University of Oslo Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology, Norway

University of Oslo Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology

A three year position as postdoctoral research fellow available available at Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences.

The position is available from 1 September, 2016. Within the framework of the position duties may be assigned. No one can be appointed for more than one specified period at the same institution.

The Postdoctoral fellow will be part a large-scale international project (Size-dependent anthropogenic perturbations – from genes to ecosystems and back) financed by the Norwegian Research Council in which we will map individual variation in life history (somatic growth and maturation) and behaviour (food intake and risk-taking foraging) onto gene expression profiles. In parallel, we will measure the cascading effects of medaka Oryzias latipes body-size evolution into pond food webs, and examine how these cascading effects alter the natural selective forces that act back on medaka phenotypes.

The position will be affiliated to CEES, a national centre of excellence (CoE), situated at the Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo. The appointment is for a period of three years, where the first year will be situated in Paris, France. The successful candidate will integrate an outstanding international research consortium gathering ecologists, molecular physiologists, bioinformaticians and geneticists in Norway and France: the Weltzien lab at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences , the Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris at Université Pierre et Marie Curie, and the Laboratory for Evolution, Genomes, Behaviour and Ecology of CNRS in Gif sur Yvette.

Project description

Adaptive evolution is driven both by selective forces and trait genetic architectures (evolvability). Additionally, selection itself may alter trait evolvability and simultaneously reshape the adaptive landscape that acts back on phenotypes through so-called eco-evolutionary feedback loops. Integrating this whole suite of gene-to-ecosystem processes into a coherent framework is a major next step in biology. However, to date, this framework remains largely theoretical. The goal of the 3-year postdoc project is to understand whether and how genetic architectures constrain response to selection acting on body size in the medaka. We have been conducting a bi-directional selection experiment during 8 generations. Preliminary results suggest that medaka can evolve larger, but not smaller, body sizes. Additionally, selection on body size induces a response in correlated traits (size at maturity, body shape, behavior). The postdoc will have to manage in parallel (i) continuation of the selection experiment for further 4 generations, (ii) develop and improve phenotyping protocols on the selected lines, and (iii) analyze and model the collected data.

Qualifications

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Applicants must hold a PhD-degree (or other corresponding education equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree) and document solid experience in evolutionary biology. The candidate will work in close collaboration with the rest of the project team and it is expected that the candidate will stay for at least the first year with the collaborating institutions in France.

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral candidate that will be able to manage in parallel the continuation and improvement of the selection experiment, data analysis and modeling, and publication of articles in high-ranking journals. Experience with lab-work, data analysis (R programming language and statistical modeling), and in handling pedigree and quantitative genetics data is particularly appreciated.

The main purpose of post-doctoral research fellowships is to qualify researchers for work in top academic positions within their disciplines.

Please also refer to the regulations pertaining to the conditions of employment for post-doctoral fellowship positions:

http://www.uio.no/english/about/regulations/personnel/academic/regulations-employment-conditions-postdoc.html

A good command of English is required.

Salary

Position code 1352, Pay Grade: 57 – 65 (NOK 483 700 – 560 700 per year, depending on qualifications and seniority).

The application must include:

Application letter including a statement of interest, briefly summarizing your scientific work and interest and describing how you fit the description of the person we seek
CV(summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience andother qualifying activity)
Copies of educational certificates and transcript of records
A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

Please remember that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language.

In accordance with the University of Oslo’s equal opportunities policy, we invite applications from all interested individuals regardless of gender or ethnicity.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to e.g. secure rights to research results.