4-year PhD-position in Evolutionary Ecology

April 11, 2008

Sponsored Links

Career Blog

Jewelry Design Scholarships 2012 – Career in Gemology and Jewelry Manufacturing

UNCF Scholarships Program 2012 – United Negro College Fund

A 4-year PhD-position in Evolutionary Ecology is available at the
Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Sweden. Main supervisor
Dr. Karl Gotthard. The subject of the project is “Evolution of
developmental plasticity in insects” and last date for applying is May
2.

Evolution of developmental plasticity in insects

Developmental plasticity that leads to alternative phenotypes
depending on environment is often controlled by developmental switches/
thresholds. Such switches integrate environmental and genetic effects
on phenotypes and are important mechanisms for the evolution of
adaptive plasticity. This project will explore the evolution of
developmental plasticity by mechanistic and genetic studies of
developmental switches, as well as studies of how the expressed
phenotypic variation influences fitness in realistic ecological
settings. The project focuses on larval development in butterflies of
the genus Pararge and deals with developmental switches of two
different types (life cycle and color dimorphisms) that are sensitive
to different environmental cues. The prospective student will perform
breeding and selection experiments to estimate the level of
developmental coordination and genetic architecture of the switch
mechanisms. He/She will also test the potential adaptive value of
developmental switches by performing laboratory and field experiments
that investigate fitness consequences of variation in phenotype (life
history traits and larval color morphs) in realistic environments. The
exact details of the Ph.D. project are open for discussion.

I am looking for an independent student with a strong interest in
evolutionary theory and experience of empirical work in any of the
fields of evolutionary ecology, behavioral ecology, quantitative
genetics, and life history evolution. Experience of experimental work
using insects will be considered an asset.

The Department of Zoology at Stockholm University, Sweden offers a
very strong research environment in evolutionary ecology, excellent
lab and field station facilities as well as a stimulating scientific
atmosphere that encourages students to develop independent scientific
ideas. There are several research groups working on evolutionary
ecology of insects and good opportunities for collaborations within
the department.

The formal instructions for applying is found at the Stockholm
University web pages at:

http://www.su.se/content/1/c6/03/89/02/468_0856_08.pdf

For more information about the position contact Karl Gotthard (karl.gotthard@zoologi.su.se
)

Karl Gotthard
Department of Zoology
Stockholm University
106 91 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 16 40 48
Fax: +46 8 16 77 15
Web page: http://www.zoologi.su.se/research/gotthard/index.html

Scholarship Tags: Ecology, Evolutionary, PhD position