There are always opportunities for enthusiastic and motivated postgraduate students and postdoctoral research fellows and many opportunities exist to obtain stipends and fellowships. Contact Sophie von der Heyden at svdh(at)sun.ac.za for more details.
Note that the major funding opportunities usually have deadlines towards early in the year (by the end of May - July), so be sure to make contact well before. ------------
DEADLINE 19th JUNE 2024: MSc/PhD opportunities in environmental DNA metabarcoding of southern African marine environments
One MSc or PhD position is available in the lab of Prof. Sophie von der Heyden lab at Stellenbosch University. Students will be based at the von der Heyden Lab at Stellenbosch University, one of Africa’s leading marine research groups specializing in the use of molecular tools to understand patterns and processes driving southern Africa’s rich marine biodiversity. We are a dynamic and diverse lab, with a strong emphasis on research excellence as well as student training and support. Our work spans evolutionary and molecular ecology, ecological genomics, marine conservation and restoration and the impact of climate and anthropogenic pressures on marine systems. To do this, we utilise a wide range of tools including genomics and environmental DNA, with our overarching goal of promoting the integration of molecular tools into conservation and sustainable utilization of southern African marine species and resources. You can find out more about the von der Heyden lab and marine research at Stellenbosch University: www.vonderheydenlab.com or via FB www.facebook.com/vonderheydenlab.
There is some flexibility as to the scope and scale and dependent on the applicant’s interests, but broadly the project focusses on developing and applying environmental DNA metabarcoding for detecting marine or estuarine communities in South Africa. See here for some of our research papers on this topic. This is a NRF funded project, with students starting in 2025, for either two years (2025/26) for the MSc and three years (2025-2027) for the PhD.
Applicants for the positions will hard-working, enthusiastic and independently motivated students and able to fit into a fun and diverse lab. You will need an average of at least 65% for your MSc (or equivalent degree) if you are interested in the PhD position, or a 65% average for your Honours degree if you are looking for a MSc. Ideally you would have some experience in molecular methodologies (even basic applications such as DNA extractions, PCR and sequencing are a bonus), have had some exposure to bioinformatics and some background in marine/estuarine ecology or biodiversity. We do provide training in all analytical methodology and this is a great opportunity for students who wish to gain more exposure in genomics, bioinformatics and their application to conservation. You will need to apply independently to the current NRF Postgraduate funding call (with support) and there are also opportunities through Stellenbosch University funding (the deadline for this at SU is the 5th July).
Please direct all enquiries to Prof Sophie von der Heyden, [email protected]. For applications to be considered, include an academic transcript, CV and two academic referees. Closingdate for applications is the 19th June 2024.
We are committed to supporting candidates based on excellence as well as equity.