements. This includes monitoring how active the animals are, how well they maintain their basic physiological functions, and how they respond to different environmental conditions such as temperature, oxygen availability, water quality, and stocking density. You will also evaluate how different storage and handling strategies influence stress levels and survival over time. The project will compare different practical solutions for keeping animals alive, such as alternative storage designs, separation systems, and different forms of water treatment and maintenance. Data from the experiments will be analysed to identify which factors most strongly influence animal health, stress resilience, and long-term survival under live-storage conditions. The overarching goal of the PhD project is to define biological limits and practical design criteria for safe live storage and transport of Norway lobster. Your findings will provide the scientific foundation for developing vessel-based, port-based, and transport systems within the NORCREEL project and contribute to the transition toward more environmentally friendly and economically valuable lobster fisheries. Please upload a project description (½-4 pages). This document should describe your ideas and research plans for this specific project. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found. Qualifications and specific competences:Applicants must hold a relevant MSc degree in biology, marine biology, zoophysiology, animal physiology, bioengineering, or a related field, and must have graduated before the application deadline. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate who has a solid background in animal or marine physiology, experimental biology, fisheries biology, or related research areas enjoys working independently in the laboratory and contributing creatively to experimental design and data interpretation preferably has experience working with live animals, physiological or behavioural measurements, or environmental tolerance studies is eager to produce high-quality research and contribute to an ambitious scientific environment has excellent communication skills, works well in a collaborative team, and has strong written and spoken English skills International applicants must be able to document excellent English proficiency. Place of employment and place of work:The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Biology, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. Contacts:Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact: Associate Professor, Peter Funch, funch@bio.au.dk or co-supervisor Professor, Tobias Wang, tobias.wang@bio.au.dk How to apply: For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see the Application guide. Please read the Application guide thoroughly before applying. When ready to apply, go to https://phd.nat.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/ (Note, the online application system opens 1 December 2025) Choose February 2026 Call with deadline 1 February 2026 at 23:59 CET. You will be directed to the call and must choose the programme “Biology”. In the boxed named “Study”: In the dropdown menu, please choose: “From Physiology to Fisheries: Biological Limits of Live Storage of Lobsters (PFBLLS)” Please note: The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview. 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