SASB Jobs News - 2013


Job announcements, by date posted (click on item for details):

Please send jobs news to the Secretary:  andrew . thornhill (at) anu . edu . au. For the list of jobs etc. posted in 2012, click here. 

 

Postdoc in beetle evolution, University of Adelaide

The Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity is offering a Postdoctoral Research Associate position as part of an ARC Discovery project on the regressive evolution of 'eye' genes in subterranean beetles.

Applicants should have: (a) PhD or equivalent degree (or thesis submitted) in a discipline relevant to evolutionary genetics, or comparable relevant experience; (b) well developed research skills, demonstrated by publications in leading scientific journals and conferences; (c) proficiency in molecular genetics and bioinformatic analyses of sequence data, including phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary analyses; (d) demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a research team as well as conducting independent research and undertaking project leadership; (e) good verbal and written communication skills and interpersonal skills, including a willingness to supervise students within the lab and engage with external collaborators.

Salary: (Level A) $74,001 - $79,435 per annum. The successful applicant will be appointed at an appropriate level depending on qualifications and relevant experience. An employer superannuation contribution of 9% applies. This full-time, fixed-term position is available immediately for 1.5 years, with the possibility of extension for a further six months depending on funding levels. For further information contact Professor Steven Cooper on +61 8 8313 5575, or email steve.cooper@adelaide.edu.au Closing date: 26 April 2013. Your application should be in a single pdf or Word document, include your résumé/Curriculum Vitae, address the selection criteria, quote the job reference number 18026, include residency status and include the names, addresses and/or email details of three referees. Email applications to eeshr@adelaide.edu.au
Posted 12 April 2013 (back to list)

 

Visiting Fellowships, Australian Museum, Sydney

Applications for funding between July 2013 and June 2014 are now open. Application forms are available at the links below. All applications close at 5pm on Friday 17 May 2013.

Posted 9 April 2013 (back to list)

 

Major expansion of Global Ecology Laboratory, University of Adelaide

The Global Ecology Lab currently has seven vacancies available as a result of funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery and Linkage projects:

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate (Level A) #17986: Palaeo-ecological Modelling This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 3 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 6-8): $74,001 - $79,435 per annum
  • Research Associate (Level A) #17987: Palaeo-ecological Data Management. This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 2 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 1-3): $58,534 - $65,221 per annum
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (Level A) #17988: Wildlife Population Modelling This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 3 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 6-8) $74,001 – $79,435 per annum
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (Level A) #17989: Disease Modelling This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 2 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 6-8) $74,001 – $79,435 per annum
  • Research Associate (Level A) #17990: Data Management and Analysis This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 18 months. Salary: (Level A, Step 1-3): $58,534 - $65,221 per annum
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (Level A) #17992: Climate Change and Range Dynamics This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 2 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 6-8) $74,001 – $79,435 per annum
  • Research Associate (Level A) #17991: Ecological Data Analysis This fixed term position is available immediately for a period of 2 years. Salary: (Level A, Step 1-3): $58,534 - $65,221 per annum

All positions close 5pm Friday 3rd May 2013. Full Job descriptions, selection criteria and relevant details can be found at www.adelaide.edu.au/jobs
Posted 9 April 2013 (back to list)

 

Postdoc in evolutionary biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Highly motivated and skilled applicants from all countries are invited to apply for a post-doc opportunity in the group of Alexandre Antonelli (http://antonelli-lab.net) at the University of Gothenburg, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Sweden, in close collaboration with researchers in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the USA. You will participate in a dynamic and international research environment aimed at disentangling the evolutionary processes underlying biological diversity and its future.

You will help selecting fossil calibration points for dating higher-level phylogenetic trees of all animals and plants. These fossils will be linked to the bioinformatic pipeline in SUPERSMART (Self-Updating Platform for Estimating Rates of Speciation and Migration, Ages and Relationships of Taxa; see www.supersmart-project.org). You will then use time-calibrated phylogenies to test for correlations between age, species richness, range sizes and extinction threats; temperature fluctuations and changes in diversification rates; among other empirical tests and analyses.

