MSc thesis project advertisement
Names of the supervisors: Alexander Eiler (UiO), Eivind Stensrud (eDNA solutions AB)
Preferred project period: September 2025 – June 2027
Background
Environmental DNA (eDNA) has revolutionized marine biodiversity monitoring. By capturing traces of DNA shed by organisms into their environment e.g. through skin cells, mucus and feces, eDNA metabarcoding allows us to detect elusive, rare, and invasive species with high sensitivity. However, eDNA methods still face limitations including easy sample preservation and processing. A key challenge is to optimize sample preservation and DNA extraction for increased DNA yield and purity. Various approaches have been proposed but not extensively tested.
Project description
In this project, you will contribute to developing and testing a novel method for sample preservation and subsequent DNA extraction and purification. The method will be optimized for marine water samples with low DNA concentrations, such as those from the Oslofjord, and tested under real world conservation monitoring scenarios. In your project, you will carry out experiments to evaluate the feasibility, reproducibility, and ecological relevance of the method.
Learning outcomes
After the completion of the project, you have better understanding of eDNA methodology and its applications in biodiversity monitoring, skills in molecular laboratory methods, including DNA extraction, library preparation for metabarcoding, bioinformatics and statistical analyses, experimental design and method development, as well as critical thinking particularly in the context of environmental conservation and data uncertainty.
What We Offer
We offer an inclusive and stimulating research environment where you are encouraged to join the research group activities and engage with other students and researchers in the group. The project includes laboratory work at UiO and a potential field component in and around the Oslofjord.
If you are interested
Please contact us for instance via email. alexander.eiler@ibv.uio.no, eivind@ednasolutions.se