The Institute of Evolutionary Biology seeks a PhD student

Application deadline: 10th September 2024 

Reference: PhD student position

More information: 

Corals face threats from ocean acidification and heat waves due to the climate crisis. Coral reefs and coralligenous habitats are biodiversity hotspots that provide ecosystem services and coastal protection. Losing corals would severely impact biodiversity and coastal communities' livelihoods. The coral holobiont, consisting of corals and their microbiome, influences the host's evolution, physiology, and ecological functions. While zooxanthellae (Symbiodiniaceae) are well-studied, the role of other protists has been neglected. Protists contribute significant hidden genomic diversity in microbial habitats, including coral holobionts. Ignoring this diversity limits our understanding of protists' functions in corals and their impact on resilience to climate change.

Our preliminary data reveal three times more coral protist symbiont diversity than previously reported, and that their community composition can predict coral responses to heat stress. The CORALPROS project aims to describe the morphological and genomic diversity of protists in the coral holobiont and map their distribution using advanced techniques. Including protists in coral holobiont studies will transform our understanding of host-microbe interactions, impacting our knowledge of coral responses to climate change.

Research group

Interested candidates should e-mail Javier del Campo ([email protected]) with the subject line “PhD student position” and (1) their CV, (2) a motivation letter describing their interest in the project, and (3) contact information from two potential references. 

We are committed to promoting equity in academia. Persons from groups that have been historically excluded from academia are strongly encouraged to apply. Application deadline: 10 September, 2024.