PhD Opportunity in Behavioral Ecology at University of Nevada, Reno
The Baldan lab at the University of Nevada, Reno is seeking a PhD graduate student to join their team in spring or fall 2025. This exciting opportunity is ideal for students interested in evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, parental care, and sexual conflict.
Program Details
- Join the interdisciplinary EECB program
- Customize your education based on scientific interests
- Opportunity to work on nest box populations of songbirds in Spain and Italy
- Collaborations with University of Madrid, Spain and University of Padova, Italy
Preferred Experience: Bird handling, animal husbandry, and/or neuroendocrine lab work
Project Description
The research focuses on family life as a fascinating social system, exploring how two parents cooperate to raise offspring while navigating evolutionary conflicts of interest ('sexual conflict'). This conflict has led to various parental care strategies, from biparental care to female-only and male-only care.
Research Topics
- Parental Response Dynamics: Plan and execute behavioral field experiments to understand the rules parents adopt when negotiating offspring care.
- Neuroendocrine Mechanisms: Study the hormonal and physiological regulation of mating and parental strategies using the neuroendocrine lab at UNR.
- Climate Change Impact: Investigate the effect of climate warming on alpine bird reproduction using long-term breeding datasets and active population monitoring.
About the University and Location
- University of Nevada, Reno is an R1 institution
- Biology Department features 40 faculty members with recognized, funded research programs
- 75 graduate students and active undergraduate research participation
- Reno is situated in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Lake Tahoe
- Rated as one of the best small cities in the US for outdoor recreation and quality of life
How to Apply
Interested candidates should email the following to dbaldan@unr.edu:
- CV
- Cover letter
Application Deadline: November 15th, 2024
For more information, visit the lab website at http://www.davidebaldan.com/
