Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain. Eawag conducts research, education and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems. The Altermatt lab at the Department of Aquatic Ecology at Eawag and the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies (IEU) at the University of Zurich are offering a fully funded postdoc position for two years, linked to the NRP82 initiative “Smart Monitoring of Swiss Waters (FutureProof)” and a research grant by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU/FOEN). The project focuses on developing analytical pipelines and analyses to survey invasive alien species in aquatic systems using eDNA, with initial focus on Central Europe/Switzerland and scalability across Europe and beyond.
Tasks
- Establish reference databases for invasive alien species (IAS) metabarcoding analyses through literature-based and data mining across multiple markers and taxonomic groups.
- Develop end-to-end semiautomated analytical pipelines for eDNA metabarcoding analyses for IAS monitoring and detection, enabling self-guided analysis of IAS signals in eDNA datasets and providing measures of confidence for IAS detections.
- Conduct proof-of-principle testing and apply these pipelines to existing aquatic eDNA datasets (fish and invertebrates), utilizing high-resolution eDNA time-series and more than 250 routine monitoring sites across Switzerland.
- Publish project results in leading peer-reviewed journals, follow FAIR principles, and create implementation-ready application tools in close collaboration with stakeholders.
Requirements
- PhD degree in Molecular Ecology, Bioinformatics, Biodiversity, Data Sciences, or a closely related science field.
- Previous experience in bioinformatics and eDNA metabarcoding data analyses.
- Knowledge in analysing biodiversity and IAS datasets.
- General experience in programming and data analysis.
- Strong conceptual background in molecular ecology or freshwater ecology and good understanding of ecological theory are an asset.
- Demonstrated interest in open and reproducible science (e.g. FAIR principles, experience with versioning tools) is an advantage.
- Fluency in English (speaking and writing) is required.
- Additional German or French language skills for stakeholder interactions are helpful.
- Motivation, enthusiasm, independence, and passion for science and implementation.
Benefits
- Fully funded position for two years.
- Extensive intellectual freedom to shape the project and contribute own ideas.
- Collaborations with national and cantonal stakeholders.
- Working environment that promotes genuine participation, exchange, and mutual understanding.
- Structures enabling compatibility of work and other areas of life, such as care work.
- Support for flexible workplace, working hours, and job design solutions.
Bist du Teil dieses Unternehmens?
Dieses Unternehmensprofil wurde automatisch erstellt. Wenn du für Eawag arbeitest, kannst du das Profil jetzt beanspruchen und verifizieren – kostenlos und in wenigen Minuten.
Über uns
Das Team
The successful applicant will be based and hired in the group of Prof. Dr Florian Altermatt at University of Zurich and Eawag (Dübendorf, Switzerland), with opportunities for collaboration with national and cantonal stakeholders. The working language in the groups is English.