Two 4-year PhD positions in Evolutionary and Theoretical Community Ecology
Two 4-year PhD positions in Evolutionary and Theoretical
Community Ecology
What? 2 PhD positions (4 years)
When? Positions need to be filled in 2008
Where? Community and Conservation Ecology Group (Dr. Rampal S. Etienne),
Center of Evolutionary and Ecological Studies (CEES), University of
Groningen, The Netherlands
“Throw up a handful of feathers, and all must fall to the ground according
to definite laws; but how simple is this problem compared to the action and
reaction of the innumerable plants and animals which have determined, in
the course of centuries, the proportional numbers and kinds of trees now
growing on the old Indian ruins!”
This exclamation by Darwin in his famous book on the origin of species
still rings very true today: while physicists have discovered laws
governing the tiniest particles and the largest stellar objects, biologists
are still struggling to understand how species are formed (speciation) and
how they coexist. Some have tried to explain the emergence of new species,
but stopped short of studying what this means for the biodiversity patterns
that we observe today, such as how the abundances of species differ between
species, how the numbers of species vary over spatial distances, and how
the relatedness of species varies with their abundance and spatial
location. Others have studied how such patterns are maintained, but they
did not study the processes that formed the basic components of these
patterns. This project will be aimed at completing the full circle:
(A) With theoretical models we will study how speciation gives rise to
biodiversity patterns and how these patterns in turn influence speciation.
(B) We will confront the models to biodiversity data sets, (being)
collected in our group. In this synthetic evolutionary-ecological framework
the relative contributions to biodiversity in an ecological community of
(1) species’ functions (traits) and interactions, of (2) the common
evolutionary history (phylogeny) of species, and of (3) birth, death and
dispersal/migration of individuals will be identified.
The positions are part of an NWO-VIDI grant awarded to Dr. Rampal Etienne.
More detailed information on subprojects is available on request.
We offer: Two PhD scholarships for a period of 4 years. Within this
period, the work should lead to a PhD thesis and a PhD defense at the
University of Groningen. The scholarship is approximately € 1422 per
month.
We look for: Quantitative evolutionary biologists / (community)
ecologists, or a biology-minded mathematicians or physicists.
We require: Expertise in theoretical/mathematical modelling and/or data
analysis. Excellent communication skills with good command of oral and
written English.
We encourage: Exciting ideas within the general framework of the project.
Although the emphasis of the research will be on theoretical work,
empirical (field or lab) work is also possible, if strengthening the
project.
For direct applications (including a letter of motivation, a description of
previous relevant research experience, CV with list of any publications,
full contact information of 2 references) or further information, please
contact Dr. Rampal S. Etienne (r.s.etienne at rug.nl).
Community Ecology
What? 2 PhD positions (4 years)
When? Positions need to be filled in 2008
Where? Community and Conservation Ecology Group (Dr. Rampal S. Etienne),
Center of Evolutionary and Ecological Studies (CEES), University of
Groningen, The Netherlands
“Throw up a handful of feathers, and all must fall to the ground according
to definite laws; but how simple is this problem compared to the action and
reaction of the innumerable plants and animals which have determined, in
the course of centuries, the proportional numbers and kinds of trees now
growing on the old Indian ruins!”
This exclamation by Darwin in his famous book on the origin of species
still rings very true today: while physicists have discovered laws
governing the tiniest particles and the largest stellar objects, biologists
are still struggling to understand how species are formed (speciation) and
how they coexist. Some have tried to explain the emergence of new species,
but stopped short of studying what this means for the biodiversity patterns
that we observe today, such as how the abundances of species differ between
species, how the numbers of species vary over spatial distances, and how
the relatedness of species varies with their abundance and spatial
location. Others have studied how such patterns are maintained, but they
did not study the processes that formed the basic components of these
patterns. This project will be aimed at completing the full circle:
(A) With theoretical models we will study how speciation gives rise to
biodiversity patterns and how these patterns in turn influence speciation.
(B) We will confront the models to biodiversity data sets, (being)
collected in our group. In this synthetic evolutionary-ecological framework
the relative contributions to biodiversity in an ecological community of
(1) species’ functions (traits) and interactions, of (2) the common
evolutionary history (phylogeny) of species, and of (3) birth, death and
dispersal/migration of individuals will be identified.
The positions are part of an NWO-VIDI grant awarded to Dr. Rampal Etienne.
More detailed information on subprojects is available on request.
We offer: Two PhD scholarships for a period of 4 years. Within this
period, the work should lead to a PhD thesis and a PhD defense at the
University of Groningen. The scholarship is approximately € 1422 per
month.
We look for: Quantitative evolutionary biologists / (community)
ecologists, or a biology-minded mathematicians or physicists.
We require: Expertise in theoretical/mathematical modelling and/or data
analysis. Excellent communication skills with good command of oral and
written English.
We encourage: Exciting ideas within the general framework of the project.
Although the emphasis of the research will be on theoretical work,
empirical (field or lab) work is also possible, if strengthening the
project.
For direct applications (including a letter of motivation, a description of
previous relevant research experience, CV with list of any publications,
full contact information of 2 references) or further information, please
contact Dr. Rampal S. Etienne (r.s.etienne at rug.nl).