[Todos] Positions available at Roscoff, France

[Demetrio Boltovskoy]

Please find below information on 2 positions ( postdoc 2 Years and
PhD 3 Years) available in the team "Plankton Evolution and Paleoceans" at
the Roscoff Marine Station, France.
Research Themes: Marine Molecular Ecology, Plankton Ecology and Evolution,
Phylogenetics, Functional Genomics, Biomineralization, Paleontology and
Paleoceanography, Earth System Science.
Just have a look at the attached document for more information, but do not
hesitate to email Colomban de Vargas (vargas en sb-roscoff.fr) if any further
questions.

Roscoff, April 4th 2006,
Station Biologique de Roscoff
CNRS, UMR 7144, Groupe Plancton Oceanique
Equipe ATIP : « Evolution du Plancton et Paleoceans »
http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/Phyto/
CONCERNS: Two positions (PhD 3 Years $ PostDoc 2 Years) available at the
Roscoff Marine Station; Team: “Plankton Evolution and Paleoceans”.

The group “Plancton Oceanique” at the SBR in Brittany, France, is a one of 
the world leader in the fields of molecular ecology, evolution, and 
physiology of marine unicellular plankton 
(http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/Phyto/). The new team “Plankton Evolution and 
Paleoceans” (PI: Colomban de Vargas; Research Engineer: Ian Probert; PhD 
students: Miguel Frada and Hui Liu) explores key aspects of the biological, 
functional, and ecological diversities within the two main groups of 
pelagic micro-calcifiers: the coccolithophores and foraminifers. Having 
built kilometers-thick, exceptionally well preserved carbonate deposits at 
the ocean floor, these protists have played a fundamental role in the 
ecology and geology of Earth System for the last ~200 My. The biological 
(genomic, physiological, ecological, biogeographical), chemical (trace 
elements and isotopes within the micro-skeletons), and morphological 
(optical and electron microscopy) information we extract from living 
species are used to assess their mode and rate of evolution, and to 
re-interpret their fossil record and impact on biogeochemical cycles.

PhD project: Role of Red-Queen selection, life cycle, and sex in the 
evolution of marine pelagic viruses and their hosts (coccolithophores).

This project will be co-supervised by Colomban de Vargas (SBR) and Willie 
Wilson (Plymouth Marine Laboratory, http://www.pml.ac.uk/pml/). It is part 
of ESTeam, a new European PhD program of excellence in marine genomics and 
molecular ecology, hosted at the SBR (http://www.sbroscoff. fr/ESTeam/).

Project Abstract: Modern optical and genomic techniques have revealed 
extremely abundant and diverse marine planktonic viruses. Although the 
influence of viruses on marine geochemical cycles (via the regulation of 
host populations), and prokaryote evolution (via lateral gene transfer), is 
well recognized, the processes creating and maintaining such huge oceanic 
viral diversity, including its rate of evolution, are largely unknown. 
Mechanisms of co-evolution between hosts and their viruses, where both are 
fighting to respectively decrease and increase virulence, are certainly 
playing critical roles. We propose to test two main hypotheses, using the 
coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi as model: (A) virulence in pelagic 
host-virus interactions is highly specific, constrained by the boundaries 
between species, sub-species, or strains; (B) virulence is not species 
specific, but life-stages specific, and thus constrained by the sexual 
alternation between haploid and diploid populations. Experiments will test 
if “Red-Queen” processes are driving ecological/evolutionary 
diversification in coccolithoviruses and their hosts, and will address 
whether host evolution is driven by rapid genomic mutations, or rather by 
genomic restructuring through haploidization and/or genetic recombination 
associated with sex. Results will enhance our understanding of the nature 
and tempo of evolution of planktonic host-virus interactions.

The complete project can be downloaded @:
http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/ESTeam//Theses/ESTeam_DeVargas.pdf

Application dealine: May 26th 2006; Interviews: June 15-16th 2006; Starting 
date: Fall 2006. Salary: 1532,94 Euros net/month; in addition: travel 
allowance, 750 €/year; mobility: 523,50 €/month; career exploration: 2000 
€/fellow. Further detail about the ESTeam program can be found @ 
http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/ESTeam/.

