PhD student in Environmental Science, focus Arctic Ocean methane oxidation

PhD Student Position in Biogeochemistry

The Department of Environmental Science is one of the biggest departments at the Faculty of Science. The department consists of four units with more than 170 researchers, teachers, doctoral students and technical/administrative staff from over 30 countries. Research and teaching focuses on chemical contaminants, atmospheric science, biogeochemistry and (eco) toxicology. As an employee at the Department of Environmental Science you will be part of a dynamic environment with research in leading research areas and with a strong international profile.

Research in the Biogeochemistry Unit focuses on the cycles of carbon, nutrients and trace metals on land, in water and in the atmosphere, and their interaction with human activities and climate. The unit has a strong and long-standing research focus on the impact of global warming on Arctic environments with the overarching goal to improve the systems understanding and future projections of biogeochemical cycles in this system.

We are now recruiting a PhD student to complement our team, with a focus on methane oxidation in the Arctic Ocean.

The thesis work will be conducted within the project "Observational constraints on Arctic Ocean methane systems as tipping elements and triggers of climate overshoot", funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The project focuses on methane releases from thawing subsea permafrost and collapsing hydrates of the Arctic Ocean. Hotspots of high methane concentrations have been observed especially on the Eurasian Arctic Ocean shelves and slopes, but the sources, sinks, release processes, emissions to the atmosphere, and future trajectories are highly uncertain.

The project aims to answer these questions by integrating observational and modelling tools. The PhD position will be associated with the research group of Birgit Wild, and will be part of a larger research team working on the same project, including project partners Örjan Gustafsson and Wei Li Hong (both Stockholm University).

The PhD thesis might focus on different aspects of the grand theme but the ideas should be complementary to the overarching project goals. Possibilities include, but are not restricted to, experimental and modelling work to constrain methane oxidation rates, the impact of methane oxidation on ocean acidification, and the role of subsea permafrost for methane release on the Arctic Ocean shelves.

We have a large collection of samples and data especially from the Russian Arctic Ocean shelves available at Stockholm University, and laboratory facilities for e.g., controlled experiments; analyses of various biomarkers (incl. compound-specific 13C and 14C analyses); of concentrations, stable and radioisotopes of methane and CO2; of microbial community composition etc.

The position might include also additional field work. A detailed project plan will be developed by the PhD student, with support by main supervisor Birgit Wild and other colleagues in the first three months of the position.

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met before admission.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in Environmental Science, is met if at least 45 of the credits at the second cycle is in one of the natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, or Meteorology) including a 30 credits thesis project. The applicant should also have 30 credits in other natural science subjects different from the major.

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• documented knowledge in a relevant field of research
• capacity for analytical and creative…