The Molecular Ecology Group at IRSA Verbania | Open positions

 

manylakes2Microbes are the most diverse and abundant organisms on Earth. Their role is fundamental for a number of important ecosystem functions, including carbon degradation, nutrient cycling and trace gas flux. Thanks to their peculiar features like high reproductive rates, large population densities, and adaptability to environmental stressors, they are ideal model organisms to study and implement the general ecological theory, and thus to understand nature.

At the MEG in Verbania we study a number of different topics related to the role of microbes mainly in waters, but also in other environments. We carry out researches in the field (in Europe, Patagonia, Mexico, Antarctica, Azores, Tahiti, China, Black Sea, and Himalaya Mountains), but we also work on epidemiological studies on humans and animals, and we develop experimental model systems in our labs. A number of national and international cooperations are active within the MEG ans other institutes in order to promote mobility of students and scientists and perform shared researches.

The MEG's main goal is to merge common knowledge and activities within the different groups of the CNR dealing with microbial ecology, in order to develop in a "diffuse" lab all over Italy. 


Open positions (PhDs, Postdocs)

We have 4 open positions

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2 post-doc positions open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:
Deadline for application: March 29th, 2024

Length of the contract: 20 months (with the possibility of extension) – 2 positions available

Project title: BIODIVERSA+ FUNACTION - Aquatic fungal biodiversity: developing knowledge and strategies to inform conservation priorities and measures

Project webpage: https://funaction.eu/

Call description (unfortunately in Italian, I translated key info for applying below) here

Referent: Laura Garzoli This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Criteria for selection: Bachelor's and/or MD in one of the following sectors (Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geological Sciences, Forestry Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Environmental and Territorial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biotechnology) and a Ph.D. title (with a minimum three-year duration); experience in the field specified in Article 1 and 3 of the scholarship, declared according to the procedures outlined in Article 4. We are looking for candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas: microfungal taxonomy, microbiology, characterization of fungal molecules and enzymes, data analyses (amplicon and shotgun sequencing). Candidates should be proficient in the English language; for foreign candidates, basic knowledge of the Italian language is appreciated.

Application procedure: Italian applicants should send the documents by means of certificate mail (PEC) at the mail address indicated in the call.  Foreign applicants should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Subject of the email must contain “IRSA AdR 09-2024 VB”
Read carefully all the instruction and compile the format (“ALLEGATO A”) available in the call document.
 A summary of documents that needs to be provided is listed below:
- a CV in PDF format.
Important #1: The CV has to be signed!
Important #2: The CV should list all elements useful for the evaluation (NOT a Narrative/Descriptive CV). Please include specific dates for each of your experience.
- A valid ID (e.g., passport)
- Annex A, B, and C, which are found at the link of the call

Unfortunately, Annex A–C are in Italian. If you don’t understand, you can try with ChatGPT or Google translator or ask me :-)

Selection procedure: Selected candidates (based on the evaluation of the CV) will be invited for an interview, either in-person or online.

 

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Post-doc positions open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:
Deadline for application: March 22th, 2024

Length of the contract: 20 months (with the possibility of extension)

Project title: DarCo – The vertical dimension of conservation: A cost-effective plan to incorporate subterranean ecosystems in post-2020 biodiversity and climate change agendas

Project webpage: http://www.meg.irsa.cnr.it/index.php/component/content/article?id=105

Call description (unfortunately in Italian, translated key info for applying below) here

Referent: Stefano Mammola This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Criteria for selection: Bachelor's and/or MD in one of the following sectors (Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geological Sciences, Forestry Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics, Environmental and Territorial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biotechnology) and a Ph.D. title (with a minimum three-year duration); experience in the field specified in Article 1 of the scholarship, declared according to the procedures outlined in Article 4. We are looking for candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas: ecological modeling; spatial analysis in G.I.S.; programming in R; research activities in subterranean environments; research on cave invertebrates and vertebrates (e.g., sampling, identification, application of biotic indices related to the entire community or individual taxa). Candidates should be proficient in the English language; for foreign candidates, basic knowledge of the Italian language is appreciated.

Application procedure: Italian applicants should send the documents by means of certificate mail (PEC) at the mail address indicated in the call.  Foreign applicants should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Subject of the email must contain “IRSA AdR 08-2024 VB”
Read carefully all the instruction and compile the format (“ALLEGATO A”) available in the call document.
 A summary of documents that needs to be provided is listed below:
- a CV in PDF format.
Important #1: The CV has to be signed!
Important #2: The CV should list all elements useful for the evaluation (NOT a Narrative/Descriptive CV). Please include specific dates for each of your experience.
- A valid ID (e.g., passport)
- Annex A, B, and C, which are found at the link of the call

Unfortunately, Annex A–C are in Italian. If you don’t understand, you can try with ChatGPT or Google translator or ask me :-)

Selection procedure: Selected candidates (based on the evaluation of the CV) will be invited for an interview, either in-person or online.

 

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Post-graduate position open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:

Deadline for application: March 20th, 2024
Duration: 14 months
Topic: Isolation of melanins and proteins from biological samples from bats, with HPLC analysis of pigments and functional analysis of bottom-up proteomics data.

Find more about the proposal (in Italian) by clicking here.