Application form can be found @ http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/ESTeam/ and will 
be sent, together with a CV, a letter of motivation, and 2 recommendation 
letters, to houbin en sb-roscoff.fr, i.e. Mrs Celine Houbin, ESTeam 
operational manager, SBR/CNRS-UPMC, BP74, F-29682 cedex, FRANCE. A copy of 
the documents should be emailed to the Dr. Colomban de Vargas, 
vargas en sb-roscoff.fr; Any questions? Do not hesitate to call: 00 33 2 98 29 
25 28.

CONCERNS: 2-Years PostDoc positions available at the Roscoff Marine 
Station; Team: “Plankton Evolution and Paleoceans”.

Postdoctoral Associate: Species & Skeleton Diversification in Coccolithophores

The ‘invention’ of intracellular biomineralization (or coccolithogenesis) 
in haptophyte microalgae ~200 Ma transferred the biological control of 
carbonate chemistry from coastal waters to the open oceans. This new 
microbial machinery controlling the rate of carbon transfer between the 
atmosphere, ocean, and sediments, significantly contributed to buffer the 
concentration of atmospheric CO2 and stabilize long-term climates on Earth. 
Today, the anthropogenic acidification of the oceans, in combination with a 
secular increase in Mg/Ca ratio in oceanic waters may threaten 
coccolithogenesis and thus have a profound, disruptive effect on the global 
carbon cycle. However, very little is known about the complexity of the 
genetic network underlying calcification in coccolithophores and the 
evolution of this fundamental function within the astonishing biodiversity 
and morphological complexity of the group (shaped over billions of 
generations in separated lineages, different water masses and succeeding 
oceans). Such information will be required in order to predict the 
potential of pelagic calcification for acclimation and adaptation.

24-months research position is available in our lab to join a 
pluridisciplinary research program aimed at understanding the biological 
and functional diversities within the coccolithophores, and assessing the 
rate of change of these diversities over time (project ANR BOOM, 
Biodiversity of Open Ocean Microcalcifiers). The candidate will develop 
part of the molecular axis within BOOM, with 3 main objectives: (1) 
Identify and sequence the genes responsible for haptophyte 
biomineralization within a few divergent model species; (2) analyze the 
molecular evolution (clock, selection) of key “calcifying” genes across the 
phylogeny of the haptophytes and coccolithophores; (3) explore a few 
phylogenetic patterns at the genus and higher taxonomic levels (species 
versus skeletons diversification), using “neutral” genetic markers. 
Molecular analyses of the biological and functional diversities will be 
compared and calibrated in time using the coccolithophore fossil record. A 
skilled molecular biologist is required with sound laboratory skills and an 
interest in the fields of phylogenetics, functional genomics, and the 
evolution of marine plankton and Earth System. Experience in the 
systematics of coccolithophores and/or haptophytes is desirable but not 
essential. Hundreds of haptophyte strains cultured in our lab will be 
available for this study, which will be integrated into collaborative work 
in physiology, functional genomics, and paleontology/paleoceanography 
performed in South of France, California, Germany, and UK.

An application letter and resume should be directly sent to the Dr. 
Colomban de Vargas, e-mail: vargas en sb-roscoff.fr; Station Biologique de 
Roscoff, Place George Teissier, BP74; 29682 ROSCOFF Cedex, FRANCE. Any 
questions? Do not hesitate to email or call: 00 33 2 98 29 25 28.







_________________________________________________
Demetrio Boltovskoy
Departamento Ecología, Genética y Evolución
Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
Universidad de Buenos Aires
C1428EHA Buenos Aires
Argentina

email: demetrio en ege.fcen.uba.ar
http://biolo.bg.fcen.uba.ar/boltovs.htm
Phone: (54-11)4576-3310, (54-11)4576-3300, Ext. 248; Cel.: +54 9 11 5425 4511
Fax: (54-11)4576-3384/4795-1518
_________________________________________________

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