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AIT Austrian Institute of Technology

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PhD Thesis: Prediction and Functional Validation of Microbiome Modulators for Improved Soil-Plant Resilience AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in Austria

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Environmental Science

Funding

The position offers EUR 2,832.10 gross per month, paid 14 times per year, for 30 hours per week. Employee benefits include a canteen and meal allowance, preventive healthcare, pension fund, additional leave, family benefits, vouchers, sports and cultural activities, conference travel support, and training and career development. The successful candidate will join the AIT PhD Programme.

Deadline

Nov 30, 2026

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Country

Austria

University

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology

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Keywords

Environmental Science
Agriculture
Biology
Microbiome Research
Statistics
Statistical Modelling
Plant Phenotyping
Plant-microbe Interaction
Bioinformatic
ML

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About this position

AIT Austrian Institute of Technology’s Center for Health & Bioresources in Tulln, near Vienna, is offering a PhD thesis position on prediction and functional validation of microbiome modulators for improved soil-plant resilience.

The project investigates how microbial strains and defined microbial communities can shift soil and plant microbiomes toward beneficial traits, including improved plant stress tolerance, nutrient availability and soil health. The doctoral researcher will develop a realistic and reproducible verification workflow for soil-plant microbiome modulation.

The research combines controlled plant trials, microbiome profiling, plant phenotyping, environmental metadata integration and statistical modelling. The researcher will curate microbiome, plant phenotype and environmental data; select candidate microbiome modulators; test their effects on plant performance and microbiome composition; and apply statistical and machine-learning approaches to connect microbiome patterns with phenotypic outcomes.

A key outcome will be a first functional verifier for the ARA-BIO research acceleration platform, including experimental pass/fail criteria, assay limitations and failure modes. The work supports data-driven solutions for agricultural and environmental applications and contributes to AIT’s wider expertise in microbiome profiling, plant-microbe interactions, phenotyping and microbial product development.

The doctoral researcher will work in an interdisciplinary environment involving microbiology, plant science and data science, prepare scientific publications and contribute to project reports, presentations and stakeholder communication. The position is embedded in AIT’s Research Acceleration Platform and its PhD Programme, which brings together approximately 150 doctoral students.

Funding details

The position offers EUR 2,832.10 gross per month, paid 14 times per year, for 30 hours per week. Employee benefits include a canteen and meal allowance, preventive healthcare, pension fund, additional leave, family benefits, vouchers, sports and cultural activities, conference travel support, and training and career development. The successful candidate will join the AIT PhD Programme.

What's required

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in microbiology, microbial ecology, plant sciences, bioinformatics, environmental biotechnology, agricultural sciences or a related field. Experience with standard microbiological and molecular biological methods, plant experiments, phenotypic analysis and sequence-based microbiome data analysis is required. Applicants should have basic knowledge of statistics, R/Python or bioinformatics; a strong interest in soil-plant microbiomes, microbial inoculants, biostimulants or microbiome engineering; interest in interdisciplinary work across microbiology, plant science and data science; and the ability to work independently in a collaborative research environment. Very good spoken and written English is required, while German is beneficial. Application documents should include a CV, cover letter, certificates/transcript of records and proof of identity.

How to apply

Apply online through the AIT job posting. Submit a CV, a preferably one-page cover letter explaining your preparation and motivation, certificates including your transcript of records, and proof of identity.

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