Research assistant on alga-virus interactions
(part-time 50 %, E 13 TV-L)
Reference no.: 2025/200.
Start date is October 15th or November 1st 2025 ; the position is available for 8 months. A reallocation of the working hours, for example to ~65% for 6 months, can be discussed.
The ability to resist infection by viruses is a critical trait for microbial algae. In turn, the ability to “break” that resistance is a critical trait for algal viruses. However, the evolution of resistance (in algae) or resistance-breaking (in viruses) often comes at a cost – for example, resistant algae may have slower growth rates compared to non-resistant algae. This research project will test how these costs are affected by environmental stress: do stressful temperatures, nutrient conditions, or salinities make resistance and resistance-breaking “more expensive”? The project uses Chlorella algae and chloroviruses. You will work with Dr. Eva Lievens in the Aquatic Ecology and Evolution group (AG Becks).
Your Responsibilities
* Managing the growth of algal cultures
* Running algal and viral growth experiments under different environmental conditions
* Processing samples (microscopy, flow cytometry)
* Entering data
* Trouble-shooting assays
Required competencies
* Master’s degree in a biological field, biological laboratory technician degree, or similar degree
* Experience with microbial work: working under sterile conditions, working with common lab equipment, understanding microbial growth patterns
* Able to communicate in English
* Organized, reliable, attentive to instructions, careful and alert in the lab
Desirable compentencies
* Experience developing experimental protocols
* Experience working with research data, ideally in R
* Experience working with microbial algae and/or viruses
* Familiar with flow cytometry
Questions can be directed to Dr. Eva Lievens ( eva.lievens@uni-konstanz.de ).
We look forward to receiving your application (including a short description of your experience and interest, your CV, and contact information for 1-2 references) until 22.09.2025 via our Online-Application-Portal .
The University of Konstanz is committed to ensuring an environment that provides equal opportunities and promotes diversity, as well as a good balance between university and family life. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to increase the number of women working in research and teaching. We also support working couples through our dual career programme. Persons with disabilities are explicitly encouraged to apply. They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact sbv@uni-konstanz.de, + 49 7531 88-4016).