Postdoctoral fellowship at Stockholm University

Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology,
Stockholm University

The Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology is one of the major departments within theFaculty of Science at Stockholm University. The department has 120 employees and approximately 1500students. The main research disciplines are Geomorphology, Glaciology, Climatology, Quaternary Geology,Hydrology, Remote Sensing, Geographical Data Processing, Ecological Geography and Tropical Geography.

Teaching is oriented towards geography, earth sciences, geosciences and environmental protection.

Project description: We invite applications for a two-year post-doctoral fellowship within the topic of: Modelling plant species dispersal in fragmented landscapes, at the Department of Physical Geography and QuaternaryGeology. The overall objective is to understand how past and present land use influence species dispersal anddiversity in fragmented landscapes with a high human impact. Specific objectives are to create a suitablemodelling platform for modelling plant dispersal at a landscape scale, and to model plant species dispersal basedon dispersal traits in real landscape with different pattern and human impact.

The study will be carried out in close collaboration with PhD-students and a senior researcher within thelandscape ecology group at the Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology. Our main researchfocus is historical land use influence on dispersal and diversity of grassland species in rural landscapes, andanalysing land use changes, plant functional types and species turnover and dispersal in the archipelago. We have field sites in the Stockholm archipelago and also in rural landscapes on the mainland. The work is crossdisciplinarywith close collaborations with human geography and the different ecology departments at StockholmUniversity.

Qualifications for the research fellowship are a PhD in Biology or Ecology or closely related discipline, and goodqualifications in geographical information systems and spatial statistics. The applicant needs to have a PhD notolder than 5 years from a non-Swedish university.

Final date for applications: March 31, 2009.

Latest starting date is September 1, 2009.

Applications should include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, copies of degreecertificates and transcripts of academic records (all attested) and a list of two persons who may act as references(with phone numbers and email addresses).

Applications should be sent to:
Stockholm University,
Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology,
Susanna Blåndman, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

For further information contact:
Associate professor Sara Cousins +46 (0)8 16 47 67, e-mail:sara.cousins@natgeo.su.se

PhD Studentship at School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Manchester

The School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences invites applications for a distinguished 3-year Research into Ageing PhD studentship commencing in October 2009. Funding will provide full support for the UK/EU tuition fee, a tax-free annual stipend of £14, 500 and generous travel allowance.
The primary objective of this project is to identify proteins essential for biofilm development with a view to recognizing novel targets for biofilm inhibition in relation to urinary incontinence.
Urinary incontinence, a condition largely associated with older patients, is generally managed in hospitals and care homes using indwelling catheters.
Unfortunately the catheter is a hazard to the very patients it is designed to treat. The urine of virtually all catheterised patients is persistently colonized with multiple species of microorganisms and around 50% will develop gram-negative bacteraemia. Long-term use of the urinary catheter is also the most likely source of urosepsis in patients over 60 years of age.
The vast majority of infections result from bacterial biofilm formation on the surfaces of the catheter. Biofilms are structured, multicellular layers that constitute a protected growth mode to facilitate survival in hostile environments. Their production offers increased resistance to host defences and general antimicrobials. As a result persistent painful urinary tract infections are common, particularly in older patients. Together with the increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is, therefore, desirable for future treatments to move away from the use of antibiotics and towards the use of specific inhibitors of functions vital to biofilm formation. As part of our ongoing research to develop novel catheter coating that release such inhibitors this project aims to identify proteins critical to biofilm formation that can be targeted for inhibition.

The successful applicant will develop a wide variety of techniques particularly those associated with molecular biology, proteomics and microbiology. He/she will also develop techniques associated with biomaterial synthesis particularly those derived from cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate or glycerol methacrylate as these will be used for the substrata for biofilm formation.
Upon completion of the project, the candidate will be ideally placed to progress into a post-doctoral position in either the physical or biological sciences or indeed at the interface between the two.
Applications are welcomed from candidates holding, or expecting to obtain, a first or upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject such as biochemistry, chemistry, chemical biology and biomedical sciences.
Interested candidates should submit a CV and detailed covering letter outlining their suitability for the project to Dr Michelle Webb at michelle.webb@manchester.ac.uk.
Contact details for two academic or professional referees should also be provided.
Applications will be welcomed up to and including Monday 16 February 2009.
For further details on the study or to confirm your suitability please contact
Dr Webb at the above address.
http://www.medicine.manchester.ac.uk/medicalgenetics/