Two doctoral positions on “Microbial ecology in soil studied through microfluidic soil analogues”

The Subsurface Environmental Processes Group (Eawag and ETH Zurich) and the Environmental Microfluidics Group (Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering at ETH Zurich) are seeking two dynamic and motivated doctoral students to study microbial ecology in soil. The positions are funded by two recently awarded grants, an EU - Innovative Training Network (ITN) Grant (CoPerMix) and an ETH Research Grant.

Job description
The subsurface hosts critical processes for the availability of life-sustaining resources. In this environment, bacteria play a major role in triggering chemical reactions and mediating biogeochemical processes. Soils and aquifers are typically highly heterogeneous in the spatial distribution of fluid flow velocities and chemicals, such as pollutants or nutrients. Bacteria in such environments are therefore exposed to heterogeneous hydrodynamic and chemical landscapes. The focus of these two PhD projects will be on (1) measuring the chemotaxis control on bacterial diffusivity in heterogeneous nutrient fields and (2) quantifying the population dynamics of competing strains. The students will have the unique opportunity to learn, develop and apply a range of cutting-edge experimental techniques, including microfluidic technology, image analysis and state-of-the-art microscopy. Measurements will be guided by and compared with theory developed within the projects. Findings will help advance an important new paradigm in soil ecology – the importance of microscale processes and dynamics - and will carry fundamental implications for our ability to predict the response of soil microorganisms to environmental perturbations.