Natural History Museum

Job description

Applications are invited for a 4 year position as a PhD Research Fellow in Evolutionary Genomics to be based at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo. The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Appointment to a research fellowship is conditional upon admission to the Faculty’s research training program. The position includes 12 months of duty work in addition to the 36 months PhD research.The position is tentatively scheduled to begin on 1 March 2021.

More about the position

The PhD project will focus on the role of hybridization in vertebrate diversification. This role has recently seen increasing attention as genomic studies have led to the identification of vertebrate species produced through homoploid hybridization, hybridization has been linked to some of the most explosive adaptive radiations, and even highly divergent species have been found to hybridize and backcross. Beyond these case studies, however, the role of hybridization as a potentially more general driver of diversification remains unclear.

In this project, available and newly produced genome data will be used to assess and characterize rates of hybridization and introgression widely across vertebrates, which will allow comparisons with speciation rates and patterns, and thus conclusions about the general impact of hybridization on vertebrate diversification. A particular focus will be placed on hybridization among highly divergent taxa to determine the decline of introgression as a function of the divergence time. The selection of the focus groups can take into account the interests and the background of the candidate. Participation in field work to sample specimens from the selected focus groups for genome sequencing will be possible and is encouraged.

The project will include molecular lab work in the modern DNA laboratory of the Natural History Museum, but most of the work will be computational. In this computational work, state-of-the art tools will be used for population genomic and phylogenomic analyses, and new tools may be developed. All computational work will be performed on the powerful Norwegian Supercomputer facilities.

The candidate will benefit from strong international collaboration, particularly with researchers of the Vertebrate Genome Project in the UK (Richard Durbin) as well as in Switzerland (Walter Salzburger, Lukas Rüber, Moritz Muschick, Milan Malinsky) and Sweden (Rike Stelkens), and will have the possibility of research stays abroad, with these groups or others. Within Norway, the candidate will benefit from the diverse, multidisciplinary, and well-funded research environment in Oslo (including e.g. the Natural History Museum and the Centre of Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo) and other national collaborations.

The position includes 12 months of duty work included in the position. The purpose of the inclusion of duty work is to provide diverse training in transferable skills related to research in a museum environment. A wide range of activities can count as duty work, including participation in field work, teaching, outreach, collection curation, and gardening; the total of the duty work performed should consist of a mix of two or more of these activities to ensure the training of a diverse set of skills.

The candidate will be supervised by Michael Matschiner (Associate Professor of Vertebrate Zoology) at the Natural History Museum.

Qualification requirements

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in biology or related disciplines like bioinformatics.
• A good command of English is required.
• We are looking for candidates with a strong interest in the evolution of vertebrates, and with experience in the application of genomics and bioinformatics to address evolutionary questions.
• Computational skills including experience with UNIX and programming (e.g. in Python or R) are required.

Preferred qualifications

• Skills in general molecular laboratory practices are preferrable.
• The candidate should have an interest and experience in field work.

We offer

• salary NOK 482 200 – 526 000 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, (position code 1017).
• a dynamic and friendly working environment, which is close to both the city center of Oslo, a vibrant and international city, and to nature parks and mountains.
• full funding of the project research-related activities, including presentation of results at international conferences and participation in the Workshop on Population and Speciation Genomic.
• integration into a young and growing research group.
• membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.
• attractive welfare benefits.

How to apply

The application must include

• Application letter
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work, scientific publications and other relevant experience)
• Copies of educational certificates
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluating committee
• A one-page statement explaining how a PhD in comparative genomics will fit into the applicant’s career plan
• Names and contact details of 2-3 referees (name, affiliation, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English.

In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the academic and personal ability of the candidate to complete the project within the given timeframe and write a PhD thesis under supervision. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged. Please also refer to the English translation of regulations pertaining to the conditions of employment for research fellowship positions: https://ift.tt/2BT5Deq . A good command of English is required: https://ift.tt/2BT5Deq

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Contact information

Questions regarding the position:

• Associate Professor Michael Matschiner: michaelmatschiner@mac.com
  

Questions regarding the recruiting system: HR-Adviser Thomas Brana: thomas.brana@nhm.uio.no

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