Subject areas: Microbiology, Environmental Science, Ecology, molecular analysis, bioinformatics, marine, Baltic Sea, bacteria

Background and Motivation:
The aim of the course is to train highly motivated PhD students in the principles of molecular analyses of bacterioplankton communities. It particularly addresses microbial ecology of the Baltic Sea, with emphasis on bacterioplankton and cutting-edge molecular methodologies to address their function and ecology. The course is linked to the completion of the 4-year research project Blueprint (http://blueprint-project.org/ ) focused on molecular analyses of Baltic Sea bacterioplankton.

Due to some practical training the number of participants is limited to 16. Participant selection is competitive and based on the applicants CV’s and letters of motivation.

Please see "Remarks" below for details on how to apply for participation in this course.

Scientific content:
The course aims to introduce students to molecular microbial ecology, with the Baltic Sea as a case-study. Three main topics will be addressed: 1) the biogeochemical importance of bacterioplankton, 2) regulation of bacterioplankton growth, mortality and population dynamics, and 3) identification of key functional genes and their expression in bacterioplankton. A typical day will include 2-3 lectures in the morning, followed by discussions, theoretical and (to some extent) practical exercises in the afternoon. In the evenings, the students will work in groups on theoretical projects covering different aspects of microbial ecology, population dynamics, evolution, interactions etc., which are decided upon early the first day. The students will present the outcome of this group work on the last day of the course.