We are seeking a motivated PhD student to join our research team working on eco-evolutionary dynamics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany.
We are looking for a highly motivated ecologist or evolutionary biologist to join our group Community Dynamics at the Max Planck institute for Evolutionary Biology (http://web.evolbio.mpg.de/comdyn) and the Kiel Evolution Center (http://www.kec.uni-kiel.de). The ideal candidate is fascinated by evolutionary and ecological questions, independent and creative. She/he has a background in evolutionary biology, population or community ecology. A MSc (or equivalent) in Biology is required. There is a continuing interest to identify the interactions and feedback dynamics between ecological and evolutionary changes at the same time scale. This interest in eco-evolutionary dynamics is fuelled by the need to understand how populations and communities could adapt to rapid environmental change such as warming, invasion and pollution. Despite this pressing need to understand eco-evolutionary dynamics, they are not well understood in complex systems. In the project we aim to (1) identify rapid adaptive changes in coevolving host-virus populations in different food webs that differ in the types of species interactions and complexity and to (2) comprehend how the dynamics of adaptive changes alter the ecological dynamics and potential feedbacks. We will combine controlled laboratory experiments, whole genome sequencing of populations across different time points and modeling to characterize and compare the adaptive dynamics and their consequences within the different food webs. For more information on potential the project contact Lutz Becks ([email protected]). The institute offers a stimulating international environment and an excellent infrastructure with access to state‐of‐the-art techniques. The town of Plön is in the middle of the Schleswig-Holstein lake-district within a very attractive and touristic environment near the Baltic Sea, close to the university towns of Lübeck and Kiel. Hamburg and Lübeck are the closest airports. The position is funded for three years. We ask applicants to send a PDF file containing their CV and letter of motivation as well as contact information of two references by e-mail to Lutz Becks (mailto:[email protected]). We will begin reviewing applications starting March 22th until the position is filled. The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer.
