{"id":121,"date":"2018-01-24T13:19:18","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T12:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/lakes\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2025-12-09T11:53:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:53:56","slug":"open-positions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.unil.ch\/lakes\/open-positions\/","title":{"rendered":"Open positions in Ecology-Biogeochemistry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We have several opportunities related to the QUAGGA-MUFFIN<\/mark> project starting in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact<\/strong>: marie-elodie.perga@unil.ch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quagga mussel is an invasive species in European freshwater environments, which has been colonizing Switzerland’s large lakes since 2016. These dreissenid mussels have phenomenal colonization and filtration capabilities, which lead to the transformation of the lakes they colonize. <\/p>\n\n\n

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quagga in sediment core – 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

1. 6-Month Master’s degree internship opportunity : The role of quagga mussel colonization on the phosphorus cycle in Swiss lakes.<\/mark><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the large Laurentian lakes, where the invasion by the quagga mussel preceded that of European lakes by two decades, the phosphorus cycle is now completely regulated by quagga mussels. In other words, phosphorus concentrations, the main regulator of algae production, no longer depend on inputs from the watershed, but on the interannual dynamics of mussel populations. This Master’s internship<\/strong> aims to assess the extent to which quagga mussels, at their current and future densities, could become a key link in the phosphorus cycle in Lake Geneva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature of the research work<\/strong>: literature review, modeling, field sampling, laboratory measurements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will interact with other members of the QUAGGA-MUFFIN project within the LAKES team. The team is English- and French-speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Required skills: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n