INT-26010- INTERNSHIP- WHO IS SEQUESTERING CARBON IN SOIL? USING DNA-STABLE ISOTOPE PROBING TO LINK MICROBIAL IDENTITY TO FUNCTION

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) active in the fields of materials, environment and IT. By transforming scientific knowledge into technologies, smart data and tools, LIST empowers citizens in their choices, public authorities in their decisions and businesses in their strategies : https://www.list.lu/

Your LIST benefits

• An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and independent research projects;
• Sustainable by design, empowering our belief that we play an essential role in paving the way to a green society;
• Innovative infrastructures and exceptional labs occupying more than 5,000 square metres, including innovations such as our Viswall, high-scale incubators and top of the range 3D/4D printings that are part of our toolkit for excelling in all we do;
• Multicultural and international work environment with more than 45 nationalities represented in our workforce;
• Diverse and inclusive work environment empowering our people to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions;
• Gender-friendly environment with multiple actions to attract, develop and retain women in science;
• 32 days’ paid annual leave for a full time internship, 11 public holidays per annum, flexible working hours,
• An environment encouraging curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas.

Internship contract – 6 months | Fulltime/40h | From 15.01.2026 on | Belvaux

Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us

Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) is a molecular technique that links microbial identity to function by tracing the incorporation of isotopically labelled substrates (e.g., 13C, 15N, and 18O) into cellular DNA. This method has been recently implemented at LIST and will be further developed within the FNR CORE project MATRICES (microbial traits as predictors of necromass cycling and soil carbon sequestration), with the active involvement of a Master-level intern.

How will you contribute?

Under the guidance and supervision of the MATRICES research team members, the intern will :

• develop their own project as required by their program
• support DNA extraction and sample preparation for SIP experiments, including density gradient fractionation and DNA quantification across the obtained fractions
• contribute to the cataloguing and organization of generated samples, as well as their preparation for DNA sequencing, encompassing both amplicon and shotgun approaches.

Is Your profile described below? Are you our future colleague? Apply now!

Education

• Master's degree in progress (mandatory) in Agricultural Sciences, Soils, Ecology, Microbiology or related fields

Experience and skills

• Experience in molecular biology methods (focus on next-generation DNA sequencing) and/or stable isotopes is required.
• Background in soil microbial ecology is an asset.

Language skills

• Good command of English