Candidates are required to have a PhD and at least two scientific publications and solid experience handling phylogenetic trees. You must also be fluent in English and have excellent communication skills. The ideal candidate will also have experience in some or several of the following skills: molecular dating; palaeontology; biogeography; bioinformatics including programming/scripting in R, Python or Perl; statistics; GIS; ecological theory and methods. We are seeking a candidate who is independent, self-motivated, and interested in the use or development of new methods and approaches, in short, a person willing to go beyond the state-of-the-art in the field. We will attach great importance to personal characteristics and independence in learning and working, creativity and documented productivity.

The position is available immediately or upon agreement. Please note that funding for this particular project is provided by a stipend and is therefore not associated with a formal employment at the University, which will nevertheless provide a working desk and all the working facilities given to regular employees. The grant (in total SEK 240,000) covers a 1-year full-time working duty. There is the possibility to apply for a 1-year extension. Commuting is a possibility if there are special reasons.

The application should consist of a single pdf and include: 1) A short letter with the applicant’s motivation for the application that describes how the applicant meets the selection criteria (max. one A4 page); 2) A list of relevant qualifications (CV; max 5 pages); 3) Complete list of publications, including submitted and accepted manuscripts. Please submit your application, or let me know your interest in the position, as soon as possible. The evaluation process will begin on April 17th. The position will be filled as soon as an appropriate candidate is chosen. For additional information and enquiries: alexandre.antonelli@bioenv.gu.se
Posted 9 April 2013 (back to list)

 

Essig Museum Visiting Taxonomist Grant (University of California, Berkeley)

The Essig Museum [of Entomology] Visiting Taxonomist fund is to help defer travel costs incurred by taxonomic experts whose visit will enhance the state of the specimens in the Essig collection and associated electronic data.

Typical awards will be $600-$1000, provision being given for distance traveled and duration of time spent working in the Essig collection. The award committee will make the selection based on the requirements and preferences as listed below and contingent on the availability of funds.

Any person with taxonomic expertise and currently active research may apply. Applicants must have demonstrated the skills needed to enhance our collection. If the applicant is not currently employed with an institution or private-sector business as an entomologist or similar, then he/she must provide evidence of some actual connection, formal or informal, to the mainstream community of researchers. A brief letter of recommendation or list of publications would be sufficient for this purpose. All students should provide a very brief letter of endorsement from an advisor, which attests to their taxonomic expertise.

Applications may be submitted at any time during the year, but at least three months before the planned visit. Details on how to apply are here. For more information, contact Will Kipling, Associate Director, Essig Museum of Entomology.
Posted 8 April 2013 (back to list)

 

Postdoctoral position on rotifers, Italy

I am looking for a motivated PostDoc willing to do ecology, genetics and morphology on Monogononta from Italian mountain lakes in a research project. The project proposal would be submitted to the next round of MarieCurie-IEF March 2013. The project is about assessment of the real biodiversity by the identification of cryptic species complexes with DNA taxonomy and phylogenetic reconstruction; inferring the processes driving biodiversity including cryptic diversity along altitude, .... I would be very happy to get e-mail addresses of interested people willing to work with me on the fascinating world of rotifers in alpine lakes. For additional information please write to ulrike.obertegger@fmach.it.
Posted 20 February 2013 (back to list)

 

PhD in Neotropical biogeography and evolution, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

You will test competing hypotheses of diversification for explaining the outstanding diversity in tropical America (including soil specialisation, temperature increases, polyploidy, habitat shifts, biome conservatism and range expansion). To achieve this goal you will carry out extensive fieldwork in Latin America, especially the tropical Andes and Amazonia, to collect plant and soil samples. You will then produce molecular data using next-generation sequencing techniques. Your analyses will include estimation of phylogenies, divergence times, species trees from gene trees, diversification rates, species distribution modelling, and biogeographic reconstructions. The choice of plant group will depend on the candidate's previous experience and interests (e.g. during the Masters project). Ideally, the study group should have a wide Neotropical distribution with a centre of species diversity in northern South America, have been recently revised taxonomically, be already relatively well collected, and included in phylogenetic analyses. Please indicate your suggestion of plant group in the motivation letter (this is recommended but not mandatory).

