The Marine and Environmental Biology unit in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland, is inviting applications for a salaried Doctoral Researcher position in Evolutionary Ecology of Arctic Phytoplankton.
Research Focus & Arctic Oceanography Scope
Funded by the Research Council of Finland project “Climate-driven Dispersal, risk or potential for Arctic diversity”, the doctoral position addresses urgent polar ocean change questions:
- Arctic Ocean Dispersal & Climate Adaptation: Investigating how warming ocean currents, sea-ice loss, and species dispersal influence genetic and phenotypic diversity in Arctic marine phytoplankton.
- Polar Fieldwork & Experimental Biology: Participating in Arctic oceanographic cruises, microalgal culturing, high-throughput phenotyping, and genomic sequencing.
- Marine Ecosystem Resilience: Modeling how Arctic primary producers adapt to environmental shifts and ocean acidification.
Position Package & Employment Terms
- Host Institution: Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
- Contract Duration: Full-time salaried doctoral employment running through 31 August 2030.
- Salary: Starting salary approx. €2,700 per month (rising as PhD progress milestones are completed), plus full Finnish occupational healthcare and social benefits.
- Start Date: Flexible (as soon as possible, no later than 1 January 2027).
Candidate Requirements
- Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Marine Biology, Biological Oceanography, Aquatic Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, or related field.
- Experience in phytoplankton culturing, molecular genetics, or statistical modeling in R/Python.
- Fluency in scientific English.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Åbo Akademi University recruitment system. Attach a cover letter describing research motivation, CV, academic transcripts, master’s thesis summary, and contact information for two academic references.