Tirocinante Nel Campo Dell’Ecologia D’Acqua Dolce

Institute for Alpine Environment

The Institute for Alpine Environment performs problem-oriented research of mountain environments in the fields of landscape ecology, global change, biodiversity, ecosystem services and sustainable development. We are seeking for two trainees who will support our Limnological team in the field of Ecology of running-waters within the “Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol” (BMS) and/or “PlasticFree” (EFRE-1018 project) related to the topic of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems.

The person we are looking for will process river samples in the lab, assist in the sorting and identification of the benthic macroinvertebrate samples, collect data and support the data curation. Investigated samples cover the area of the whole region of South Tyrol (ITA), working location is Bozen/Bolzano.

BMS is an ongoing survey of biodiversity that serves as basic research, but it is also intended to provide a scientific base for political decisions concerning spatial planning, agriculture, and nature conservation. BMS surveys animal and plant groups that react sensitively to climate and/or land-use changes, at habitat and landscape level. These surveys occur in 320 terrestrial and more than 120 aquatic sites distributed over the entire province of South Tyrol (7400 km²), including a large share of the diversity of habitats in the region. For details, please consult our webpage biodiversity.eurac.edu

PlasticFree is an ongoing project focused on the impacts of microplastic pollution in alpine freshwater environments and biota founded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FESR) 2021-2017. For more details, please consult our webpage https://www.plasticfreesouthtyrol.eu/en/

Tasks:

• Support in limnological laboratory activities for the winter season 2024-2025 (macrozoobenthos);
• Sorting & identification of macrozoobenthos to family and genus level;
• Support in digitalization of field data;
• Optional field work activities.

Requirements:

• Bachelor/master’s degree in Biology or Environmental Science with at least one concluded course in limnology (or master degree obtained not more than one year ago);
• Willingness and ability to work in Alpine areas;
• Knowledge of the aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna of the Alpine area;
• Some experience in separating and visually sorting microplastics in sediment and biota are advantageous;
• Previous experience in fieldwork campaigns and/or in a laboratory are advantageous;
• Good English skills, additional skills in German and Italian are advantageous;
• Ability to work autonomously and in a team;

We offer:

• Paid internship for minimum 2-3 months (winter 2024/2025).

Interested candidates should submit their application (CV and motivation letter) within 01.12.2024