Stillingstittel: Researcher in aquatic evolutionary ecology

Stillingsbeskrivelse:
The University of Oslo is Norway’s largest institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

A researcher position is available at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, (CEES), Department of Biosciences.

The position is for 38 months, and the estimated start date is May 1st 2016. The successful candidate will work on the project "The evolution of defence systems: theory and experiment" (EVODEF) funded by the Research Council of Norway.

Project description

The EVODEF project focuses on the evolutionary ecology of organismal defence traits. Organisms may use an impressive diversity of defences against their natural enemies. Evidence from a range of animal and plant systems suggests that the different defence traits expressed by an organism cannot be understood in isolation from each other, but must be studied as parts of complex suites of traits. The project combines theoretical models (mainly developed by the PI) with empirical experiments (conducted by the candidate) to understand the properties of such defensive systems and how they evolve under different selective conditions. Topics of interest include how defence lines are phenotypically co-expressed and coevolve, how defences against different enemies (e.g. predators or parasites) affect each other, and the role of non-genetic inheritance (e.g. maternal and epigenetic effects) in defence expression. In the theoretical part of the project we will develop mathematical models of organismal defence relevant to several empirical systems. In the experimental part of the project, we will use the inducible defences of Daphnia to test novel predictions from theory; the results will in turn stimulate further theory development.

The successful candidate will join our team and study the defence traits of Daphnia in the lab. The project provides a unique opportunity to design and run experiments that test novel theoretical ideas and inform ongoing theoretical work. The ideal candidate will make a major contribution to the planned research, but will also develop his/her own complementary lines of research that reflect the candidate's own expertise and interests and that broadly fit within the project's main goals. There is growing interest in developing a research environment for Daphnia at the department and it is highly desirable that the candidate will take an active part in this, as well as contribute to developing future collaborative projects that build upon achieved results.

Requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Applicants must hold a PhD-degree or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in biology or a related field. The successful candidate will be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of Daphnia cultures, the daily running of experiments, imaging, morphometrics, and data analysis. A proven, solid record of running lab experiments with small aquatic organisms (preferably Daphnia) and maintaining them in culture is required. The ideal candidate has extensive lab experience with Daphnia, strong statistical and writing skills, pays careful attention to detail and theoretical context when designing experiments, and has some experience with field sampling. A background from evolutionary ecology or evolutionary biology is consider

Minstelønn: 0

Maksimal lønn: 0

Arbeidsgiver Navn: Universitetet i Oslo, CEES, Department o

Arbeidsgiver adresse: 0313 OSLO

Job kort beskrivelse:
Biologists, botanists, zoologists and related professionals

Land: Norge

Region: Oslo

Kilde til jobbtilbud: NAV, Offentlige arbeidsformidlinger, Norge

Lønn valuta: NOK

Lønn periode: Pr. år