Southern Cross University

Homepage: https://www.scu.edu.au/

PhD Scholarship: Barking up the right trees – a microbial solution for our methane problem.

This exciting 3-year fully funded PhD project supports an Australian Research Council DECRA project investigating the role of novel tree-dwelling microbial communities in mitigating greenhouse gasses.

Project aim: This project aims to unveil the microbial diversity and metabolic capabilities of bark-dwelling microbial communities in Australian forests. Trees perform an important climatic function in sequestering atmospheric carbon, however the role of tree bark-associated microbiome in regulating other climate-active trace gasses such as methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide is unknown. Combining cutting-edge molecular and biogeochemical approaches, this project aims to characterise and quantify trace gas oxidation rates of forest bark microbiome. The anticipated outcomes include fundamental knowledge surrounding bark-associated microbial trace gas oxidation within global biogeochemical cycles, and insights into their response to climatic variables.

Location: The project will be based at the Northern Rivers campus of Southern Cross University, situated on the North Coast of NSW. The candidate will work within the vibrant and collaborative Catchments, Coasts and Communities research cluster and have access to state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. The candidate will ideally have prior experience or an interest in microbial ecology, genomic sequencing and downstream analysis, but will also utilise and learn forestry and biogeochemistry techniques such as soil, aquatic and tree-stem greenhouse gas measurements.

Eligibility: The successful candidate will receive a PhD stipend at the RTP rate of AU$29,863 per annum (2023 rate indexed annually) for three years and three months and will need to meet the entry requirements to enrol in a PhD at Southern Cross University on a full-time basis, including a bachelor’s degree (Hons, 2nd class or above) or a master’s degree with a relevant research component.

Prospective candidates who are interested in this opportunity are kindly requested to submit a cover letter, CV (including at least 3 references), and transcripts to Dr Luke Jeffrey – luke.jeffrey@scu.edu.au. For more information or to apply for this PhD Scholarship opportunity, please also email the above. The application deadline is January 31st, 2024, with the anticipated starting date being early-mid 2024. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Please note that applicants whose first language is not English or who have not pursued their degree studies with English as the language of instruction must achieve a satisfactory English language test score (TOEFL).