Developing advanced imaging tools to understand microbe–electrode interfaces

Official occupation: ph.d., naturvidenskab og teknik. Employment conditions: Almindelige vilkår. Employer CVR: 31119103.

Primary career market

• Public Sector, Education & Impact (employer-sector evidence).
• Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Biology programme.
• The position is available from February 2027 or later.

Research area and project description:

Microbe–electrode interactions are central to the performance of bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion systems, yet the organisation, activity and stability of these interfaces remain poorly understood.

This PhD project will develop and apply advanced structural and chemical imaging approaches to investigate how microorganisms grow on and attach to electrode materials, form biofilms and aggregates in response to electric fields and long-term adaptation.

The work will involve defined microbial cultures and complex microbiomes, combining microbial cultivation, stable-isotope and fluorescence labelling, live-cell microscopy and nanoscale chemical imaging. The PhD candidate will work at the interface of microbiology, bioelectrochemistry and advanced imaging1 …