PhD positions in the fields of Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Genomics, and Ecosystem Science

Study the evolution of copepod populations in lakes with different abiotic and biotic ecosystem properties, and the evolution of stickleback when they occur with and without Arctic char. Use an ongoing whole-lake manipulation to study how sticklebacks evolve following their release from predation by charrs, and how the establishment of these stickleback populations affects the evolution of copepods.

The overall goal of the project is to deepen understanding of the interplay between rapid evolution and community assembly dynamics in lake ecosystems undergoing environmental change, studying threespine stickleback and diaptomus copepods and how biotic and abiotic sources of selection affect evolution at different stages of community assembly in sub-arctic lakes.

1. Evolutionary ecology of copepods: Study the ecology and evolution of copepods, including phenotypic and genetic variation across lakes along a gradient of community assembly. The project will include field work, lab raising of copepods, phenotyping of copepods, genomic work including molecular lab work and bioinformatics, and potentially evolutionary simulations.

2. Stickleback evolutionary genomics: Investigate the adaptive capacity and genetic basis of evolvable traits in stickleback. The project will include some field work and molecular lab work, and a large genetic data analysis and bioinformatic component, potentially including forward in-time genomic simulations.

3. Ecosystem ecology and evolution of stickleback: Explore the causes and consequences of stickleback evolution in lakes of Southern Greenland. The project will include field work surveying fish and invertebrate communities and quantifying lake ecosystem functioning, as well as lab work rearing and phenotyping stickleback.

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). Eawag conducts research, education and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

The Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution (FishEc) has vacancies for three PhD positions in Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Genomics, and Ecosystem Science.

The project is carried out by a consortium of researchers at Eawag and the University of Bern (Switzerland), the Technical University of Zvolen (Slovakia), and the University of Edinburgh (UK). Successful candidates will be supervised by Dr Blake Matthews and/or Dr Philine Feulner, enrolled as doctoral students at the University of Bern, and co-supervised by either Prof. Catherine Peichel or Prof. Claudia Bank.

At Eawag, people with different experiences, strengths, and perspectives can fully contribute and further develop. Eawag promotes genuine participation, exchange, and mutual understanding, creates structures that enable compatibility of work and other areas of life such as care work, and continuously makes efforts to reduce barriers.

• A master’s degree in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Organismal Biology, or Environmental Science.

• Highly motivated candidates who enjoy working in a collaborative and international environment and are interested in integrating and synthesising their work.

• For the evolutionary ecology of copepods position: an interest in evolutionary ecology and/or molecular ecology.

• For the stickleback evolutionary genomics position: an interest in population and/or quantitative genetics.

• For the ecosystem ecology and evolution of stickleback position: an interest in evolutionary ecology and ecosystem sciences.

• Applications should include a CV and a cover letter describing motivation for pursuing a PhD program in general and for this integrative project specifically. Indicate which positions you are interested in and your rationale. Also include a resume with names and contact information of two to three academic references.

• The application must be sent through the webpage; any other way of applying will not be considered.