The Mazer lab in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara is recruiting one or two highly motivated PhD students to conduct collaborative and independent research to investigate the process and outcome of adaptive evolution within and among populations of the annual forb, Nemophila menziesii (Baby Blue Eyes, Boraginaceae). We are particularly interested in the evolution of fitness-related traits such as seed mass, germination time, flowering time, flower size, and integrated water use efficiency. We particularly welcome students experienced with — or interested in gaining skills in — field biology, the measurement of natural selection on reproductive traits, and quantitative evolutionary genetics.
Incoming students will participate in (and earn funding from) a recently funded NSF grant (“Evolutionary adaptation to intensifying drought across a geographic gradient: a comprehensive evaluation of Fisher's Fundamental Theorem”, with Dr. Amber Nashoba and Dr. Ruth Shaw) in which we are using quantitative genetic methods to test predictions derived from Fisher’s Fundamental Theorem in wild populations of N. menziesii distributed across an aridity gradient in California. Incoming students will also be invited to conduct independent research of their own desing that extends beyond the scope of the research supported by this grant. Promising areas of research include (but are not restricted to): (a) the ecological and evolutionary significance of variation within and among populations in prospective fitness-related traits such as flowering time, flower size, herkogamy and dichogamy, pollen performance, seed size, and sex allocation; (b) pre- and post-pollination sexual selection on primary and secondary sexual traits; (c) the functional significance of variation in floral and vegetative pigments, including UV reflectance/absorption; (d) the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in life history and morphological traits; and (e) the causes and consequences of variation in water use efficiency across an aridity gradient. Funding packages offered to highly competitive candidates will include a combination of Graduate Research assistantships, Teaching Assistantships, Block Grants, and UCSB-funded graduate fellowships. Students who have already earned a Master’s degree in Botany or Plant Ecology or who have applied for a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship are particularly welcome. UCSB and EEMB strongly encourage and welcome applicants who contribute to the diversity of the student community. Prospective students interested in exploring this opportunity may write directly to: Professor Susan Mazer ([email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>). More detail about the Mazer lab can be found at: labs.eemb.ucsb.edu/mazer/susan <x-msg://21/labs.eemb.ucsb.edu/mazer/susan> Graduate students may apply electronically to UCSB’s Graduate Division via the following URL: https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp/Login.aspx <https://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/eapp/Login.aspx> Susan Mazer President, California Botanical Society Director, California Phenology Project Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department of Ecology, Evolution & Marine Biology University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 93106 cell: 805-729-3980 office: 805-893-8011 FAX: 805-893-2266 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> website: https://labs.eemb.ucsb.edu/mazer/susan/ <https://labs.eemb.ucsb.edu/mazer/susan/>