Good communication skills (written and spoken) in English are necessary. Priority will be given to those candidates who have co-authored at least one scientific publication. Fieldwork experience in the tropics, experience working with molecular phylogenetics and/or next-generation sequence data, and language skills in Spanish and/or Portuguese is advantageous. We are seeking a candidate who is independent, self-motivated, and interested in the use or development of new methods and approaches, in short, a person willing to go beyond the state-of-the-art in the field. We will attach great importance to personal characteristics and independence in learning and working, creativity and documented productivity.

Direct link to more information and on-line application here.
Posted 15 February 2013 (back to list)

 

PhD in biosystematics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Museum of Natural History and Archaeology currently has an open 4 year PhD-position in biosystematics (systematics and taxonomy), available from March 1, 2013. The successful PhD-candidate will be part of the systematics and evolution research group at the Department of Natural History, and conduct his/her research in a project on evolutionary processes associated with dispersal within, and hybridization between, closely related species of peat mosses (Sphagnum). Both field and laboratory work will be involved in this project.

The successful applicant will have a master degree in systematics and taxonomy or closely related fields within evolutionary biology (population genetics, evolutionary ecology). It will be an advantage to have a broad range of interests, including in field biology, and experience of using molecular techniques to solve general problems in biology. Applicants must document good results from their education or later research activity, be goal-oriented and able to deliver results in time. Ability and motivation to fulfil a PhD programme, as well as co-operative skills, are considered important when evaluating candidates for the position. The successful applicant must fulfil the requirements of PhD-students at NTNU, and apply for admission to the PhD study programme as soon as possible and no more than 3 months after the date of appointment. Potential practical and theoretical courses available during the PhD-study are offered through the Research School in Biosystematics (ForBio), a teaching and research initiative coordinated by the university museums in Norway (http://www.forbio.uio.no/).

The candidate will spend 25% of the working hours on duties connected to teaching, curating and public outreach for the museum. The evaluation of candidates will mainly focus on: (a) course grades on relevant university-level courses, (b) the master thesis (or equivalent), (c) scientific publications and (d) references. The PhD-position follows code 1017, starting grade 50, gross NOK 416 300 per annum (before tax). There will be a 2% deduction to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund from gross salary. More information about the department and the open position can be obtained from Professor Hans K. Stenøien, phone: +47 73 59 22 84, hans.stenoien@ntnu.no or Head of Department Torkild Bakken phone: +47 73 59 23 82, torkild.bakken@ntnu.no. The application must be submitted electronically through www.jobbnorge.no. Please mark the application VM 2013/2630. Please append all attachments as one file. Application deadline: March 2, 2013.
Posted 12 February 2013 (back to list)

 

Mycologist, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne is seeking a Mycologist to primarily conduct research using multigene phylogenies to describe new species of truffle-like fungi, and address general trends and broad historical patterns, in the evolution of fruitbody form, cryptic species, and nutritional modes in Austroboletus, Austropaxillus and related taxa. This is a full time position, of two years duration. Further information on the position can be found by following the "Link to current vacancies" at www.rbg.vic.gov.au/about-us/job-opportunities. Applications close on 15 February 2013.
Posted 30 January 2013 (back to list)

 

Postdoc in entomology, Natural History Museum, Denmark

Postdoctoral position in entomology at the Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum, Denmark. The postdoctoral position in entomology is to work on species diversity patterns of arthropods in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania. The preferred candidate will become responsible for a new arthropod inventory program which the museum is launching in the Udzungwa National Park, Tanzania and the position will therefore require substantial and physically demanding fieldwork in Tanzania. The aims of the project are to investigate faunal turnover along altitudinal and longitudinal transects for selected groups of arthropods (alpha and beta diversity) and to further develop and promote standards, techniques and methodologies for state of the art and cost-efficient biodiversity inventories and assessments.

