Four post-doc positions on diatoms molecular ecology

Mariella Ferrante and Daniele Iudicone (Physical-biological coupling group, Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Plankton, Stazione Zoologica A. Dohrn, Naples, Italy) are looking for candidates to take part in a multidisciplinary study on diatoms molecular ecology which is going to start in early 2013.

Diatoms, a major group of unicellular organisms in aquatic ecosystems, are generally associated with specific environmental conditions but the mechanisms that are at the base of diatoms adaptive solutions are not well understood yet. Similarly, traits regulating their population dynamics (e.g., life cycles, patchiness, cryptic speciation, internal regulative mechanisms) have been analysed only recently, and a significant effort is still needed to produce a synthetic view on this topic. Finally, the molecular repertoire of diatoms is still vastly unexplored and the potential exploitation of diatoms for several biotechnological applications has raised the interest in these ubiquitous unicellular organisms.

Research at SZN has long been devoted to the understanding of phytoplankton dynamics, with
particular focus on diatoms. We now plan to merge studies conducted so far and future projects in a unique integrative effort. This new research program will combine theoretical approaches with oceanographic, physiological and genomic studies to investigate the mechanisms that regulate the biology and diversity of diatoms. The study will include the exploration of a recently established, global-scale environmental, morphological and genomic data-base (TARA OCEANS) and it will serve to contribute to the scientific efforts of the Tara Oceans Consortium. The successful candidates will be based at SZN with frequent visits to the laboratories of collaborating institutions in EU and US.

Specifically, we search for:

•One expert in molecular approaches (contact: mariella.ferrante@szn.it)
•Two experts in statistics/bioinformatics (contact: mariella.ferrante@szn.it, iudicone@szn.it)
•One expert in theoretical population dynamics and/or evolutionary dynamics (contact:
iudicone@szn.it)

The initial appointment will be for one year, with the possibility of extension.

Starting: approximately between February and April 2013.

The positions are funded by national and EU Projects. After-taxes salary varies from 1450 Euro to 2000 Euro per month, depending on funding sources and research experience.