PhD Position in applied evolutionary ecology Rapid evolution in wild plants cultivated for ecosystem restoration
The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group in the Institute of Landscape Ecology at the University of Münster (Germany) invites applications for a Doctoral Research Position (salary scale 65% of 13 TVL, for 36 months). We are seeking to fill a 3-year PhD position, part of research project on rapid evolution in cultivation of wild plants, which has been recently granted to Dr. Anna Lampei Bucharova (currently at the University of Tübingen, from spring 2018 at the University of Münster) and Dr. Walter Durka (UFZ Halle). The project focuses on evolution in cultivation. To provide sufficient amount of seeds for ecosystem restoration, wild plants are cultivated in monocultures on specialized farms. In Germany, this cultivation is region-specific. Seeds of individual provenances are cultivated at many farms around the country, and produced seeds are sold as “Regionalsaatgut” for ecological restoration. However, the conditions in cultivation strongly differ from the wild and it is likely that plants adapt to cultivation (“cultivation syndrome”) and consequently, lose their adaptation to wild environment, resulting in negative impact on restoration success. The successful candidate will work with many species and investigate how common and how large are the evolutionary changes during cultivation. At the same time, the system is an excellent opportunity to investigate fundamental evolutionary questions about rapid evolution, evolutionary trade-offs and parallelism in evolution across large number of species and thus, derive general patterns (in contrast to working with one model species). The core of the project is a set of common garden experiments, complemented by molecular analysis. The PhD student will be supervised by Dr. Anna Lampei Bucharova, in cooperation with Prof. Oliver Bossdorf (University Tübingen). Further details can be obtained from Dr. Anna Lampei Bucharova ([email protected]). The University of Münster is a large vibrant university hosting number of excellent scientific institution and provides stimulating research environment. The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research Group is led by Prof. Norbert Hölzel and works on various topics, for example grassland ecology, rare species, restoration ecology or land use change and landscape dynamics in Western Siberia and Kazakhstan (https://www.uni-muenster.de/Oekosystemforschung/en/ ). The city of Münster is characterized by its many students and presents a dynamic environment with many cultural and social events throughout the year (http://www.muenster.de/en/). The main transportation mean in the city is bicycle, which gives the city unique atmosphere. Applicant should have keen interest in applied evolutionary ecology and a Master degree (or equivalent) in the relevant research fields (e.g. plant ecology, evolution, botany). The applicant must have experience with quantitative statistics (optimally using R) and have proficiency in both written and spoken English, German is not necessary. Experience with large common garden experiments is a plus. As the first common garden experiment must start early spring 2018, the position starts in April 2018. The University of Münster is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the proportion of women academics. Consequently, we actively encourage applications by women. Female candidates with equivalent qualifications and academic achievements will be preferentially considered within the framework of the legal possibilities. We also welcome applications from candidates with severe disabilities. Disabled candidates with equivalent qualifications will be preferentially considered. Applications should be written in English and have a form of single Pdf congaing 1) cover letter with a statement of your research interests and motivation (max. 1 page), 2) CV including details of research experiences and 3) contact to at least two referees. Applications are to be sent to Prof. Norbert Hölzel, [email protected] till 21.1.2018.