Qualifications We seek a candidate with strong publication records within the topic of the postdoc position, strong analytical and data handling skills, experience with tropical fieldwork, and an ability to communicate within a cross-disciplinary research team. Taxonomical knowledge on the level of arthropod orders would be favorable. The appointment is for 1-2 years. Starting time is negotiable, but preferably as soon as possible. Specific inquiries concerning the position should be directed to Nikolaj Scharff, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Section of Entomology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark E-mail: nscharff@snm.ku.dk; Phone: +45 35321107.

The application must be in English and submitted online by clicking "Apply online" at www.ku.dk/stillinger/vip/. The application must include the following appendices: * Curriculum vitae with documentation of education * Complete publication list * Description of previous research experience * Contact details of 3 referees. Applications should be received no later than March 1st, 2013. Application received after the deadline will not be considered. Terms of appointment and payment in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Post docs salary is based on seniority and is currently between 31.800 kr. and 33.500 kr. plus pension contribution.
Posted 30 January 2013 (back to list)

 

Plant Systematics Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

Through their respective Foundations, the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Botanic Gardens have an established endowment to provide salary for a joint research position: the 'Pauline Ladiges Plant Systematics Research Fellowship'. The Research Fellow will conduct research in the field of plant systematics and Australasian flora. The position requires the researcher to work at and collaborate with researchers at both institutions. The Research Fellow will contribute to the institutions' joint research program, and develop a specific research project deploying modern methods, including molecular techniques. The researcher will contribute to writing scientific papers, presentations for meetings and training of students.

Requirements are a Ph.D. in systematic / evolutionary biology, demonstrated ability to identify important research questions, demonstrated ability to plan and conduct high quality research, proven skills in molecular and quantitative research methods relevant to phylogenetic systematics, proven ability to undertake productively scientific projects and collaborations and supervise postgraduate students, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, ability to deliver oral presentations and prepare written scientific publications, and demonstrated ability to work both autonomously and in a team environment. Desirable: Taxonomic knowledge of Australian flora, track record of publishing high quality papers in peer-reviewed journals, ability to liaise successfully with collaborating research partners in academia and government, and a good working knowledge of herbarium methods.

This is a full-time position for 3 years at a salary of AUD$59,646 - AUD$80,939 p.a. plus 9% superannuation. To apply, go to www.jobs.unimelb.edu.au and enter job number 0030755 in the search box. Closing date 20 February 2013.
Posted 23 January 2013 (back to list)

 

Collection Manager, Natural History Museum of Denmark

The Natural History Museum of Denmark is searching for a Collections Manager to help coordinate and oversee its zoological, botanical, paleontological, and geological collections. The position is open from April 1st 2013.

The Natural History Museum of Denmark is the Danish national museum for zoology, botany and geology, and it contains large global scientific collections of preserved animals, plants, fossils, and minerals. A new museum of natural history in the Botanical Garden is being planned (http://nyt.snm.ku.dk/english) and will present the museum with a number of big challenges in relation to the coming move of the collections, the establishment of new storage facilities and of new exhibitions. The collection support staff collaborates with the Head of Collections, the scientific curators of the museum and the members of the exhibitions department in the curation of specimens, including preparation, preservation, registration, etc.

Primary tasks: to assist the Head of Collections with the coordination and management of the zoological, botanical, and geological collections; to help facilitate the use of these collections by all users, e.g. NHMD Curators and other scientific staff, exhibits, students, visiting scientists, and to support the collection management activities of all divisions.

Deadline for applications is Friday February 15, 2013. A more detailed job advert incl. information on how to apply is available here. The job is posted under Faculty of Science. More information about the position can be obtained by contacting the Head of collections, Nikolaj Scharff (phone: +45 35 32 11 07; nscharff@snm.ku.dk). More general information about the Natural History Museum of Denmark is available from our homepage, http://www.snm.ku.dk.
Posted 18 January 2013 (back to list)