Postdoc in Plant-Pollinator Interactions at the University of Pittsburgh
A Postdoctoral fellow position exploring plant-pollinator interactions in diverse flowering plant communities is available in the laboratory of Tia-Lynn Ashman, Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Field work will be conducted in the Serpentine seeps of Napa County, California.
Using replicated California wildflower communities, the work will link plant traits with the pattern and costs of heterospecific pollen transfer, and characterize the modifiers of both pre- and post-pollination interactions at a community-wide scale. The work will specifically test the idea that within a co-flowering community tolerance and avoidance of heterospecific pollen receipt are alternate strategies for coexistence, and that tolerance is a stabilizing force that depresses the risks of reproductive failure of rare or facilitated species (e.g., Ashman and Arceo-Gomez 2013 AJB 100:1061-1070; Arceo-Gomez and Ashman 2011 New Phytologist 192: 738-746).
Responsibilities include characterizing plant-pollinator interactions in the field; greenhouse experiments to assess fitness costs of plant-plant interactions on the style, collection of reproductive trait, pollinator, and pollen identity data; phylogenetically-controlled and community-level statistical analyses and preparation of manuscripts for publication. There is also the ample opportunity to design and implement additional pollination projects of mutual interest.
The postdoc position is for two years, renewable up to two additional years. Start date is negotiable, but May 2016 is preferred.
TO APPLY: Please send a CV and a description of your experience and interests as relevant to the position to [email protected], along with the names and contact information for three referees. In a covering letter clearly highlight skills and experience related to key responsibilities. Informal enquiries are also welcome!
Deadline for application materials is March 1, 2016.
