Uppsala University hereby declares the following positions to be open for application:

PhD position at Plant Ecology and Evolution

at the Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre

Project description: One PhD student position studying plant evolutionary ecology is available at the Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, starting spring 2012.The focus of the project is studying the evolutionary ecology of floral characters. Specific aims include 1) furthering our understanding of floral scents in an evolutionary context and 2) examining male reproductive success of hermaphroditic flowers. In addition to these goals, there will be opportunities to study the importance of pollinator and herbivore-mediated natural selection on floral traits and other projects are possible. You will work in the North American wild flower Penstemon digitalis and in Swedish populations of Arabidopsis lyrata. The start date is set to facilitate a first field season in New York State in June 2012. The successful candidate will settle the exact profile of her/his PhD project with the supervisor Dr. Amy Parachnowitsch and the co-supervisor Prof. Jon Ågren.

Qualifications: We are seeking highly motivated, independent students with strong interests in evolutionary ecology. The position requires a MSc degree (or equivalent) in ecology/evolution or a related field, fluency in English, a driver’s licence, and the ability to conduct independent field work. Previous experience with field experiments and statistical skills are a plus.

The candidate will receive her/his postgraduate training within the postgraduate school at the Evolutionary Biology Centre http://www.ebc.uu.se/?languageId=1. The postgraduate training comprises four years of full time studies. The successful candidate will receive a postgraduate fellowship the first year (15500 SEK/month) and a postgraduate position year 2-4 (22400-25100 SEK/month). The position can be combined with up to 20% of teaching assistantship, which will then prolong the position accordingly.

Please provide a cover letter, CV, academic transcripts and contact information for at least 2 references. Any relevant publications (including BSc/MSc thesis) should be enclosed.

The rules governing this process can be found (in Swedish) in Högskoleförordningen 5 Chapter 1-7 §§ and in University rules http://regler.uu.se/. 

For more information please contact Dr. Amy Parachnowitsch amy.parachnowitsch@ebc.uu.se , phone +46 76 864 6753). Trade union representatives are, Anders Grundström, Saco Council, phone +46 18 471 33 80, Carin Söderhäll, ST-ATF, phone +46 18 471 19 96 and Stefan Djurström, SEKO, phone +46 18 471 33 15.

Applications no later than 15th March, 2012, UFV-PA2012/286. Use the link below to access the application form.

PhD position at Plant Ecology and Evolution