Investigating soil ecosystem disturbance

A PhD studentship is now available to study soil ecosystem disturbance and invasion ecology at the Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln University, New Zealand https://bioprotection.org.nz.

Background

This project will quantify the relative magnitude of disruptions to soil microbial ecosystems and functions resulting from a range of disturbances, including climate change, tillage and fertilisation. The successful candidate will compare the establishment of new organisms in highly disrupted and stable ecosystems. The research will help to identify factors involved in the establishment of beneficial species, such as biological control agents, or detrimental species, such as invasive plant pathogens. The project is part of a wider multidisciplinary programme and the student will be collaborating with a wider team including postdoctoral researchers and scientists to advance the development of novel tools and approaches for sustainable bioprotection in New Zealand’s productive and natural ecosystems.

The PhD student will use molecular approaches to investigate microbial communities and selected microbial species present in the soil, and will apply network and invasion theories to analyse the results. These approaches will include a combination of community level fingerprinting, next-generation sequencing, plant bioassays and molecular tracking of specific microbes of interest.

The student will be mentored by researchers based at Lincoln University and Crown Research Institutes: Prof Leo Condron (Lincoln University), Dr Maureen O’Callaghan (AgResearch) and Dr Steve Wakelin (Scion).

To apply

Applicants should email a cover letter explaining their interest in the project as well as a curriculum vitae, full academic transcripts and the names and contact details of at least two referees. Send your application to Professor Leo Condron [Email Address Removed] by 31 May 2017.