New positions
A Master’s thesis scholarship – Microbial genetics in lakes.
Applicants must meet the Lincoln University entry requirements.
This scholarship is only available to New Zealand citizens or residents. We’re offering a funded Master’s project investigating microbial metagenomes from over 150 lakes across Aotearoa–New Zealand. This project is part of the MBIE-funded Smart Idea initiative: 'Applying a functional evidence approach to prioritise lake restoration initiatives'. You'll explore how microbial functions (e.g. carbon fixation, antimicrobial resistance) vary with environmental conditions.
- Stipend: $15,000 + tuition fees
- Supervision: Prof. Susie Wood (Lincoln Uni) & Dr John Pearman (Cawthron Institute)
- Start: early 2026
- Ideal background: eDNA analysis, R coding skills
Apply by emailing Susie.wood@lincoln.ac.nz with your CV, academic transcript, motivation letter, and two referee contacts.
A Postdoc position in ancient environmental genomics at the University of Copenhagen. This project will explore the relationship between environmental changes and human demographics, disease load, and site histories by analysing ancient environmental DNA (eDNA). By extracting DNA from various archaeological contexts, including soil monoliths and discrete samples from around Europe, the study aims to reconstruct past environments and assess their impact on human populations. The project seek to pioneer the use of ancient metagenomes to address standing archaeological questions in collaboration with researchers across most of Europe. Through advanced techniques like deep shotgun metagenomics, this work seeks to enhance our understanding of anthropogenic environments in Western Eurasia. Funding is for two years, start date as soon as possible, at the Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics, Globe Institute, UCPH, in Copenhagen.
Qualifications & Skills:
- A background in genetics, bioinformatics or like.
- Experience with ancient DNA analysis.
- Strong analytical skills and an interest in interdisciplinary research.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in an international research environment.
If you are interested, send your questions or your CV directly to Asst Prof. Mikkel Winther Pedersen.