Seaweed cultivation

In the Algarve coast there are several candidate seaweed species for commercialization with little to no available information into specific production techniques, and currently work in being developed for different aspects of seaweed production of selected species. The student can integrate the planned research in 1 or 2 seaweed production trials. 

In case of land-based production, focus will in IMTA systems, where seaweed production is integrated with that of fish for nutrients bioremediation. While in case of offshore production focus will be on investigating reproduction in laboratory conditions and optimization to obtain biomass for offshore seaweed rope cultivation.

Tasks to be performed include, algae collection and processing, experimental set up preparation and manutention, recording of environmental parameters, algae survival and growth assessment, water nutrients sampling, preparation of algae samples for composition analysis.

Language requirements: 
English or Portuguese
Accommodation possibilities : 
There is no available accommodation at the host institute. The student will have to look for private accommodation, we can offer some help with this search. Flat sharing is often preferred, and the price for a private room in a shared flat can be expected to be around 300-350 euros per month.
Additional costs to be covered by the student: 
No
COVID-19 contingency plan: 
The nature of the offered work does not allow for an equivalent online alternative. However, the student will instead have the opportunity to do a literature review on commercially interesting seaweed species in the Algarve coast, the factors affecting its composition in relation to valuable compounds and appropriate production techniques.
format: 
on-site