Project offers

IBG works in several ways to stimulate students themselves to create, develop and maintain relevant contacts with work-life. One part of this effort is to help you as a student to find suitable projects for research internships, degree projects, etc. In the project database, we publish project offers from academia, corporations and government agencies. We sometimes also announce different career-promoting events of a more general nature.

Some projects are described in English; others in Swedish. The current offers are listed below.

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More information about projects

Project offers

Assessing TBE risk in outdoor occupations

2024-05-13

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a significant public health threat in regions with prevalent tick populations. In Europe, the number of TBE cases increased from 2012 to 2020, and there was a spread towards the northwest in continental Europe. TBE is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, primarily in forested areas. Outdoor workers, e.g. forest workers, hunters, berry pickers and farmers, due to their occupation, under high risk of TBE infection. This project aims to synthesize existing research findings and insights related to TBE risks in these specific occupational groups.

Aim and Method:

Identify gaps in the existing literature concerning TBE vaccination rates, factors influencing coverage, and successful intervention strategies among these occupations.
Analyses the data that collected from surveys targeted at specific outdoor occupational groups to assess their coverage of TBE vaccinations and the policies implemented by their employers regarding vaccination.

Expected starting time: The work will be carried out at the earliest convenience or during the autumn semester 2024 with supervisors from Umeå University and the National Veterinary Institute (SVA) in Uppsala.

Requirements: We are seeking a student in the field of public health, occupational health, or a related medical program who possesses academic interests. The orientation of the work can be partially adapted to your educational background and interests. Literature assessment and data extraction will be included so you should master Excel or a statistical language. The student can either do a degree thesis (15 hp) or individual project-based work (15 hp). The student need to have some knowledge of Swedish since the survey data we collected is in Swedish.

Contact person:
Junwen Guo, junwen.guo@umu.se
Anna Omazic, anna.omazic@sva.se

Structure and function of proteins from an algal bloom-regulating virus

2024-05-07

This project focuses on studying the bloom-regulating virus Chaetoceros tenuissimus DNA virus type II (CtenDNAV-II), a ssDNA virus of the family Bacilladnaviridae. This virus encodes for three viral proteins (VPs): VP1, VP2 and VP3. Based on sequence and structural analysis, VP1 appears to function as a lipase, potentially involved in disrupting endosomal membranes during replication. VP2 is the capsid protein, and VP3 is the replication initiation protein (Rep) (2). We have previously determined an atomic structure of the capsid and a low-resolution model of the capsid interior. Our current objective is to deepen our understanding of the virus's replication cycle, including viral genome release, replication and virion assembly. To achieve this, we aim to conduct functional and structural studies of the individual viral proteins VP1-3. The student project can be adapted to the student's interests. It may involve cloning, expression, and purification of one or a few viral proteins, cryo-EM, crystallography, bioinformatic analysis and biochemical/biophysical characterisation.

Interested? Contact: Anna Munke, anna.munke@icm.uu.se
Lab of Molecular Biophysics, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology

Master thesis - Optimization of the production process of viral vectors in HEK293 cells

2024-05-06

Working at Cytiva in the Life Sciences industry means being at the forefront of providing new solutions to transform human health. Our incredible customers undertake life-saving activities ranging from fundamental biological research to developing innovative vaccines, new medicines, and cell and gene therapies.

We are looking for a Master Thesis student that will be working from the site in Uppsala and is available to start HT 2024

What you’ll do:

The project will focus on improvement of transient production of viral vectors in HEK293 cells. The overall aim of the project is to investigate if the current industry-standard and established procedures for viral vector production can be improved.
Independently solve problems of "trouble shooting character" in project work.
Maintain laboratory notebooks in accordance with company policy and legal requirements.
Present scientific and technical results internally, through oral and written communication in Swedish and English.
The master thesis work is expected to be performed onsite at Cytiva Uppsala.

Who you are:

To succeed in this position, you need to be result-oriented, flexible, and creative with a strong collaborative attitude.
We are looking for someone with the drive and capability to initiate, individually or in co-operation with others, plan, perform, analyze, document and present results to progress the project forward.
Available to take on a 20 week Master thesis project work during the autumn of 2024.

Interview and selection will happen continuously and the opening can be filled before last day of application. For further information about project, please contact hiring manager Henrik Johannesson, henrik.johannesson@cytiva.com We look forward to hearing from you!

