Three-year PhD position in comparative phylogenetics at the Finnish Museum of Natural History

The University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en) is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the key multidisciplinary research universities in Europe and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world.

The Finnish Museum of Natural History (https://www.luomus.fi/en), which is part of the University of Helsinki, is a leading unit of systematic and evolutionary biology in Finland and a host to a vibrant community of researchers.

Applications are invited for the three-year PhD position at the Finnish Museum of Natural History.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate to join the research groups of Drs. Sergei Tarasov & Pedro Cardoso and a broad network of collaborators. The successful candidate will work on a project, funded through the three-year research grant program of the University of Helsinki. She/he will aim at (i) developing a new phylogenetic method for reconstructing ancestral species ranges, and (ii) assessing the range evolution in the context of ecological and multidimensional phenotypic data. The successful candidate will work in tight collaboration with the Lab’s ongoing project on evolution of Malagasy dung beetles. The appointee will be encouraged to commit short visits to our collaborators abroad and will participate in the supervision of undergraduate students. This interdisciplinary project is an exciting opportunity to conduct research on statistical modeling, evolution and biosystematics.

Requirements:

Applicants should have an MSc degree (or equivalent) in biology, computer science, statistics, bioinformatics or a related field.
The successful candidate should have a strong background/interest in phylogenetics, computer science or computational biology and motivation to develop and apply new phylogenetic methods. Good written and oral communication skills in English are required. The following skills are considered advantageous but are not required:

• Programming in R
• Good understanding of statistics and stochastic processes
• Research experience and publications

Applicants are expected to acquire the doctoral student status in the Doctoral Programme in Wildlife Biology at the University of Helsinki during the standard 6-month probationary period (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-p...).

You will work together with the project’s Principal Investigator and the collaborators. You will be responsible for the theoretical and applied research, data analysis, writing research articles and participation in academic conferences.

The starting date is July-October 2021. This is a full-time position, available for 3 years. We offer a competitive salary of 2500€/month (before taxes).

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and live in Finland.

Please leave your application in our recruitment system by clicking the ‘Apply for the position’ button below. If you are already working at the University of Helsinki, you can leave your application in SAP HR Portal. The applications should include the following:

• Cover letter describing motivation and research interests (max. 1 page)
• CV with publication list
• Contact details of two potential referees

Applications will be given full consideration if submitted by May 15, 2021, 23:59 (EET). Applications received after this date might be considered, if the position is not filled.

For more information about the position, please contact Sergei Tarasov or Pedro Cardoso.

Email ST: sergei.tarasov@helsinki.fi
Email PC: pedro.cardoso@helsinki.fi

Labs Websites:
https://www.tarasovlab.com
http://biodiversityresearch.org

For more information on Doctoral Programme in Wildlife Biology, see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-p...

Due date

15.05.2021 23:59 EEST