Two 4-year PhD or 2-year post-doc positions in Evolutionary and Theoretical Community Ecology
What? 2 PhD positions (4 years) or postdoc positions (2 years) When? Available from January 2008 Where? Community and Conservation Ecology Group (Dr. Rampal S. Etienne), Center of Evolutionary and Ecological Studies (CEES), University of Groningen, The Netherlands Throw up a handful of feathers, and all must fall to the ground according to definite laws; but how simple is this problem compared to the action and reaction of the innumerable plants and animals which have determined, in the course of centuries, the proportional numbers and kinds of trees now growing on the old Indian ruins! This exclamation by Darwin in his famous book on the origin of species still rings very true today: while physicists have discovered laws governing the tiniest particles and the largest stellar objects, biologists are still struggling to understand how species are formed (speciation) and how they coexist. Some have tried to explain the emergence of new species, but stopped short of studying what this means for the biodiversity patterns that we observe today, such as how the abundances of species differ between species, how the numbers of species vary over spatial distances, and how the relatedness of species varies with their abundance and spatial location. Others have studied how such patterns are maintained, but they did not study the processes that formed the basic components of these patterns. This project will be aimed at completing the full circle: (A) With theoretical models we will study how speciation gives rise to biodiversity patterns and how these patterns in turn influence speciation. (B) We will confront the models to biodiversity data sets, (being) collected in our group. In this synthetic evolutionary-ecological framework the relative contributions to biodiversity in an ecological community of (1) species functions (traits) and interactions, of (2) the common evolutionary history (phylogeny) of species, and of (3) birth, death and dispersal/migration of individuals will be identified. The positions are part of an NWO-VIDI grant awarded to Dr. Rampal Etienne. More detailed information on subprojects is available on request. We offer: Two PhD scholarships for a period of 4 years. Within this period, the work should lead to a PhD thesis and a PhD defense at the University of Groningen. The gross amount of the scholarship is 1422 per month. Interested postdocs may also apply to be appointed for a period up to 2 years. We look for: Quantitative evolutionary biologists / (community) ecologists, or a biology-minded mathematicians or physicists. We require: Expertise in theoretical/mathematical modelling and/or data analysis. Excellent communication skills with good command of oral and written English. We encourage: Exciting ideas within the general framework of the project. Although the emphasis of the research will be on theoretical work, empirical (field or lab) work is also possible, if strengthening the project. For direct applications (including a letter of motivation, a description of previous relevant research experience, CV with list of any publications, full contact information of 2 references) or further information, please contact Dr. Rampal S. Etienne ([EMAIL PROTECTED]).
