Context. The Tara Oceans expeditions (2009-2013) systematically sampled marine plankton at 210 sites of the world’s ocean, covering the entire ecosystem diversity from viruses and prokaryotes to eukaryotes, including animals (zooplankton). For the first time, a holistic, standardized eco-morpho-genetic dataset was built across a planetary biome (Karsenti et al. 2011, Bork et al. 2015). To date the project has generated the largest meta-omics dataset available (>40 Terabases), including >1,000 virus-, prokaryote-, and eukaryote-enriched metagenomes and metatranscriptomes, as well as >4 billion eukaryotic and prokaryotic metabarcodes from >3,000 size-fractionated plankton communities worldwide. This dataset covering global geographic and taxonomic scales represents a unique opportunity to explore the boundaries of a planetary ecosystem at the interface between oceanography, biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. As a demonstration of the enormous potential behind these resources, the first wave of Tara Oceans analyses have been published in 8 papers in Science and Nature in 2015 and 2016.

Proposed jobs: The 6 interconnected postdoctoral projects proposed here aim at using the power of the complete Tara Oceans dataset, finalized in 2016 and including new imaging data, to unravel the architecture of plankton organismal and metabolic networks across our changing oceans (with a focus on expanding anoxic zones), and model their dynamics across space and time, and in comparison to fish population dynamics. Each postdoc will work with a main adviser, but should work in collaboration with at least 2 laboratories of the consortium having complementary expertise in different disciplines.

The call is open to applicants from Argentina, Brazil and Chile. There is an initial funding for 4 positions for 2.5 years, with additional opportunities if applicants are able to secure their own funding or the availability of matching funds from the country of origin or the host laboratory. This scheme aims at fostering the development of interdisciplinary approaches combining new DNA Sequencing methods, bioinformatics, sophisticated imaging methods and oceanography in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. It is therefore expected that applicants keep a close contact with their home institution and develop a strategy to foster collaborations between laboratories of their home country and the Tara Oceans consortium, to prepare their future activity upon return to their home country after their stay in Tara Oceans laboratories.

Deadline: 10 June 2016

More information at http://www.embl.de/tara-oceans/start/news/index.php

Download the full call for applicants at http://www.embl.de/jobs/partners/download/tara-oceans-ffem-postdocs-2016.pdf