*PhD position – functional diversity of Lake Baikal phytoplankton*
We seek a PhD student to investigate functional diversity of endemic and cosmopolitan phytoplankton in Lake Baikal, Siberia within the new multi-institutional NSF project* Dimensions of Biodiversity: Lake Baikal responses to global change: the role of genetic, functional and taxonomic diversity in the plankton*. Lake Baikal is the oldest, largest by volume and most diverse lake on Earth and is undergoing rapid warming.The main goal of the project is to determine whether endemic plankton have enough genetic and functional diversity to help them adapt to and persist in the changing climate or whether they will be replaced by more warm-adapted cosmopolitan plankton, with significant consequences for the entire ecosystem.
The PhD student will be based at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) of Michigan State University working under the supervision of Elena Litchman and collaborating with faculty and students at the University of Texas-Austin, Wellesley College, University of California-Santa Barbara, East Tennessee State University and Irkutsk State University. The student will conduct experiments and field work at Lake Baikal and in the lab in Michigan to assess key functional traits in common endemic and cosmopolitan phytoplankton.
The deadline for application is December 1, 2011 but late applications may be considered. Contact Elena Litchman (litch...@msu.edu <mailto:litch...@msu.edu>) for more information on the position and the application process.
For a project abstract, see: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=1136710
