📢 PhD opportunity at the CEBC (France) & Institute of Avian Research (Germany)

🎓 PhD title: Interactions between chemical contaminants and parasitic helminths in common terns

📊 Main aims:
The thesis relies on a unique sample of pedigreed common terns of known sex and age that died from avian influenza at the Banter See colony on the German North Sea coast.
- The PhD candidate will describe the parasitic helminth fauna of the terns, and quantify the distribution of trace elements and PFAS in both the terns and their parasites.
- By using bulk and amino-acid-specific stable isotope analyses and information on migratory destinations inferred from biologging technologies, the PhD candidate will also uncover the trophic and site-specific drivers of contaminant and parasite exposure.

🌱 This project at the interface of ecotoxicology, parasitology, and trophic ecology will strongly contribute to our understanding of cumulative stressors and their drivers in wildlife.

⛰️ The PhD candidate will also participate in fieldwork for a conservation project on the last Central European population of gull-billed terns.

👉🏻 Key eligibility criteria:
- Hold a Master (but not PhD) degree at the time of application
- Demonstrated research experience (e.g., Master thesis or equivalent project)
- Have not resided in France for more than 12 months during the past 3 years
- Excellent English and team work skills

👉🏻 3-year fixed term contract fully funded by the MSCA COFUND Horizon Europe program

📅 Apply by 12/12/2025 at euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/380142 

PhD students / Postdocs

People whose interests overlap with the projects in our groups and who may be interested in joining us should feel free to get in touch any time. We are always happy to discuss potential research projects that are worth exploring together and welcome enquiries. In addition to advertised positions, there are several attractive possibilities both from within Germany and the European Union which we have successfully benefited from before. Please get in touch for more information and include a CV and outline your motivation and topic you would be keen to explore with us.

Master / Bachelor students

If you are interested in our research, you may consider doing a research project or writing your master thesis here. The work can entail a combination of fieldwork, labwork, data analyses and include a bioinformatic analysis component, depending on the time of the year. Please get in touch and in your email let us know which time frame and duration your internship or thesis project is planned for, which project(s) you are most interested in and why you would want to join, and your motivation to work with us.

Specific job exchange links:

• Die ZEIT - Stellenmarkt
• SCIENCE-JOBS-DE