Requirements a very good graded doctoral degree in microbial ecology, microbiology, soil science, agricultural sciences or related disciplines a very good track record in the field of metagenomics and/or microbial ecology preferably in soils excellent English proficiency (spoken and written) proven hands-on experience with metagenomics and preferably also with SIP very good knowledge in required bioinformatics & ecological statistics (incl. R) a high personal motivation achieving goals and a high scientific curiosity we expect an open-minded and intercultural attitude to team work a high encouragement for independence and a self-reliant work mode

Tasks to design & conduct with the project partner at HU Berlin an experiment on nematode grazing and applying 13C-isotope labeling to develop and apply stable isotope probing (SIP) of DNA and/or RNA in soil samples to conduct & develop metagenome-based gene marker analysis to identify changes & adaptations of the soil microbial carbon pump to publish results in international peer-reviewed journals – target is more than 2 publications in 18 months to present key results on international conferences and on meetings & workshops of PP SoilSystems to collaborate actively within the project the partners at HU berlin, but also with partners in the PP Soil Systems and the MicGeo Team