General requirements: General requirements: Master degree in Agricultural Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Biotechnology, Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Sciences and Technologies for the Environment and Territory, Chemical Sciences. All qualifications obtained abroad must, as a rule, be previously recognized in Italy in accordance with current legislation on the subject (information on www.miur.it). Experience in separation and characterization of molecules with HPLC instrumentation; preparation of protein samples for proteomic analysis with high-resolution mass spectrometry; processing of proteomic analysis data with high-resolution mass spectrometry, particularly in the use of tools for functional protein analysis. Knowledge of the English language. Knowledge of the Italian language is appreciated (only for non-Italian candidates).

Application (for non-Italian candidates):
Applicants should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject "IRSAAdR-07-2024-VB", attaching:
- CV in PDF format (Important: it has to be signed!)
- A valid scan of an ID (e.g., passport)
- Annex A, B, and C, which are found at the link above (unfortunately the documents are in Italian)
Selected candidates (based on CV) will be invited for an interview, either in-person or online.

In order to apply or to get more info, please contact Emanuele Ferrari (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

Recently closed positions (PhDs, Postdocs)

Post-graduate position open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:
Deadline for application: February 20, 2024
Duration: 12 months (with the possibility of extension)
Topic: Evaluation of the effects of temperature increase on the biodiversity of the planktonic community and on the abundance and composition of the microbial community, pathogenic bacteria, and their relative antibiotic resistance.

Find more about the proposal (in Italian) by clicking here.

General requirements: Degree in Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Geological Sciences, Forestry Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental and Territorial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Biotechnology (all specializations), or Veterinary Medicine, obtained according to the regulations in force prior to D.M. 509/99, or the relevant Specialist Degree (DM 509/99) or Master's Degree (DM 270/04) and suitable professional curriculum for conducting research activities. (All degrees obtained abroad must, as a rule, be previously recognized in Italy in accordance with the current legislation at www.miur.it). Experience in the field of the subject matter referred to in article 1 declared in the manner specified in article 4. Possession of documented experience in the following sectors will be considered as a preferential qualification: sampling activities of different fractions of the pelagic trophic network in aquatic environments (lakes, lagoons); laboratory and experimental activities; sequencing data analysis (amplicon sequencing and shotgun sequencing); data management and statistical analysis; Knowledge of the English language; Knowledge of the Italian language (only for foreign candidates).

Application (for non-Italian candidates):
Applicants should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject "IRSAAdR-31-2023-VB", attaching:
- CV in PDF format (Important: it has to be signed!)
- A valid scan of an ID (e.g., passport)
- Annex A, B, and C, which are found at the link above (unfortunately the documents are in Italian)
Selected candidates (based on CV) will be invited for an interview, either in-person or online.

In order to apply or to get more info, please contact Andrea Di Cesare (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

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Post-doc position open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:
Deadline for application: January 24, 2024
Duration: 12 months (Salary about 1600 €/month; starting date about April/May 2024)
Topic: Isolation of melanins and proteins from biological samples from bats, with HPLC analysis of pigments and functional analysis of bottom-up proteomics data.

General requirements: Master degree in Agricultural Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Biotechnology, Agricultural Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Biology, Sciences and Technologies for the Environment and Territory, Chemical Sciences, and a minimum three-year duration doctoral degree. All qualifications obtained abroad must, as a rule, be previously recognized in Italy in accordance with current legislation on the subject (information on www.miur.it). Experience in separation and characterization of molecules with HPLC instrumentation; preparation of protein samples for proteomic analysis with high-resolution mass spectrometry; processing of proteomic analysis data with high-resolution mass spectrometry, particularly in the use of tools for functional protein analysis. Knowledge of the English language. Knowledge of the Italian language is appreciated (only for non-Italian candidates).

Find more about the proposal (in Italian) by clicking here.

In order to apply or to get more info, please contact Emanuele Ferrari (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

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Post-graduate position open at the MEG (CNR-IRSA) Verbania:
Tentative Deadline for application: January 24, 2024
Duration: 18 months
Topic: Understanding the resilience of coastal groundwater ecosystems upon global change, involving new sampling in Italy, calculation analyses of patterns across aquifers using community, functional, and phylogenetic data, and development of laboratory experiments and network modeling to infer the processes driving them.

General requirements: Master's degree in Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, or Environmental Sciences. All foreign qualifications must be recognized in Italy in accordance with current legislation (information available at www.miur.it). Experience in: bioinformatic analysis of metagenomic data for prokaryotic or eukaryotic communities, statistical analysis in R directoy to understand diversity for microscopic animal species, mainly copepods and other small crustaceans, development of experiments to test ecological hypotheses, particularly concerning tolerance to temperature and salinity changes; proficiency in English, basic knowledge of Italian language

Find more about the proposal (in Italian) by clicking here.

In order to apply or to get more info, please contact Alejandro Martinez Garcia (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)


Running Master Projects in Microbial Ecology and in Water Microbiology

We usually follow 4-8 national and international Master Students at the same time. Right now there are no specific open projects, but if you are interested in performing your Master at the MEG,  please contact us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Our institute is located in Verbania, which is in Italy close to the Swiss border. Our group communicates in English, Italian, Spanish, and German (but to work here it is enough if you can speak a good English). We are flexible considering Master starting dates. We require 9-12 months in the lab to ensure a master at the highest quality standard. There is the possibility to be hosted in our student house (shared kitchen and bathroom). Moreover, you can stay affiliated with your home university since we are a research institute.

If you are interested in working with us, if you would like to apply for a Master or PhD thesis, or if you are simply interested in a short stay in Verbania to visit our labs please write us at the address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.