*PhD Studentship in Tropical Ecology*
/Supra-specific Janzen-Connell effects: /
/insect herbivores responding to plant phylogeny and chemistry in a
Papua New Guinea rainforest/
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate to join a project exploring
plant-herbivore interactions in a lowland rainforest in Papua New
Guinea. The study combines an experimental field component examining the
impact of herbivores on plants with laboratory-based analysis of plant
phylogeny and secondary chemistry. The research team is highly motivated
and seeks to explore the drivers of tropical diversity. Specifically,
the project focuses on analysing the evolution of chemical defences in
large tropical tree genera and exploring the counter-adaptations
employed by insect herbivores. We are looking for a candidate that has
·a MSc degree (non-negotiable requirement for this PhD programme)
·a deep interest in the ecology of insects and/orplants
·exceptional skills in [i] community ecology of insects or plants, or
[ii] phylogenetic analysis, or [iii] plant chemistry analysis, or [iv]
biostatistics; experience in both laboratory and field work is required.
·fluency in spoken and writtenEnglish
·an ability to work independently, and manage small teams of
collaborators and para-taxonomists
The successful applicant will join the Ecology Department at the Biology
Center of the Czech Academy of Science (web
<https://www.entu.cas.cz/en/departments/department-of-ecology-and-conservation-biology/>)
and the Zoology Department of the University of South Bohemia (web
<http://zoo.prf.jcu.cz/?lang=en>). The candidate will live in Ceske
Budejovice (Czech Republic) (web
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cesk%C3%A9_Bud%C4%9Bjovice>),
conduct field work at the New Guinea Binatang Research Center (web
<http://www.ngbinatang.com/>), and carry out the analysis of secondary
chemistry together with our collaborators in Germany, Finland and the
USA. The PhD study will be supervised by Vojtech Novotny (web
<https://scholar.google.cz/citations?user=0jlGnogAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao>) and
advised by Martin Volf (web)
<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin_Volf2>, and Simon Segar
(web <https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=wmgHD2kAAAAJ&hl=en>).
Our Department is a diverse, international team (11 nationalities)
studying ecology, evolution and biogeography, and a world-class centre
for interaction network research with regular publications in /Science/,
/Nature /and other leading journals. Both the Czech Republic and Papua
New Guinea are easy-going countries where life is interesting.
The deadline for applications is *February 20**th 2019*, with a start
date of April 1^st 2019 (negotiable). The student will receive a
scholarship fully covering living expenses in the Czech Republic for the
4-year PhD course. Applicants from all countries areeligible. To apply
please send a CV, contact details for three references, and a cover
letter stating qualifications, previous work and motivation to Vojtech
Novotny (novo...@entu.cas.cz <mailto:novo...@entu.cas.cz>) where you can
also send any queries.
More information at: https://tinyurl.com/JCphd2019**
