PostDoc: Biodiversity of Urban Native and Non-Native Trees with eDNA

About the role

Urban forests contain both native and non-native trees, but the difference in biodiversity they support is less clear in cities than in rural areas. This postdoctoral position investigates bacterial, fungal and insect communities associated with urban native and non-native congeneric trees, using throughfall (rainwater passing through tree canopies) that carries DNA of resident organisms. The project is based at WSL.

Key responsibilities

• Plan, organise and conduct throughfall sampling in several Swiss cities and arboreta
• Process throughfall samples for metabarcoding (filtering, eDNA extraction, PCR) in a modern, fully equipped molecular laboratory
• Analyse the data and publish the results in international scientific journals

Required profile

• PhD in natural sciences with a strong interest in urban ecology
• Proven experience in metabarcoding and ideally eDNA, including practical wet-lab work
• Proficiency in biodiversity and community analyses
• Category B driving licence, very good English, and ideally German and/or French
• Well organised, able to work independently, with good communication skills

Applications are submitted online through the WSL career page; applications by email will not be considered. WSL promotes diversity and inclusion.