Advisors: Dr. Joe Hoffman (Bielefeld University, Germany)
Dr Liz Harper (Cambridge University, UK)
and Dr Melody Clark (British Antarctic Survey, UK)
Funding is
available for an early stage fellowship as part of a Marie Curie Initial
Training Network. The fellow will be
based in the Hoffman lab at Bielefeld University (www.thehoffmanlab.com) and will have the opportunity to register
for a PhD. The fellowship will provide
training in cutting-edge population genomic approaches and offers excellent
opportunities for networking plus individually tailored training and industrial
placements. The fellow should therefore
be in a strong position afterwards to pursue a career in either academia or
industry.
There is mounting
concern over the acidification of the World’s oceans. In the 250 years since the onset of the
industrial revolution, atmospheric CO2 levels have risen from 280 to
381 parts per million and average ocean pH has fallen from 8.16 to 8.05. Human-driven emissions of CO2
continue to rise and have begun to outstrip even the most pessimistic of IPCC
model scenarios. How will life in the
oceans adapt to this changing environment? Particular concern has been expressed over
organisms with heavily calcified shells such as molluscs, as their ability to extract
carbonate ions from seawater and incorporate these into their skeletons may be
compromised.
This position
forms part of a Marie Curie Initial Training Network entitled CACHE: Calcium in
a Changing Environment, funded by the EU (ref: 605051) and co-ordinated by the
British Antarctic Survey. The aim of
this network is to take a coordinated multidisciplinary approach to
understanding calcium regulation and shell production in four commercially
important shellfish species, the king scallop (Pecten maximus), the Pacific oyster, (Crassostrea gigas), the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the soft shell clam (Mya arenaria). The network comprises
10 partners from 6 European countries, including research institutes,
universities and commercial enterprises.
As a member of the network, the fellow will be expected to work cooperatively
within the network, participate in European training events and spend up to 30%
of their training with another network partner.
Full details of the network can be found at www.cache-ITN.eu.
The fellow
will use population genomic approaches including RAD sequencing and transcriptomics
to (i) conduct a comparative analysis of the population structure of the four
species along a European latitudinal cline; (ii) explore how stocking
practices, hybridization, oceanographic barriers and life-history interact to
shape population structure; (iii) determine the relative contributions of genotype
and phenotypic plasticity to shell morphology and ultrastructure; (iv) test for
signatures of selection at candidate genes involved in calcium regulation and
deposition. There will also be scope for
the fellow to explore their own related interests within the framework of this
project and in collaboration with the other partners.
We seek a
bright and highly motivated candidate who holds an M.Sc. or equivalent in a
relevant topic (e.g. marine biology, population or evolutionary genetics, bioinformatics). The ideal candidate will have strong
quantitative skills and ideally some experience of programming, although
training can be provided. Experience of
RAD sequencing would also be advantageous but is not necessary. The candidate should also be able to work
both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. A high standard of spoken and written English
is required.
The fellow will
join the Hoffman lab, a young and dynamic group comprising five PhD students
and a postdoc. They will be based at the
Department of Animal Behaviour at Bielefeld University (www.uni-bielefeld.de/biologie/animalbehaviour/home.html). The department currently hosts six principal
investigators, seven postdocs and over thirty PhD students. It offers a stimulating international
environment and an excellent research infrastructure including brand new
molecular laboratories and computing facilities. The working language of the Department is
English.
Bielefeld is
a city of 325,000 inhabitants with an attractive historical centre and easy
access to the Teutoberger Wald for hiking and other outdoor pursuits. It offers a very high standard of living and
is well connected to most major European cities.
This fellowship
offers a generous stipend of at least €3700 per month, including a mobility
allowance, for a period of 2.5 years. Funding
is also available for the fellow to attend annual meetings and training
workshops in Portugal and elsewhere. The
fellow will be encouraged to register for a PhD at Bielefeld University.
To apply for
the position, please provide: (i) a letter of motivation including a maximum 2-page
statement of your research interests, relevant skills and experience; (ii) a CV
including publication list; (iii) names and contact details of three referees
willing to write confidential letters of recommendation; (iv) for monitoring
purposes only, please clearly state your nationality, sex, and where you saw the
advert. All materials should be emailed as a single PDF to:
joseph.hoffman@uni-bielefeld.de with 'CACHE application' in the subject line.
The
application deadline is March 27th 2015. Interviews will take place immediately afterwards. We would like the fellow to start as soon as possible,
ideally in May 2015, although this depends on the timeframe of the most
qualified applicant. For further
information, please contact Joe Hoffman (e-mail: joseph.hoffman@uni-bielefeld.de;
tel: +49(0)521 1062711.
Eligibility: Please note that this is an EU funded Marie
Curie post and therefore certain eligibility criteria apply:
·
The applicant must be
in the first four years (full time equivalent research experience) of their
research careers and not yet have a doctoral degree. This is measured from the date when they
obtained the degree which would formally entitle them to embark on a doctorate.
·
At the time of
recruitment by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or
carried out their main activity (work, studies etc) in the country of their
host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to
the reference date.
·
The candidate can be
from any nationality, including non-EU.
·
In order to register
for a PhD at Bielefeld University, the applicant must hold a Masters degree or
equivalent.
The
University of Bielefeld is an equal opportunity employer. We particularly welcome applications from
women. Given equal suitability,
qualifications and professional achievement, women will be given preference,
unless particular circumstances pertaining to a male applicant apply.
For relevant
publications, please see: Hoffman et al.
(2010) Marine Biology, 157: 765–778
and Hoffman et al. (2011) Marine Biology, 158: 287–296.
