PhD in avian ecology (Czech Republic)

PhD position available from October 2016 "Causes and consequences of ecological specialization in birds"

Project background:
Populations of ecological specialists decline due to their sensitivity to global environmental changes. Although various studies confirmed this pattern, wider context of evolutionary causes and ecological
consequences of species’ specialization remains unclear. Proposed project focuses on elucidating these issues using birds as a study system. Birds are a taxon with detailed knowledge of ecological and life history traits, population and range sizes, phylogenetic relationships and extinction risk of all species. Within this project, we will use this information to learn more about evolutionary conservatism of ecological specialization (whereas avian species do not usually expand their niches after introduction outside native ranges, closely related species often show high variability in their niche breadth) and to focus on possible changes in specialization across species’ geographic ranges, e.g. in relation to their local densities. The applicant will also collect own field data to examine relationships among habitat specialization at the individual, population and species level, respectively. Finally, knowledge from the above mentioned relationships will be applied in the analysis predicting global extinction risk of particular species by different facets of their  specialization.

Eligibility:
We expect a motivated student with good experience in ornithology,
able (after some training) to work independently in the field in
Eastern Europe. The ideal candidate for this PhD position is
interested in ecology and evolutionary biology, and is willing to
learn new methods. He/she must have finished the MSc. (or equivalent)
by September 2016 at the latest.

Time and place:
The student will work in a young team based at the Faculty of Science,
Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Fieldwork will be
conducted in the Czech Republic. The position is available for up to
four years, starting in October 2016.

Salary:
The PhD candidate’s net monthly income will start at 16.500 CZK (ca
610 EUR) in the first year, and may increase with experience and
achievements during the study. (Note that living expenses in the Czech
Republic are generally lower than in Western European countries.)

Research team:
Jiří Reif (Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University in
Prague) – supervisor
David Hořák (Department of Ecology, Charles University in Prague) –
co-supervisor

How to apply:
If interested, send a motivation letter, CV, publication list, title
or abstract of Master (Diploma) thesis, and contact details of 2
senior scientists that can provide references on you in a single PDF
file to jirireif@natur.cuni.cz until February 10, 2016. Pre-selected
candidates will be encouraged to submit an official application to the
university.

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Pokud je tento e-mail součástí obchodního jednání, Přírodovědecká fakulta
Univerzity Karlovy v Praze:
a) si vyhrazuje právo jednání kdykoliv ukončit a to i bez uvedení důvodu,
b) stanovuje, že smlouva musí mít písemnou formu,
c) vylučuje přijetí nabídky s dodatkem či odchylkou,
d) stanovuje, že smlouva je uzavřena teprve výslovným dosažením shody na
všech náležitostech smlouvy.