Research Assistant: How Freshwater Species Beat the Odds

Introduction to the topic

Freshwater ecosystems are highly dynamic and increasingly impacted by environmental stressors such as pollution, salinization, and climate change. Understanding how aquatic organisms, from microscopic phytoplankton to zooplankton like Daphnia, respond to these challenges is crucial for predicting ecosystem resilience and maintaining biodiversity. Studying how species adapt provides insights into the long-term health and sustainability of lakes and freshwater habitats, helping to safeguard ecosystem services, support effective conservation strategies, and ensure resilient water resources in the face of ongoing environmental change.

Project details

This research project offers students the opportunity to engage in experimental ecology focused on how freshwater organisms respond to environmental stressors. Working alongside researchers in the Isanta-Navarro research group, students will explore the physiological and evolutionary mechanisms that enable aquatic species like Daphnia and phytoplankton to adapt to challenges such as salinization, pollution, and climate-driven changes in lake dynamics.

Students will assist in designing and conducting laboratory and mesocosm experiments, analyzing ecological traits such as plasticity, nutritional adaptation, and evolvability. Projects may include investigating how salt and pollutants affect zooplankton physiology, or how cyanobacterial blooms influence ecosystem services and biodiversity across aquatic-terrestrial boundaries.

This assistantship emphasizes hands-on experience with experimental setups, data collection, and ecological analysis. Students will gain insight into how freshwater ecosystems function under stress and how evolutionary processes shape resilience. The research work will be interdisciplinary, combining ecology, evolutionary biology, and environmental science.

The project provides a unique opportunity to contribute to ongoing research with real-world implications for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Students will be encouraged to think critically about ecological interactions and the role of science in addressing global environmental challenges Whether you are interested in ecology, biology, environmental science, or just curious about how life adapts to stress, this project offers a unique chance to explore these questions in depth.

Selected relevant publications:

Isanta-Navarro, J., Klauschies, T., Wacker, A., & Martin-Creuzburg, D. (2022) A sterol-mediated gleaner–opportunist trade-off underlies the evolution of grazer resistance to cyanobacteria. Proceedings of the Royal Society B https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0178
Isanta-Navarro, J., Prater, C., Peoples, L. M., et al. (2022) Revisiting the growth rate hypothesis: Towards a holistic stoichiometric understanding of growth. Ecology Letters https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14096
Isanta-Navarro, J., Arnott, S. E., Klauschies, T., & Martin‐Creuzburg, D. (2021) Dietary lipid quality mediates salt tolerance of a freshwater keystone herbivore. Science of The Total Environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144657

Recommended experience

Additional research application required

You will need to submit an additional research application through Student Registration in order to enroll in this course.

To submit your research application, you must already be admitted to DIS.

All research application materials must be submitted on the following dates by 23:59 Central European Time:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your additional research application through Student Registration.

If you are not already enrolled, use this link to apply to DIS before completing a research application.

Syllabus

Fall 2025

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Faculty

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Faculty

The faculty teaching this course will be listed here soon.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic

Project details

Recommended experience

Additional research application required

Syllabus

Fall 2025

Faculty

Coming Soon

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?