Department Department of Botany and Zoology – Faculty of Science
Deadline 31 Aug 2021
Start date Autumn 2021 (date is negotiable)

E-APPLICATION

Bursar of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University announces an open competition for the position Postdoc in Ecology or Evolutionary Biology, Masaryk University, Czech Republic

Workplace: Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Type of Contract: temporary position with 2-year contract, non-academic

Working Hours: 1,0 FTE (full-time employment of 40 hours per week)

Expected Start Date: Autumn 2021 (date is negotiable)

Number of Open Positions: 1                                                          

Application Deadline: 31 August 2021                                                     

About the Workplace

Masaryk University is the second-largest university in the Czech Republic with nine faculties, more than 5000 staff, and more than 30 000 students. As a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing, our mission is to pursue top-quality research and education.

Faculty of Science MU, a proud holder of the HR Excellence in Research Award by the European Commission, is a research-oriented faculty, offering university education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs) closely linked to both primary and applied research and high school teaching of the following sciences: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth sciences. We are the most productive scientific unit of the Masaryk University, generating around 40% of MU research results.

Department of Botany and Zoology is a modern centre of research and teaching in the fields of evolutionary biology, biosystematics and ecology. Its individual research groups study phylogenetic relationships and the classification of organisms, their diversity from the local to the continental level, and the ecological relationships of individual species, populations and communities in relation to both natural and human-induced changes in entire ecosystems.

Job Description

Key Duties

• Performing independent research in the field of biosystematics and taxonomy, vegetation science, macroecology, Quaternary palaeoecology, evolutionary biology, molecular ecology, population ecology, behavioral ecology, ichthyoparasitology, hydrobiology, soil biology or mammaliology
• Writing scientific publications for international journals
• Presentations at international conferences
• During the period of the contract, the postdoc must not have any other employment. It is assumed that the postdoc will be present at the Department of Botany and Zoology in Brno except for business trips (conferences, workshops or field work) and vacations.

Skills and Qualifications

• PhD in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Botany, Zoology or related fields (finished not more than eight years ago)
• Specialist in one of the following fields: biosystematics and taxonomy, vegetation science, macroecology, Quaternary palaeoecology, evolutionary biology, molecular ecology, population ecology, behavioral ecology, ichthyoparasitology, hydrobiology, soil biology or mammaliology
• International experience (studies or employment, for at least two years within the period of the last four years, at a university or research institution outside the Czech or Slovak Republics)
• The first or corresponding author of at least three articles in the above-mentioned fields published in journals indexed in the Web of Science database.
• Fluency in spoken and written English demonstrated by previous international publications and conference presentations or internships
• Good communication skills, motivation for teamwork
• Flexible and independent way of organizing work with a clear focus on science

Informal inquiries about the position can be sent to Soňa Hroudova, email hroudova@sci.muni.cz.

We Offer

• Flexible working hours and occasional home office to support personal needs in family and career compatibility
• Employee benefits such as six weeks of paid vacation per year, pension insurance contribution, contribution to lunches, discounted language courses, discount in the university cinema, exclusive mobile tariff offer by Vodafone
• Opportunity to work and live in a modern and dynamic city

(for more information on costs of living, you can refer to Numbeo)

• Support with your relocation to Brno by our International Staff Office

Application Process

The candidate is expected to contact the leader of the working group of the Department of Botany and Zoology that does research in his/her field:

• Petr Bureš (bures@sci.muni.cz) for biosystematics and taxonomy of vascular plants
• Michal Hájek (hajek@sci.muni.cz) for vegetation science, palaeoecology or malacology
• Stano Pekár (pekar@sci.muni.cz) for invertebrate zoology and behavioral ecology or soil biology
• Tomáš Bartonicka (bartonic@sci.muni.cz) for mammaliology and behavioral ecology
• Andrea Vetešníková Šimková (simkova@sci.muni.cz) for ichthyoparasitology
• Jindřiška Bojková (bojkova@sci.muni.cz) for hydrobiology

The candidate and the group leader will discuss the proposed postdoc research and if the group leader agrees with the research ideas, the candidate submits the application online by 31 August 2021 via an e-application (please, use the link in the e-Application section below).

The candidate shall provide the following:

• CV including a list of publications (with a clear indication of the articles indexed in the Web of Science database)
• Motivation letter explaining your interest in biodiversity-climate relationships and how do you fulfill the above-mentioned requirements (max. 2 pages)
• Names and contact details of at least two referees.

After submitting your application successfully, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from jobs.muni.cz.

Selection Process

Received applications will be considered carefully in line with principles of the EU Charter and Code for Researchers. Selection criteria: (i) meeting qualification requirements described above, (ii) all required documents provided.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a personal or videoconference interview.

The Faculty Recruitment Policy (OTM-R) can be seen here.

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University is an equal opportunity employer. We support diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!