Location: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Supervisors: Dr. Philip McLoughlin, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Dr. Jocelyn Poissant, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
Salary: $20 000/year ($CAD) for a minimum of 3 years. **Application Deadline: Jan 15 2016 Start date: May 1st 2016. Project: We are looking to recruit a PhD student to contribute to our long- term, individual-based study of feral horses on Sable Island (Nova Scotia, Canada) initiated in 2007. This project will focus on the evolutionary ecology and genetics of the horse population. The student will have access to pedigree, molecular markers, social network and phenotypic (body size, intestinal parasite load, body condition, life history, etc.) data for more than 900 known individuals to develop questions related to spatial variation in population dynamics, genetic structure, phenotypic selection, mate choice, and inbreeding. We are particular interested in recruiting a student who recently or will soon obtain a M.Sc. in evolutionary ecology and/or genetics. Information about the study system can be found at http://mcloughlinlab.ca/lab/research-2/research/. The student will spend up to 2 months on Sable Island each summer for fieldwork. Daily tasks, shared by the entire research team, will include walking censuses and photography of horses, collection of samples, laboratory (parasitology) work, identification of individuals from digital photographs, and database management. Students visiting Sable Island must work well in teams, deal well with life in a remote research station, be able to travel by small airplane, fishing trawler, helicopter, or frigate, and be reasonably fit as walking censuses require lots of hiking. Courses on first aid and driving All Terrain Vehicles will be provided prior to fieldwork. This position is fully funded for a minimum of 3 years (salary of $20 000/year $CAD) but the student will be expected to apply for internal scholarships (e.g., teaching assistant positions) and external scholarships (e.g. NSERC). While all applications are welcomed, preference will be given to Canadians who are competitive for an NSERC scholarship (GPA > 3.8) and international students who can secure a scholarship in their home country. To apply send an email titled SABLE ISLAND PHD 2016 to [email protected] including: 1) A current CV and introduction email on interests 2) PDFs of undergraduate and graduate transcripts 3) The names and email addresses of 3 potential references
