PhD position NCCR Genesis: combining remote and in-situ life detection techniques

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About the position

UniBE is ambitious.

With us, you deliver top performance and test your skills against the best.

Responsibilities

We are looking for a creative and motivated candidate, a team player, with a MSc degree in physics, chemistry, or biology. Willingness to learn microbiological techniques is essential; prior wet lab experience is an asset. No prior expertise in optics is required; training will be provided, though a basic understanding of polarization, vacuum technology and/or mass spectrometry is a plus. Excellent oral and written skills in English are a requirement.

Requirements

The position is based at the Centre for Space and Habitability, which strives to investigate key questions in space sciences through interdisciplinarity. The team collaborates tightly with various national and international partners. This includes for example the Microbiology Laboratory of the University of Neuchâtel where the lab measurements on microorganisms will be conducted. Laser-based mass spectrometry on organics will be conducted at the Space Research and Planetary Sciences division of the University of Bern, which is closely collaborating with colleagues at NASA Ames Research Center, USA.

The city of Bern is well known for its quality of life, cultural richness and beautiful surroundings offering plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities.

The position is funded for a period of 4 years. The annual gross salary is competitive, ranging from CHF 50,042 in the first year to CHF 53,263 in the final year. Ample funding for travel, publications and computing resources will be available. Child allowance and maternity/paternity leave are offered. Assistance with visa procedures is available for international candidates. Additionally, the CSH offers career advice, mentorship, and teaching opportunities.

Benefits

• International reputation
• Individual career support
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Strong research infrastructure and international network

Application

The Centre for Space and Habitability (CSH) and the Division for Space Research and Planetary Sciences (WP) at the University of Bern invite applications for a PhD position in the frame of the new NCCR Genesis.

The National Centre of Competence in Research NCCR Genesis is a research infrastructure project funded by SNSF focussing on exploring the emergence of life in the Universe. This interdisciplinary research infrastructure brings together physicists, earth and planetary scientists, chemists and biologists to understand the conditions and the mechanisms that enable life to emerge. Developing reliable methods to detect unambiguous traces of life (biosignatures) – whether through remote sensing or direct onsite measurements – requires significant innovation. These challenges demand close collaboration across physics, biology, chemistry and the earth sciences. NCCR Genesis does not aim to provide answers in all fields, but to drive innovative research and achieve decisive progress.

Details on NCCR Genesis are available on its website https://nccr-genesis.ch .

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

NCCR Genesis is deeply committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. Our aim is to cultivate a respectful and fair work culture with equal access to professional development and support for all. We strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups.

Project description

Are we alone in the universe? The search for life beyond the Earth is one of the most fascinating endeavours that humankind has embarked upon. Recent years have seen tremendous progress in instrumentation, laboratory experiments and theories on the origin of life.

This PhD project will investigate for the first time the combination of remote life sensing techniques using circular spectro-polarimetry with in situ laser-based mass spectrometry measurements, both designed for the detection or signatures of life. The work will mainly involve experiments in the lab, using cell cultures of a range of strains (including anaerobic cultivation of microorganisms) and various classes of organic molecules relevant to Solar System environments. These studies will be complemented by targeted field measurements of soil material containing microorganisms and low abundant organics that are relevant candidates for extinct/extant life on Mars or in the icy moons of the solar system. The results of this endeavour will reveal the potential of combining life detection methods at different scales that will be key to define optimal strategies for future life-detection missions, such as the planned ESA L4 mission to Enceladus or future NASA mission to Mars.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning astrophysics, microbiology, biomedicine and engineering. The new group member will have the opportunity to gain unique experience in dual-use instrumentation applicable to both space exploration and medical diagnostics.

Application

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