PhD Student in Tropical Forest Ecology and Genetics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

A PhD student position in tropical forest ecology and genetics is available at the Department of Ecology and Genetics, Plant Ecology and Evolution.

The Department of Ecology and Genetics is an international environment with staff and students from all over the world. Our research spans from evolutionary ecology and genetics to studies of ecosystems. For more information, see www.ieg.uu.se.

Project description: The project will examine effects of land-use on diversity, abundance, and population genetics of tropical forest trees in the lab group of Dr. Robert Muscarella (https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N18-2277). Current work in our group is broadly focused on integrating information on species traits, geographic distributions, and demographic performance to address questions related to patterns of diversity and ecological responses to environmental change. This specific project is a collaboration with Dr. Pascal Milesi (also based at Uppsala University; https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N16-1535), who will supervise the genetic aspects of the project. The project is funded by a grant from the research council Formas.

Land-use change presents major threats to biodiversity with impacts that typically outpace those from climate change. Although the full impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation are often cryptic or delayed, they can elevate extinction risk and reduce the potential for species to adapt to future environmental change. Developing successful strategies to manage and mitigate the consequences of land-use change on biodiversity is thus a pressing need at regional, national, and international levels.

The successful applicant will contribute to a project aimed at better understanding how land-use dynamics have affected the current geographic distributions, population sizes, and genetic diversity of tropical trees. The work will be focused on the island of Puerto Rico, which represents an ideal case study because of its well-documented land-use history, high level of biodiversity, extensive amount of existing data, and superb research infrastructure. The successful applicant will work to:

1. Quantify the impacts of land-use change on habitat availability for Puerto Rican tree species over time
2. Determine relationships between land-use change and current abundance tree species
3. Characterize genetic signatures of land-use change for a subset of tree species with divergent life-history strategies and climatic preferences

Overall, the proposed work will increase our understanding of the ecological implications of past and future land-use change, thereby promoting the development of effective conservation and management strategies.

Duties: The successful applicant will leverage a wealth of existing information on species current distributions and abundance patterns, physiological strategies, and habitat associations of trees in Puerto Rico. The project will involve substantial work with spatial (GIS) and genetic data (SNPs). Prior experience with R (especially spatial data), wet-laboratory work, and population genetics analyses is advantageous. We anticipate extensive opportunities and encouragement for interactions and research visits with collaborators (including the Luquillo Long-Term Research site, the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, and local conservation organizations in Puerto Rico). Fieldwork will be an important aspect of this project when safe travel is possible. The PhD training comprises four years of full-time research including courses and literature studies.

Qualifications required: To be eligible for a PhD-student position, the applicant must hold a master degree (or equivalent) in biology or another relevant field. Candidates must be able to express themselves fluently in spoken and written English.

Qualifications desired: The ideal candidate is highly motivated and enthusiastic about tropical ecology, has tropical field experience, and has a strong conceptual background in the core principles of ecology and evolution (including population genetics). Prior experience with R (especially for spatial data), GIS, and wet-laboratory work and population genetics analyses is highly advantageous. Knowledge of another programming language (e.g., Bash, Perl, Python etc.) or training in statistics would be considered a merit. A high level of proficiency in Spanish is also an advantage.

Starting date: 2021-03-01 or as otherwise agreed.

Type of employment: Temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. The graduate program covers four years of full-time study. The position can be combined with teaching or other duties at the department (maximum 20%), which prolongs the employment with the corresponding time. The salary will be set according to local agreements. Rules governing PhD candidates are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala university's rules and guidelines http://regler.uu.se/search/?hits=30&languageId=1&search-language_en=English. More information about postgraduate studies at Uppsala University is available at http://www.teknat.uu.se/education/postgraduate/.

Scope of employment: 100%.

For further information about the position please contact: Associate Professor Robert Muscarella, robert.muscarella@ebc.uu.se, +46 18 471 28 61.

Application: The application should include 1) a letter of intent describing yourself, your research interests, motivation of why you want to do a PhD, and why you are suitable for the position, 2) your current CV, 3) a short description of your prior education with particular relevance to this project, 4) a copy of your master degree as well as your course grades and a copy of your master thesis (or a 1 page statement justifying master degree equivalence), 5) the names, contact information (e-mail and phone number), and relationship to applicant for two references, and 6) peer-reviewed publications produced to date, if any. The application should be written in English.

You are welcome to submit your application no later than February, 15 2021. UFV-PA 2020/4768.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? If so, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus. You are also welcome to contact International Faculty and Staff Services at ifss@uadm.uu.se.