Stilling:
PhD position in biosystematics
Deadline 18.02.2019
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PhD position
The Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen (University of Bergen, Norway) opens a vacancy for a PhD student position within the field of biosystematics. The position is for a fixed-term period of four years of which 25% (one full year) is work duty including teaching assistance and curation of scientific collections at the museum.
The candidate will be working on a research project on taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny of marine annelids and will focus on the systematic revision of the annelid family Orbiniidae.
Project overview:
Orbiniidae is a family of marine annelids with world-wide distribution with species found from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. Several species have been reported from the reduced environments such as cold seeps and hot vents. The family accounts over 150 species and 18 genera with several reported complexes of cryptic species. The generic system of the family largely dates from the 1950’s and with the recent addition of numerous new taxa is in need of review. Molecular phylogenies based on several genetic markers recover most of tested genera as non-monophyletic.
In the present project, the genome skimming approach will be applied to obtain mitochondrial genomes and nuclear RNA gene clusters in representatives of different orbiniid genera to reconstruct comprehensive phylogeny of the family. This will provide grounds for reevaluation of main diagnostic characters at generic level and will aid in developing a robust and well-supported system of the family. In addition, one or several closely related genera will be chosen for comprehensive world-wide revision utilizing morphological and molecular data.
The project will be supervised by Dr. Nataliya Budaeva and conducted in collaboration with the leading experts in orbiniid systematics and phylogeny, Dr. Anna Zhadan (Moscow State University, Russia), Prof. Christoph Bleidorn (University of Göttingen, Germany), and Dr. James Blake (University of Massachusetts, USA).
The successful PhD candidate will have the following qualifications:
We seek an enthusiastic and highly motivated candidate ideally with experience in biosystematics of marine invertebrates. The successful applicant must be a good team player but also able to work independently, possess excellent social and communication skills and the ability to write scientific papers and deliver presentations.
Required:
- The applicant must hold a master's degree or the equivalent in marine biology, zoology, evolution or a related field, or must have submitted his/her master's thesis for assessment prior to the application deadline. It is a condition of employment that the master's degree has been awarded.
- Experience with molecular work and phylogenetic analyses
- Availability to travel abroad to carry out marine fieldwork and collection study visits
- Excellent command of the English language, both oral and written
Preferred:
- Experience in systematics and taxonomy and/or morphology of marine annelids
- Experience with high-throughput sequencing approaches and relevant bioinformatic analyses
- Experience with light and scanning electron microscopy
- Fieldwork experience in a marine ecosystem
Evaluation criteria include grades and relevance of the MSc thesis and other pertinent evolutionary biology subjects.
About the PhD position:
The duration of the PhD position is 4 years, of which 25% (one full year) is work duty including teaching assistance and curation of scientific collections at the museum. The employment period may be reduced if you have previously been employed in a recruitment position.
About the research training:
As a PhD Candidate, you must participate in an approved educational programme for a PhD degree within a period of 3 years. A final plan for the implementation of the research training must be approved by the faculty within three months after you have commenced in the position. It is a condition that you satisfy the enrolment requirements for the PhD programme at the University of Bergen.
https://www.uib.no/en/matnat/53972/doctoral-education-faculty-mathematics-and-natural-sciences
We can offer:
- A good and professionally challenging working environment.
- Salary at pay grade 51 (NOK 449,400 gross, code 1017/Pay range 20, alternative 9) in the state salary scale. Further promotions are made according to qualifications and length of service in the position. A higher salary may be considered for a particularly well qualified applicant.
- Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
- A position in an inclusive workplace (IA enterprice).
- Good welfare benefits.
Your application must be submitted electronically in English language and include:
- A brief account of the applicant's research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
- The names and contact information for two reference persons. One of these must be the main advisor for the master's thesis or equivalent thesis.
- CV (maximum 2-pages) with name, contacts, qualifications, working experience, and publication record (if any).
- Transcripts and diplomas showing completion of the bachelor's and master's degrees, or official confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
- Relevant certificates/references.
- A list of any work of scientific nature (publication list).
- Any publications in your name.
The application and appendices with certified translations into English or a Scandinavian language must be uploaded at Jobbnorge.
General information:
Detailed information about the position can be obtained by contacting:
- Associate Professor Nataliya Budaeva (Nataliya.Budaeva@uib.no), phone +47 40161824
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. Age and gender balance among employees is therefore a goal. It is also a goal to recruit people with immigrant backgrounds. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.
Further information about our employment process can be found here.
The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.
(In the call for applicants and for employment in position groups in which the percentage of women is below 40 per cent, the University of Bergen must apply a moderate gender quota scheme. This category of position involves including in the advertisement text that women are especially encouraged to apply. The following text shall therefore be included in the job advertisement: "We encourage women to apply. If multiple applicants have approximately equivalent qualifications, the rules pertaining to moderate gender quotas shall apply").
The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.
Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.
The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.
For further information about the recruitment process, click here.