PostDoc Biogeochemical cycling in the south Weddell Sea

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals.

PostDoc "Biogeochemical cycling in the south Weddell Sea" (m/f/d)

Background

The southern Weddell Sea continental shelf is a region where high primary production coupled to deep water formation likely supports a strong export of photosynthetically fixed CO

2
via the biological pump. In large parts of the Southern Ocean trace nutrients, such as iron and B-vitamins limit primary production. While the ice sheets and fluxes from the sediments are likely sources of trace nutrients, the magnitude of these fluxes and their impacts on the plankton community are not known. The aim of this project is to a) establish a baseline of pelagic trace metal and vitamin concentrations and their fluxes across the shelf, from the ice shelf edge to the open water, b) to measure primary and bacterial production and trace nutrient removal/recycling rates, c) to robustly characterize the bacterial- and phytoplankton communities and to d) assess the impact of different climate change scenarios (CO

2
, temperature, trace nutrient concentration/sources) on the plankton community via in situ multiple stressor experiments.
The position is part of our recruiting initiative AWI INSPIRES - INternational Science Program for Integrative Research in Earth Systems. AWI INSPIRES aims at strengthening our new research program “Changing Earth, Sustaining our Future”. Details about all open positions and the general application requirements can be found at

.

Tasks

You will

• plan logistics, pack supplies and equipment, and lead a team (PhD student, engineer) on a ~70 day expedition to the Southern Ocean,
• conduct station surveys, collecting samples for water chemistry and plankton community composition,
• measure rates of primary and bacterial production, uptake of trace metals and B-vitamins using radioisotopes,
• conduct several in situ bottle incubation experiments, manipulating CO

2
, trace metals and temperature, and

• isolate and cultivate key species of the different climate scenarios and conduct physiological studies in the laboratory

Requirements

• PhD or equivalent in Marine Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences or related fields.
• Experience in analytical biology and trace metal chemistry, including the ability to work using ‘trace metal clean’ techniques.
• Being a radiation safety officer according to German ‘Strahlenschutzgesetz’ and possessing extensive experience working with radioisotopes, preferably at sea,
• Expert knowledge in the isolation and cultivation of phytoplankton in trace metal clean conditions.
• Knowledge of conducting multiple stressor experiments with in situ phytoplankton communities, manipulating temperature, and concentrations of CO

2
and trace nutrients.

• Experience with leading a team on seagoing expeditions.
• Excellent English language skills.

Further Information

For further information please contact
Prof. Dr. Scarlett Trimborn
(Scarlett.Trimborn@awi.de, +49(471)4831-1038
) or
Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer
(Bettina.Meyer@awi.de, +49(471)4831-1378).
This is a full-time position, limited to 3 years. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the German “Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation” (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level

13
. The place of employment will be
Bremerhaven.
Postdocs can register with AWI’s postdoc office
, thereby gaining access to a set of tailor made career development tools.

This characterizes us

• our scientific success - excellent research.
• collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary.
• opportunities to develop – on the job, aiming at other positions and beyond AWI.
• a culture of reconciling work and family – audited, and even more than that.
• our outstanding research infrastructure – ships, stations, aircraft, laboratories and more.
• an international environment – everyday contacts with people from all over the world.
• having an influence – fundamental research with social and political relevance
• flat hierarchies – freedom and responsibility.
• exciting topics – also in technology, administration and infrastructure.

Equal opportunities are an integral part of our personnel policy and we encourage women to apply.
Disabled applicants will be given preference when equal qualifications are present. The AWI fosters the compatibility of work and family through various means. Because of our engagement in the area of work-life compatibility we have been awarded the certificate “Career and Family”.

We look forward to your application!

Please forward your application with letter of motivation explaining why you want to join one of our research areas, two letters of recommendation and a list of publications by

February 16
th
, 2020
exclusively online.
Selected candidates will be invited to present their research ideas and motivation during the “Annual recruitment days”, planned from 16 to 24 March 2020 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

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