A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available in the laboratory of Fredric Janzen to help lead NSF-funded projects examining the roles of climate, maternal effects, and sex-specific fitness in the evolutionary ecology of environmental sex determination, focusing on the painted turtle. The goal is to explore how these major factors affect population dynamics and sex-ratio evolution in nature. This now 28-year study involves observational and experimental research at (1) a primary field site (Turtle Camp) along the Mississippi River near Clinton, IA, (2) a network of additional sites across North America, and (3) Iowa State University in Ames, IA. The postdoc will be central to most aspects of the projects and thus strong mentoring, communication, writing, and analytical/modeling skills are essential. In addition to facilitating goals of the overarching projects, the successful candidate will be strongly encouraged to develop her/his own independent research. The ideal applicant should have solid experience in field biology, experimental design, climate and demographic databases, and evo-eco modeling, plus a strong background in ecology, evolution, and statistics.
A Ph.D. in ecology or evolutionary biology is necessary. Current funding for the position is available for two years, with annual renewal contingent on performance, emphasizing progress on teamwork, data collation and analysis, modeling, and writing. The successful candidate must be available no later than 1 July 2016. Up to 1 month annually may be spent at Turtle Camp (http://www.public.iastate.edu/~fjanzen), but the primary location for the postdoc will be at Iowa State University, where data analysis, modeling, and writing manuscripts will be emphasized. Examples of recent publications related to these projects include: 1) Refsnider & Janzen (2016) J Hered 107:61-70. 2) Schwanz et al. (2016) Evolution 70:329-341. 3) Mitchell et al. (2015) Funct Ecol 29:268-276. 4) Refsnider et al. (2014) Evol Ecol 28:977-989. 5) Spencer & Janzen (2014) Proc R Soc Lond B 281:10.1098/rsbl.2014.0831. 6) Mitchell et al. (2013) Proc R Soc Lond B 280:10.1098/rspb.2013.2460. 7) Telemeco et al. (2013) Am Nat 181:637-648. To apply, e-mail Fredric Janzen ([email protected]) with (1) a brief (< 1 page) cover letter explaining your research interests, (2) a CV, and (3) contact information for three references. Review of applicants will begin immediately and end on 31 March 2016, shortly after which a suitable candidate will be selected.
