PhD Student - Plant Ecology and Evolution

The prospective PhD student will be supervised by Kay Lucek and be part of the Plant Ecology and Evolution group at the University of Basel, Switzerland. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for a duration of 3 years. The goal is to understand the role of chromosomal fusion and fission during speciation and secondary contact of closely related species. The project addresses fundamental questions in evolutionary biology both on a micro- and macroevolutionary scale and has significant implications for conservation.

Theory predicts chromosomal rearrangements to advance the process of speciation by acting as intrinsic barriers to gene flow yet empirical studies are lacking. This project aims to investigate role of chromosomal fusion and fission on i) the rate of speciation, ii) the degree and direction of interspecific gene flow and iii) reinforcement during secondary contact. Different types of data will be combined, including genomics, morphology and ecology and analysed using state-of-the-art phylogenomic, population genomic and statistic approaches. Our model system are Erebia butterflies, one of the most specious butterfly genera in the temperate regions.

Your position

The PhD candidate will conduct extensive fieldwork, collecting Erebia butterflies in the Swiss Alps. Collected species will be morphologically confirmed and subsequently sequenced. The genomic data will be used to conduct in-depth phylogenomic and population genomic analyses to identify the role of chromosomal rearrangement during speciation and secondary contact.

Your profile

We are looking for a self-driven, highly motivated and dedicated candidate who is enthusiastic about evolutionary biology and brings strong conceptual thinking together with profound bioinformatic and/or statistical knowledge. Applicants must have a university degree in the natural sciences that allows entrance to a PhD program (ideally in evolutionary biology or ecology), and very good organizational, analytical, and scientific (English) writing skills. The candidate should be prepared to conduct sometimes strenuous fieldwork in the Alps.

We offer you

The research will be carried out within a 3-year project, starting July 2019. The project is based at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland. The Department offers a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment, combining a broad spectrum of research activities in life sciences, including population genetics, evolutionary biology, evolutionary ecology and molecular and cell biology. Salary and social benefits are provided according to University of Basel rules. Finally, Basel is a mid-sized Swiss city, well connected and offering a broad range of cultural and recreational activities.

Application / Contact

For more information, contact Kay Lucek ( kay.lucek@unibas.ch ). Motivated applicants should submit (1) a one-page letter that summarizes interests and relevant experience, (2) their CV, (3) copies of undergraduate and masters/diploma transcripts, and (4) contact information of two references (all as a ***single PDF***) to: franziska.grob@unibas.ch . Applications are welcome until the position is filled and will be reviewed

starting on May 6, 2019.