PHD STUDENT POSITION IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF IMMUNE DEFENCE IN A BUTTERFLY METAPOPULATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship to study the interplay between ecology and genetics in shaping immune defence in natural butterfly (meta)population. The project is funded by the Kone Foundation (http://www.koneensaatio.fi/fi/tiivistelmaet/#Saastamoinen: in Finnish only) Motivated students with a MSc degree in ecology, evolutionary biology or molecular biology (or other related fields) are encouraged to apply. Prior expertise in experimental design, statistical analysis or laboratory work are a bonus but your most important assets are enthusiasm for research, motivation to learn new things, and ability to work independently while being an active member of a research team. The project is centered within a larger study of the ecological processes and the underlying genetic mechanisms that allow the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) to cope with environmental challenges in the wild. This particular project will focus on the immune defence. In your project you will ask what are the significance of encapsulation response in terms of disease and parasitism resistance, how does it relate to other immunological assays, and if between individual variation influenced by population dynamics? In practice, you will carry out field work in the Åland Islands archipelago (SW Finland) and conduct experimental work in the laboratory and under semi natural field conditions. There is also potential to use recently developed genomic tools to identify genes involved in immune defence. You are expected to present your findings in scientific meetings and workshops, as well as prepare publications for international scientific journals. The research group of Dr Marjo Saastamoinen is part of the Metapopulation Research Group, Centre of Excellence appointed by the Academy of Finland, where you’ll find a wide range of expertise in ecological and evolutionary questions within a spatial framework. Please send your application to [email protected] by 7 June 2013. Attach a CV (with publications included), a copy of your transcript records (= printout of the courses you’ve completed during your MSc), contact details of two references (e.g. MSc thesis supervisor), and a letter (MAX 1 page) with a description of your researcher interests and why you would be a suitable candidate for the project. The work is scheduled to start in August 2013. The Phd student will receive a personal researcher grant (2 100 € per month, 25 200€ annually). The Kone Foundation grants funding one year at the time, so funding for the successive years need to be applied. For more information, please contact Dr Marjo Saastamoinen ([email protected]) and visit the website at (https://tuhat.halvi.helsinki.fi/portal/en/persons/marjo-anna-kaarina-%280d792de9-7077-4683-8e2b-4e15b5e9620d%29.html). For information on the University of Helsinki, please visit: http://www.helsinki.fi/university/index.html Marjo Saastamoinen, PhD Metapopulation Research Group Department of Biological Sciences PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1) FI-00014 University of Helsinki FINLAND Phone +358 9 191 57741
