Missions

We are seeking a young researcher (M/F) in geomicrobiology (PhD-level position) in Marseille, France, to work on the European Research Council funded Starting Grant project 'SIESTA: The Role of Microbial Dormancy as an Ecological and Biogeochemical Regulator on Earth'. The position is under the supervision of Dr. James Bradley (https://www.jbradleylab.com/). The recruited person will work with the principal investigator and will participate in laboratory experiments, data analysis, field work, and work as part of a project team that includes doctoral students and technical staff. The main objectives of this position is (1) to quantify the prevalence of dormancy among taxonomically and functionally diverse microbial communities in cryospheric environments, and (2) to identify the triggers and timescales of dormancy in these microbial communities. This data will feed into wider project goals to (3) link dormancy to the emergence, survival and evolution of microbial populations, and (4) understand the role of dormancy in regulating biogeochemical cycles.

Applicant (M/F) should hold a Ph.D. in a relevant natural science discipline (e.g. microbial ecology, environmental microbiology). The CDD is offered for 2 years and is renewable on an annual basis, contingent on satisfactory performance evaluations. We expect a flexible start date around February 2026, adjustable based on the candidate's availability and the requirements of the project.

Activities

The young researcher (M/F) will contribute to different research aspects on the project:
• Study/analysis of cryosphere (cryoconite, ice, sediment, soil) environments and microbiomes (experimental and observational).
• High-resolution sampling of natural microbial populations (including fieldwork in remote Arctic regions).
• Cell-specific microbial activity measurements using fluorescent markers, flow cytometry, and cell sorting.
• Generation and analyses (bioinformatic and statistical) of environment and microbiome data, including amplicon sequencing libraries, metagenomes, and metatranscriptomes.
• Molecular and microbiological laboratory work.
• Publish (as lead and co-author) in leading academic journals, participation in scientific conferences, outreach activities.
• Collate and catalogue data for deposition and archiving in data repositories.

Skills

• Expert knowledge of microbial ecology, community/population dynamics, biogeochemistry, microbial adaptation to extreme environments, microbial ecophysiology.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in a range of microbiology competencies (molecular biology, environmental microbiology, 'omics/sequencing, physiology/incubation/activity measurement and experiments).
• Technical skills and experience in microbial incubation experiments, activity/ecophysiology measurement at the community and/or single cell level, metagenomics and/or metatranscriptomics. Additionally, cell-specific activity measurements including fluorescent markers for cell activity, flow cytometry, cell sorting (e.g. BONCAT-FACS) is advantageous.
• Quantitative skills in analysis of large datasets, for example: to integrate biological/genomic data with biogeochemical measurements, biogeographic, phylogenomic, comparative, time series (community or population) modelling/analyses.
• Demonstrated skills in bioinformatic and statistical analyses of microbiome and ecological data including sequencing data.
• Analysis skills: write and execute code in R, Python, GitHub etc., high-performance computing.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to work independently and flexibly.
• Ability to work harmoniously as part of a team.
• A track-record of research productivity.
• Awareness of open science standards for microbiome research (reproducible analyses, preservation of metadata and repository of public data).

Work Context

The successful candidate (M/F) will work at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (MIO), in Marseille Luminy. The MIO is an Oceanography research laboratory of the Universities of Aix-Marseille, Toulon, CNRS and IRD. It is integrated into OSU Pythéas. Its objectives are to better understand the ocean system and its evolution in response to global change. It constitutes a center of expertise in biology, ecology, biodiversity, microbiology, fisheries, physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and marine sedimentology. Its frameworks are the world ocean, its interfaces with the continent, the atmosphere and the sediment. The MIO has more than 250 people, including around a hundred researchers (CNRS, IRD) and teacher-researchers from universities, around sixty engineers and technicians, more than 50 doctoral students and an administrative team serving research. The candidate (M/F) will join the MEB team, working in the ERC project SIESTA led by James Bradley. The successful candidate (M/F) will enjoy a vibrant research group, access to excellent research facilities and platforms at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography and Aix-Marseille University, and be embedded in a team committed to high scientific integrity, open and reproducible science, and promoting inclusivity. Marseille is an affordable, vibrant and historic city on the Mediterranean coast, with culinary excellence, diverse cultural experiences, and a large international community. The Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, on the Luminy campus of Aix-Marseille Université, is surrounded by nature being nestled among the spectacular Calanques National Park.

Constraints and risks

Travel and fieldwork in remote (glaciated, Arctic) environments for field collection of samples, and attending scientific meetings for dissemination of results.