Doctoral Research Fellowship in Speciation Genetics

Job Description:

Doctoral Research Fellowship in Speciation Genetics

A PhD position is available at the Department of Biosciences (IBV),
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo (UiO). The
PhD project is part of a larger research program on the 'Evolvability
of genomic architecture during hybrid speciation'.

Far from being an evolutionary dead end, hybridization may even
generate lineages that can speciate even under the most constraining of
conditions. The Italian sparrow (Passer italiae) is the first documented
case of hybrid speciation in birds (Hermansen et al. 2011). This
hybrid species originated from past events of hybridization between two
divergent parental species, the house sparrow (P. domesticus) and the
Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis) some thousands of years ago. The
Italian sparrow is both phenotypically and genetically variable across
the Italian peninsula and its genome is a composite mosaic of DNA from
both parentspecies' genomes. But little is known about the consequences
of such major genomic rearrangements on the evolutionary potential
of hybrid species and how hybridization in general may favor novel
evolutionary trajectories.

This project integrates ecological and molecular approaches to develop
an understanding of the evolution of genomic architecture during
hybridization events and its evolutionary implications, using the Italian
sparrow as the model system. The successful candidate will be allowed to
choose aspects of the evolutionary genetics and genomics of the larger
study as best fits her/his skills and research interests. She/he will also
be encouraged to develop additional, complementary avenues of research.

Interested candidates should have a Master degree or equivalent in
a relevant field of biology, such as in genetics, genomics and/or
bioinformatics. Documented knowledge in evolutionary biology is
required. A good command of English and laboratory experience is likewise
required. In addition, a special interest in the field of speciation
and previous fieldwork or bird handling experience would be advantageous.

The position is affiliated with the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary
Synthesis (CEES), and research will be conducted in close collaboration
with Prof. Saetre and his group at CEES. The research team will also
include other scientists from Norway, the US and Switzerland. The working
language will be English. Fieldwork may be conducted at a variety of
locations, including Norway, Italy and other Mediterranean countries.

The appointment is for 3 years, but may be extended to 4 years conditional
on 25% teaching obligations and approval from the Department of
Biosciences. Candidates interested in a 4-year position should state so,
in which case previous teaching experience would be considered a merit.

Application deadline: Octiber 31st

Expected starting date: January-February 2015

Informal enquiries can be made to Fabrice Eroukhmanoff and Glenn-Peter
Saetre:

fabrice.eroukhmanoff@ibv.uio.no

g.p.satre@ibv.uio.no

For more information and how to apply:

http://uio.easycruit.com/vacancy/1271569/96323?iso=no

Fabrice Eroukhmanoff
Research Fellow
Department of Biosciences, CEES
University of Oslo
Norway

Fabrice.eroukhmanoff@ibv.uio.no

Fabrice Eroukhmanoff <fabrice.eroukhmanoff@ibv.uio.no>

Skills :

• Genetics
• Population Genetics

Areas :

• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology
• Systems Biology

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