PhD position in Arctic Biology, University of Bergen
About the position
The department of Arctic Biology at UNIS is seeking candidates for a full-time, 3-year position as a PhD fellow in Arctic Terrestrial Biology. Currently the department constitutes 3 professors, 5 associate professors, 7 PhD students, 2 postdocs/researchers, 9 Adjunct Professors and 3 technical/administrative staff. The department conducts research and education in Arctic terrestrial and marine biology, and currently provides 24 courses on bachelor, master and PhD level. The department focuses on an integrated approach to High Arctic biology, within the research topics Climate change biology, Seasonal ecology and Spatio-temporal dynamics of species and systems. Additional information about the department can be found at www.unis.no
The advertised PhD position is in the field of terrestrial biology, focussing on the insulating effect of belowground microbial communities and their traits on the frozen ground. The candidate will be part of INSULATE, an interdisciplinary project financed by the Norwegian Research Council. INSULATE aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of how much above- and belowground components of biotic groups and organic matter contribute to permafrost insulation, and to enhance future predictions of permafrost thaw based on these drivers. The candidate will be responsible for 1) setting up monitoring plots for subsurface characterization surrounding an existing borehole network and 2) an experiment testing the effect of various topsoil types on thaw progression under controlled conditions.