Postdoc Position in Adaptation and Speciation (NTNU, Taipei, Taiwan)

A two-year postdoc is available on August 1, 2018 for an innovative and motivated person to work on the adaptation of Pachyrhynchus weevils or the speciation of endemic Psolodesmus damselflies.

Project:

The position is funded by the MOST (Ministry of Science & Technology,
Taiwan) grants focused on testing hypotheses about the adaptation of
aposematic colours in Pachyrhynchus weevils and the process of species
formation in two subspecies of Psolodesmus damselflies.

1. Aposematism of Weevils

Pachyrhynchus weevils are a group of brilliant, metallic-coloured
weevils distributed in the Old World tropics. Recent studies showed
that the conspicuous colouration of these weevils function as effective
warning signals for their hard bodies to prevent predacious pursuit by
lizards. We are interested in studying the adaptation, evolution, and
spatio-temporal dynamics of interactions between vertebrate predators
and aposematic prey using these weevils.

Related articles:

Wang, L-Y., W-S. Huang, H-C. Tang, L-C. Huang and C-P. Lin* (2018) Too
hard to swallow: A secret secondary defence of an aposematic insect.
Journal of Experimental Biology 221.

Tseng, H-Y., W-S. Huang, M-L. Jeng, R.J.T. Villanueva, O.M. Nuneza and
C-P. Lin* (2018) Complex inter-island colonization and peripatric
founder speciation promote diversification of flightless Pachyrhynchus
weevils in the Taiwan-Luzon volcanic belt.

Journal of Biogeography 45: 89-100.

Chen, Y-T., H-Y. Tseng, M-L. Jeng, Y-C. Su, W-S. Huang and C-P. Lin*
(2017) Integrated species delimitation and conservation implications of
an endangered weevil Pachyrhynchus sonani (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
in Green and Orchid Islands of Taiwan. Systematic Entomology 42:
796-813.

Tseng, H-Y., C-P. Lin*, J-Y Hsu, D.A. Pike and W-S. Huang* (2014) The
functional significance of aposematic signals: geographic variation in
the responses of widespread lizard predators to colourful invertebrate
prey. PLoS ONE 9(3):e91777.

2. Damselfly Speciation

We focus on a damselfly species, Psolodesmus mandarinus, with two
subspecies differ in their distribution and wing pigmentations in
Taiwan. It provides a great opportunity to evaluate the relative
importance of natural and sexual selection in damselfly divergence. The
project will incorporate a wide range of techniques, including a
whole-island field survey, behavioural studies, manipulation
experiments, population genetics and genomic analysis to investigate
the divergence in damselflies.

A description of the research project:

https://sites.google.com/site/yuhsunhsu/research?pli=1

Requirement:

1. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for either leading a
hypothesis-driven field/laboratory experiment, or the analyses of
genomic-scale DNA sequence data sets. The applicant is also encouraged
to develop an independent project based on applicant's expertise and
the study systems.

2. The successful applicant must have demonstrated expertise in
behavioral ecology, population genetics, phylogenetics, genomics, or
computational statistics.

3. Preference will be given to candidates with:

(1) Background in behavioral ecology studies, (2) Experience of high
performance computing, (2) The ability to develop and apply statistical
or computational methods to solve biological problems, (3) Expertise in
research on adaptation, speciation, theoretical models of evolution, or
trait divergence.

Application:

To apply, please contact Chung-Ping Lin by email
(treehopper@ntnu.edu.tw), and attach a single PDF file containing: 1) a
cover letter, 2) a CV, 3) a brief 2-page statement of research
interests, and how your skills can contribute to project objectives,
and 4) contact information for three references.

Salary & Deadline:

The position will be available from 2018/08 to 2020/07. Start date is
flexible. Funding is available for at least 2 year with a potential
extension of 3 years, pending on the performance and funding.

A monthly post-doc salary of about $55,000 NTD ($1,900 USD) will be
offered, including retirement plan, health benefits, and a year-ending
bonus of 1.5- month salary. The average living cost in Taiwan is about
1/2 of that in the USA.

The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

More information:

Chung Ping Lin's lab: http://web.ntnu.edu.tw/~treehopper/

Department of Life Science: http://www.biol.ntnu.edu.tw/

National Taiwan Normal University: http://www2.ntnu.edu.tw/en/index.php

Chung-Ping Lin
Department of Life Science
National Taiwan Normal University
Taipei, Taiwan
http://web.ntnu.edu.tw/~treehopper