A 4-year PhD position (SKO 1017) is available at the Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo.

The Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, is the largest of its kind in Norway with approximately 150 employees engaged in research, teaching, curation and outreach in Botany, Mycology, Zoology, Paleontology and Geology.

Job description

The main objective of this PhD project is to investigate the underlying patterns and processes of the Ordovician Radiation, also known as the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE). The Ordovician (488.3 to 443.7 million years ago) was a period in the history of the biosphere that saw a very rapid diversification of many groups of fossilizable organisms. The temporal patterns of diversity changes seem to be in part unique across different groups of organisms and in different geographical regions, yet, there are also suggestions that globally operating agents may have contributed to this mother of all radiations. This controversy calls for both the reanalysis of existing data using better statistical tools as well as new collection of fossil and paleoenvironmental data aimed at answering specific questions, to boost existing knowledge.

This project will involve studying diversification dynamics in the deep past by combining data and insights from fresh field collections, museum collections, the literature and public databases. Depending on the past training and academic inclinations of the successful candidate, she/he may be involved in fieldwork in Ordovician outcrops, compiling existing data, and/or the development of statistical methodology for paleobiology. The successful candidate will join an actively growing Paleobiology and Macroevolution group at the University of Oslo and will be part of the scientific community at both the Natural History Museum and at the Department of Biosciences at the University of Oslo. The Natural History Museum in Oslo has a globally known, large collection of Ordovician fauna that will be crucial to the development of this project. Our research spans analytical paleontology, macroevolution, macroecology and the statistical tools in paleobiological research. This PhD position is in part funded by Norwegian Research Council grant to Lee Hsiang Liow, and in part by the Natural History Museum of Oslo. The successful candidate will also likely collaborate with Seth Finnegan (University of California, Berkeley), Melanie Hopkins (American Museum of Natural History), and Björn Kröger (University of Helsinki), as well as other colleagues at the Natural History Museum, Oslo and at the Department of Biosciences at the University of Oslo.

The application must include: 

• Application letter detailing why the candidate is suited for this fellowship
• A one page explanation of how a PhD in paleobiology will fit into the applicant’s career plan
• CV demonstrating experience relevant to the fellowship (summarizing education, positions and academic work, scientific publications and other relevant activities)
• Copies of educational certificates, transcript of records
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluating committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 referees (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments is to be delivered in our electronic recruiting system EasyCruit. Questions regarding EasyCruit: contact HR Officer Thomas Brånå (thomas.brana@nhm.uio.no).
 
Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. All documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

The University of Oslo has an agreement regarding acquisition of rights to work results for all employees, with the aim to secure rights to research results, etc.

The University of Oslo has a goal of recruiting more women in academic positions. Women are encouraged to apply. In accordance with the University of Oslo’s equal opportunities policy, we invite applications for all interested individuals regardless of sex or ethnicity. According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.