Chikae Tatsumi

The Microbial and Ecosystem Ecology Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan, is seeking motivated PhD students and research interns for fully funded positions. The unit studies how environmental factors such as vegetation type, land-management practices, and climate change shape terrestrial microbial communities. Research interests include microorganisms that form symbiotic associations with plants, soil organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental pathogens. Current project areas include: (1) how the unique soil chemistry and dispersal limitations of Japan’s southern islands influence mycorrhizal communities and their activities using soil biogeochemical analyses, microbial community analysis, and metatranscriptomics; (2) microbial functions within the living bark of trees affected by widespread oak disease using metatranscriptomic and metabolomic analyses; and (3) for research interns only, bioinformatic and statistical analysis of microbial community and metatranscriptomic data from urban soils to support better urban green-space management. Research topics are flexible as long as they fit the unit’s broader interests in microbial ecology, ecosystem ecology, soil microbiology, bioinformatics, and biogeochemistry. The post emphasizes hands-on and computational approaches, including fieldwork, greenhouse experiments, molecular techniques, and data analysis. Application links are provided separately for PhD and internship applicants. The PhD deadline is November 15, and the internship deadline is October 15.

Our unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology is seeking motivated applicants for fully funded PhD and research internship positions. The research area is centered on microbial ecology and ecosystem ecology , making this a strong fit for students interested in biology, environmental science, and related life-science research topics. PhD application: apply through the OIST PhD admissions page. The deadline listed in the post is November 15, 2026 . Research internship application: apply through the OIST research internship admissions page. The deadline listed in the post is October 15, 2026 . The post emphasizes that both opportunities are fully funded . No additional details about stipend amount, tuition, or specific eligibility requirements are provided in the post itself. Interested applicants should review the linked program pages for full instructions and submit the appropriate application for the degree level they want to pursue.