Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in Space Microbiology

Bremen; Deutschland; Vor Ort; EUR 40.000 - 70.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Ein innovatives Forschungszentrum sucht einen Doktoranden in der Mikrobiologie für ein spannendes Projekt zur Erforschung von Lebensmitteln und Ressourcen auf Mars. Sie werden an einem bahnbrechenden ERC-Projekt arbeiten, das darauf abzielt, die Physiologie von Cyanobakterien unter Marsbedingungen zu verstehen. Ihre Aufgaben umfassen die Durchführung und Analyse von Experimenten, die Entwicklung von Modellen und die Vorbereitung von Proben für moderne Omics-Technologien. Diese Position bietet Ihnen die Möglichkeit, einen bedeutenden Beitrag zur Raumfahrtforschung zu leisten und Ihre wissenschaftlichen Fähigkeiten weiterzuentwickeln. Wenn Sie eine Leidenschaft für interdisziplinäre Forschung haben und bereit sind, an der Spitze der Wissenschaft zu arbeiten, dann ist dies die perfekte Gelegenheit für Sie.

Qualifikationen

• Abschluss in Mikrobiologie oder verwandten Bereichen erforderlich.
• Starke Motivation zur Mitwirkung an der Raumfahrt erforderlich.

Aufgaben

• Durchführung und Analyse von Experimenten zu cyanobakteriellen Reaktionen.
• Vorbereitung mikrobieller Proben für Omics-Studien.

Kenntnisse

Mikrobiologie

Zell- und Molekularbiologie

Interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit

Englischkenntnisse

Ausbildung

Master of Science in Mikrobiologie oder verwandten Bereichen

Tools

Laborhardware

Omics-Technologien

Jobbeschreibung

Universität Bremen - Zentrum für angewandte Raumfahrttechnologie und Mikrogravitation (ZARM)

The Center of Applied Space Technology (ZARM) at the University of Bremen is looking for a

Doctoral Researcher (f/m/d) in Space Microbiology
Salary Scale (German) 13 TV-L

with a full working time (39.2 hrs) at the next possible date.

The project is funded by the European Research Council and the position is for 3 years (according to § 2 WissZeitVG), starting at the latest in January 2026. Part-time work is generally possible. Details may need to be agreed with the advertising department.

Berufsgruppe

Wissenschaft und Forschung

Besetzbar

zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt

Aufgabengebiet
The project

The researcher recruited for the advertised position will be involved in ERC project MarCyano. This project stems from a goal, shared by the world's major space agencies, of sending humans to Mars within the next few decades. A sustainable human presence there, akin to today's presence in Antarctica, could indeed generate paradigm-shifting knowledge at an unprecedented pace. One major challenge lies in providing the food, oxygen and other necessary consumables: these cannot be shipped from the Earth over the long term. They should instead be produced on site and for this, Nostocaceae cyanobacteria can be instrumental: fed with materials available in the Martian ground and atmosphere, they could provide feedstock for a range of bioprocesses which, in turn, could produce a wide range of consumables. However, fundamental knowledge is lacking to turn this concept into practical solutions: the physiology of cyanobacteria in the foreseen cultivation conditions is poorly understood.

In project MarCyano, our team will enable a deep understanding of cyanobacterial physiology in these conditions. For this we employ a unique approach combining cultivation assays in unique hardware previously developed in-house, adaptive laboratory evolution, cutting-edge "omics" technologies, the development of a mathematical model which can predict the productivity and efficiency of cyanobacterium cultivation from Martian resources, and the construction of a testbed for the experimental validation of this model. We will use the generated knowledge and tools to design, characterize and demonstrate the viability of bioprocesses which dramatically improve the odds that Mars exploration is done in a sustainable way. Finally, we will adapt the concepts developed for bioproduction on Mars to open new avenues for sustainability on Earth.

Your tasks include:

• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, experiments aimed at assessing the effects on diazotrophic cyanobacteria of unnatural atmospheric conditions, using hardware previously developed in-house.
• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, experiments aimed at assessing the interactions between rock-weathering cyanobacteria and regolith akin to that found on Mars.
• Conducting, and analyzing the results of, adaptive laboratory evolution experiments.
• Preparing microbial samples for "omics" studies.
• Contributing to routine laboratory tasks (e.g., maintaining microbial cultures).
• Contributing to the training and mentoring of less experienced students.
• Elaborating your own scientific work, such as preparing a doctoral thesis and scientific publications.

Voraussetzungen

• A University Degree (Master of Science/ Uni- Diploma) in microbiology, cellular and molecular biology or a related field. Students who are still writing their Master thesis and do not yet have a certificate are also invited to apply. The degree certificate must be issued prior to employment.
• A strong desire to contribute to space exploration.
• A willingness to engage in interdisciplinary work.
• A good spoken and written English.
• An ability to work independently and a taste for teamwork.

Kennzeichen

A157-25

Bewerbungsfrist

01.06.2025

Befristet

3 Jahre

Bewerbungshinweise

Your application should include in one PDF document: academic CV (including publication list if applicable), copies of BSc and MSc university transcripts and work references if applicable, the contact addresses for 2 references, and a letter of motivation (maximum 2 pages) explaining what exactly motivated you to apply for this position, why you are particularly interested in the proposed topic, and what skills and experience qualify you for the position.

Please send your application with your complete and meaningful documents by June 1st, 2025 as a PDF file by unencrypted electronic mail, quoting the reference number A157-25, to [e-mail] or by post to
Universität Bremen
Zentrum für angewandte Raumfahrttechnologie
und Mikrogravitation (ZARM)
Dr. Cyprien Verseux
Am Fallturm 2
28359 Bremen