Fully funded 4-year PhD studentship in
tardigrade evolution at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków
(Poland) in the team of Dr. Łukasz Michalczyk.
The main goal of the project is to
test how reproductive mode and cryptobiotic abilities affect
dispersal and, in consequence, speciation and extinction rates
in tardigrades. Tardigrades are a phylum of microinvertebrates
that dwell a wide variety of habitats throughout the globe.
They are famous for their cryptobiotic abilities that allow
them to withstand extreme conditions and are also thought to
aid dispersal of individual species. Moreover, tardigrades
exhibit a range of reproductive modes, including dioecy and
parthenogenesis. Theory predicts that both asexual
reproduction and cryptobiotic survival should increase
dispersal potential. On the other hand, differences in
dispersal abilities are hypothesised to affect speciation and
lineage extinction rates. Thus, tardigrades are an interesting
model to address some of the fundamental questions of modern
evolutionary biology, biogeography and taxonomy such as
mechanism underlying the evolution of biodiversity or
evolution of sex.
The successful candidate will be
involved in fieldwork (sample collection), sample extraction,
slide preparation, morphometrics and imaging in light
microscope, processing specimens for scanning electron
microscope, karyotyping, DNA extraction, amplification and
sequencing, species identification, and taking care of
tardigrade cultures. The student will also analyse data and
prepare drafts of manuscripts, and will be involved in the
promotion of results at seminars and conferences.
The PhD programme in Biology at the
Jagiellonian University is run entirely in English and
includes some obligatory and facultative classes. The
programme is open to all nationalities and there are no
tuition fees.
Depending on the achievements and
performance of the successful candidate, the tax-free monthly
stipend will vary from 4 000 to 7 000 PLN (typically, cost of
life in Kraków for a PhD student is ca. 2 500 PLN).
Deadline for applications is 20th May
2018.
