A four year *PhD Studentship*is available for a highly motivated
candidate to explore how the environment and biotic factors structure
host-parasitoid food webs. This collaborative project utilizes a novel
food web model system of wild /Drosophila/ species and their parasitoids
from tropical Australia. The student will be involved in obtaining live
/Drosophila/ and parasitoid lines from the field and will use laboratory
microcosm experiments to study how food web structure responds to
changes in temperature and species composition. The experimental food
webs will be surveyed using rearing and DNA metabarcoding. There will
also be opportunities to develop the project in a direction of the
student’s own choosing.
The successful applicant will join the Laboratory of Experimental
Ecology [ http://lab.hrcek.net ] at the Institute of Entomology, Biology
Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic,
under the supervision of Dr Jan Hrcek. The laboratory is part of the
Department of Ecology, a dynamic multinational centre for interaction
network research with regular publications in leading journals
[ http://www.plantanimalinteractions.com ]. The student will be
co-supervised by Prof. Owen Lewis (University of Oxford) and will be in
regular contact with the Community Ecology group at Oxford
[ https://communityecology.zoo.ox.ac.uk ].
The deadline for applications is *January 16th 2017*, with possible
start date from mid February 2017 onwards. The student will receive a
salary which comfortably covers living expenses in the Czech Republic.
The salary will be composed of stipend from the University of South
Bohemiaand part time employment at Biology Centre CAS. The working
language is English and applicants from all countries are eligible.
Required
·A master’s degree (non-negotiable requirement for PhD study in the
Czech Republic)
·A strong educational track record in biological sciences
·Very good written and spoken English
·Interest in community ecology
Desirable
·Research experience with laboratory experiments, insect ecology or
molecular ecology
·Driving licence and fieldwork experience
·Experience in ecological statistics or bioinformatics
·Experience with molecular laboratory work
To apply please send one document with your CV, contact details for two
references, and cover letter stating qualifications, previous work and
motivation to Jan Hrcek [ [email protected] ].
