项目介绍

2025年2月7日

Within the framework of the SNSF Starting Grant project GENICA, a 4-year PhD position is available at the Institute of Plant Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research of the University of Bern, Switzerland. GENICA aims to address the impact of past climate and human disturbance on mountain vegetation at different scales, from intraspecific genetic variation to local and regional vegetation dynamics, using pollen, plant macrofossils, and ancient DNA (aDNA) from plant remains preserved in cave ice archives. This work will provide new insights for understanding long-term vegetation shifts and population genetic processes to improve conservation strategies in mountain ecosystems.

Tasks

As a PhD student you will study vegetation responses to climate change and human disturbance using innovative paleoecological and paleogenomic methods. The position involves fieldwork such as ice coring in the Pyrenees and the European Alps, microscopic analyses of pollen and plant macrofossils, the isolation of aDNA in a designated clean-air laboratory, and the analysis of paleoecological and paleogenomic data using advanced bioinformatic tools to assess genetic diversity variation. The project offers the opportunity to work on the forefront of the rapidly developing field of aDNA research and provides an inspiring and interdisciplinary environment for Early Career Scientists. You will present your findings to the public and the scientific community in international conferences and publish your results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. You will be enrolled at the Graduate School of Climate Sciences.

Requirements

You should preferably have a MSc degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Biochemistry, or a related field. Good knowledge in plant ecology, molecular biology, and population genetics is desired. You are highly motivated, creative, reliable, resilient, independent, precise and like to work in a team. Preferably, you already have experience in writing scientific articles and possess good communication and organization skills. A good command of English is fundamental. Expertise in (a)DNA extraction, library preparation, NGS genome data analysis and bioinformatic tools (Unix, R, Python) is advantageous.

We offer

You will be working in a young, dynamic, ambitious and international team at a beautiful location in Bern. Employment conditions follow the standards of the University of Bern and the SNSF for PhD students (salary starting at 47 kCHF/year). The position is open from September 2025.Please send your complete application, including motivation letter, CV, academic record incl. grades, MSc diploma, and reference letter or contact address of your MSc-supervisor(s) as a single pdf file to:
maria.leunda@unibe.ch. 

Applications will be reviewed until the 31.03.2025, but further applications might be considered until the position is filled. The University of Bern is committed to diversity and inclusivity and encourages applications from candidates of all backgrounds. For further information contact Dr. Maria Leunda at the email above.his PhD position provides a unique chance to contribute to groundbreaking research by rescuing the untapped paleoenvironmental information preserved in ice caves trough a multidisciplinary approach combining fieldwork, laboratory work and data analysis. Join us!