Study opportunities in marine sedimentary ancient DNA (aDNA), available now.
Supervisor: Dr Linda Armbrecht, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) at the University of Adelaide, Australia
Marine phytoplankton are globally important microorganisms that live in the ocean’s surface. When these tiny organisms die, they sink to the seafloor and over time build up complex layers in the ocean sediments. By extracting ancient DNA from such sediments, past phytoplankton communities can be reconstructed, providing information on past environmental conditions and climate. This novel knowledge about past marine community adaptation to previous regional and global warming periods helps inform predictions of future marine ecosystem resilience guiding management efforts of marine ecosystems during present-day climate change.
Study opportunities on all levels (Internships, Honours, Masters, PhD) are available with regard to the reconstruction of Antarctic phytoplankton communities and their responses to variations in climate. Sediment cores used for this research were collected off East and West Antarctica, and are dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (~20-25 kyr). This research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning across marine science, biological/palae-oceanography, and palaeo-genomics, and a good
understanding in at least one of these disciplines is required. Study activities include, for example, marine field-work (topic-dependent), laboratory tasks, bioinformatics and data analysis.
International students should note that they must meet the English Language Proficiency (ELP) <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduatecentre/handbook/03-considerations-in-applying/02-entry-requirements/03-english-language/>
requirements, and must apply for an International Scholarship <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/graduatecentre/scholarships/research-international/>).
These scholarships are highly competitive and based on an excellent academic record. Please ensure you meet the eligibility criteria for admission (in relation to PhD or MSc study) prior to contacting us.
If you are interested to commence a degree or conduct an internship in this research area please contact linda.armbrecht@adelaide.edu.au, outlining your motivation and relevant research experience, including your CV, and, if applicable, your current transcript. Please also visit the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/acad/study/> website for further information about our research centre.
Freshwater Ecology 