Belgium: PhD Student in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, The University of Antwerp

Belgium: PhD Student in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, The University of Antwerp
July 7, 2011 by info
Filed under: Belgium PhD, Belgium Scholarships, PhD Scholarships


PhD Student in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology, The University of Antwerp, Belgium

The University of Antwerp is seeking to fill the following vacancy (m/f) at the Department Biology-Ethology of the Faculty of Sciences: Ph.D. student in Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology

Job description:
Organisms interact with their environment and the environment has, as a consequence, also significant influences on them. This is particularly the case during ontogenetic development, and the same genotype can develop into a variety of phenotypes depending on the environmental circumstances in which it finds itself. Thus phenotypic development is a result of genotype, environment as well as their interplay – gene-environment interactions. Such phenotypic plasticity may enable adaptive responses to the early life environment, but may form a constraint in the long-term if the phenotypic changes appear to be irreversible. Yet, our understanding of the adaptive significance of phenotypic plasticity and phenotypic change is limited. The project aims to study the evolutionary ecology of phenotypic plasticity by integrating behaviour, physiology and endocrinology using avian species, both in the field (blue tit) and in the lab (canary); possible lines of research are:
Sources of variation in phenotypic plasticity and their functional consequences
Developmental responses to (anthropogenic) change and stress: grow now – pay later
Life-long consequences of (developmental) stress – the endocrine and epigenetic mechanisms that link early life experiences with behaviour and health in later life
Trans-generational effects: transmission and inheritance of phenotypic changes across three generations (spanning up to the grandchildren)
Maternal engineering and individual optimization by the offspring: appropriate developmental trajectories in response to environmental cues and changes

Further reading: Monaghan Phil Trans R Soc B 2008, Müller et al. Am Nat 2007

Profile and requirements:
-You hold a MSc degree in Biology or a related field
-You have experience with animal research
-You are interested in behavioural ecology and evolutionary ecology

We offer:
The possibility to join a dynamic group of researchers working on all four major aspects of animal behaviour: causation, development, function and evolution
Significant freedom to develop your own research interests
An initial 1-year contract, extendable for up to 4 years following a positive evaluation
The position should yield a Ph.D. degree of the University of Antwerp
The position will be available from October 2011 onwards

Interested?
Please send all application material including 1) your curriculum vitae 2) a brief (250 words) summary of your reasons for applying and 3) a letter of reference as single PDF-file to wendt.muller[ at ]ua.ac.be.

Closing date: 31.08.11.

Further information can be obtained from: Dr. Wendt Müller, wendt.muller[ at ]ua.ac.be, phone +32 32652292, see also http://www.ua.ac.be/wendt.muller

For further information, go to: http://infoscholarship.net