The holder of the PhD position will support the project by studying the competition and interactions between viruses, bacteria and their hosts, from the micro (in a controlled laboratory environment) to the macro scale (in the wild). These viruses are abundant in soil and aquatic environments, infecting a wide range of protist hosts. Besides unusually large particle sizes, giant viruses possess complex “chimeric” genomes, including genes that were likely acquired from their hosts as well as bacteria that infect the same hosts.

The research will be conducted as part of a Starting Grant from the European Research Council.  The starting date of the position is possible from January 1st 2023 and preferably not later than July 1st 2023. Interested applicants can find more information on the requirements and tasks of the position in the job description. The position remains open until filled. Further questions can be addressed directly to Anouk Willemsen.