Population genetic structure of the rare pine wood-living longhorn beetle Tragosoma depsarium in Sweden

2024-04-22

Population genetic structure of the rare pine wood-living longhorn beetle Tragosoma depsarium in Sweden – relations to forest composition and management history?

Would you like to contribute to our understanding of the effects of human activities on species genetic diversity? Why not join our team to study the impact of forest management on an endangered saproxylic beetle?

We seek motivated Masters students to join our project which intends to (i) describe the genetic diversity and population structure of T. depsarium in Sweden and (ii) determine if populations have suffered loss of genetic diversity due to forest management and isolation. During the summer 2021, the geographic distribution of the beetle in Sweden was assessed at a large scale through extensive pheromone trapping, and several populations were sampled along its distribution range. DNA was extracted for each individual and sent for RAD sequencing. The student will have the opportunity to analyse RADseq data from raw data to more advanced analyses, including population genetics. The study could be performed as a standalone bioinformatics study based on existing RADseq data, but also include hands-on experience with field sampling and DNA extraction techniques based on additional studies that will be performed in 2024. The results will be useful for implementing more efficient conservation management strategies for this beetle in Sweden.

Required qualifications and learning goals

You have a keen interest in evolutionary ecology, genetics and conservation biology. Through this project you have the opportunity to develop your skills and experience in practical entomology and field sampling, hands-on genetic techniques, bioinformatics, biological conservation, population genetics and other statistical analyses. You don’t need prior experience from bioinformatics. The work environment will be in English. The project has already started but you will have the opportunity to suggest studies and approaches of your own interest!

Contact Audrey Bras, Research Centre for Ecological Changes, University of Helsinki, Finland (audrey.bras@helsinki.fi) https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/life-history-evolution/people or Mattias Larsson (mattias.larsson@slu.se) for more information.

Seasonal effects in the Przewalski's horse gut microbiome

2024-04-10

Tasks include:

Analyse microbiome DNA sequence data, interpret results, reading scientific papers, and write a thesis about the findings. The results will be published in a scientific journal.

Requirements:

An interest in learning about wildlife microbiomes and coding in R.

Duration:

20-30 weeks (30-45hp).

Start:

Flexible, June or Autumn 2024.

For more information, please contact Elin Videvall at Animal Ecology, EBC, Uppsala University (elin.videvall@ebc.uu.se).

Effects of temperature and diet on the Natterjack toad tadpole gut microbiome

2024-04-10

Tasks include:

Analyse microbiome DNA sequence data, interpret results, reading scientific papers, and write a thesis about the findings. The results will be published in a scientific journal.

Requirements:

An interest in learning about wildlife microbiomes and coding in R.

Duration:

20-30 weeks (30-45hp).

Start:

Autumn 2024.

For more information, please contact Elin Videvall at Animal Ecology, EBC, Uppsala University (elin.videvall@ebc.uu.se).

Hawaiian Feral Chicken Hologenomics

2024-04-10

Hologenomics = The study of microbiomes and genomes together
Feralization = The process opposite of domestication (domestic animals returned to the wild)

Tasks include:

Analyse microbiome DNA sequence data together with wholegenome sequence data (GWAS), interpret results, read scientific papers, and write a thesis about the findings. The results will be published in a scientific journal.

Requirements:

An interest in bioinformatics, coding in R, and learning about wildlife microbiomes.

Duration:

20-30 weeks (30-45hp).

Start:

Autumn 2024.

For more information, please contact Elin Videvall at Animal Ecology, EBC, Uppsala University (elin.videvall@ebc.uu.se).

Capercaillie and effects of predation on reproduction: an experimental test.

2024-04-08

Capercaille (Tetrao urogallus), a lek breeding species, is also considered to be an umbrella species. It has been declining over much of its range, where fragmentation and/or nest predation seems to be the main causes of this decline.

The aim of this project is to investigate potential predators, both mammals and birds’ effects on nests of the Capercaille. We will use an experimental approach and put out chicken eggs filled with plaster and painted with small dots to mimic the natural eggs of Capercaillie. We will put out the eggs in the field where we know there are Capercaillies leks. We will then go back to the experimental nests to observe if there have been any predation events on the eggs. If it is a mammal, we can observe tooth marks on the eggs which species that has been the predator (see photo below from an event from an earlier study).