Researcher in Biology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Biology has 210 employees of which 80 are PhD students. 400 undergraduate students are taking courses here every year.

Research area
This project is a continuation of a project funded partly by the University of Gothenburg and partly by Lund University. For the Lund University part, we need a highly motivated and skilled person to continue work started in Gothenburg. The project is aiming to develop a general predictive framework for biodiversity responses to climate changes by investigating past niche evolution. The researcher is expected to combine statistical approaches, time-calibrated phylogenetic trees, ecological niche information, fossil pollen data and species occurrence data. Test cases include Amazonian palms and European butterflies. A better understanding of historical responses to the challenges and opportunities of climate and landscape changes may allow “hindcasting” life’s response to change in the past, and forecasting how it may respond to future change.

This work is funded by the Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing Climate (BECC) program, through the University of Gothenburg and Lund University. It involves close collaboration and research visits between the University of Gothenburg and Lund University). This collaboration will allow the candidate to strengthen specific skills for execution of the project.

Duties
The tasks include some or all of the following:

• Compile from the literature ecological niche information and population trends for the European butterflies.
• Use phylogenetic comparative methods to quantify the effect of past ecological niche evolution on the decline of European butterflies.
• Use models to predict niche evolution in the future.
• Produce a phylogenomic tree of Mauritiinae and Raphia palm trees.
• Compile from the literature fossil pollen data for Mauritiinae palm trees.
• Use fossil pollen and genomic data to understand past extinction and diversification events in relationship with past climate Changes.
• Identify generalities with respect to climate change and decline of populations, environmental and climatic niche occupancy, and morphological and molecular evolution.
• Participate and help to organize group meetings and symposia
   

Requirements
The applicant must hold a PhD in an area relevant for the tasks at hand (ecology, molecular phylogenetics, macroecology, comparative analyses, or related fields). Note that the thesis must be awarded prior to the starting date.

Other required qualifications:

• Documented capacity to work in groups and independently
• Advanced skills in R, python or another analytical platform
• Advanced skills in phylogenetics and phylogenetic comparative methods
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English

Meriting 

• Experience with phylogenetic diversity metrics, molecular dating, biogeography, comparative phylogenetic analyses, and ancestral trait evolution
• Documented knowledge of Lepidoptera and/or Mauritiinae systems
• Knowledge of Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods 

Appointment to a researcher position requires that the applicant have a PhD, within the subject of the position. The most important criterion for evaluating the applicants will be scientific skill.