The Schroeder lab at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany, member of the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology, is offering the fully-funded three-year PhD position
Evolution of social behaviors Project abstract Natural selection is expected to lead to good genes taking over a population, and thereby to deplete genetic variation in natural populations. Nevertheless, even traits closely correlated to fitness often show considerable genotypic and phenotypic variation. Social behavior like dominance behavior and parental care behavior can vary widely between individuals, and incur fitness consequences. There must therefore be mechanisms operating that result in genetic variation in social behavioral traits being preserved. Different social environments may select for different social traits. A PhD position is available to examine this hypothesis and the evolutionary consequences. We will analyze 12 years of data from a pedigreed, wild island population of house sparrows. We use focused experiments on captive sparrows in Germany to test our hypotheses generated from observations on the wild population. This project takes place in cooperation with the University of Sheffield. The fieldwork on scenic and remote Lundy Island (UK) will take place 4 months each summer, requiring an independent and committed individual. Applicants should have an interest in evolutionary biology. The successful applicant will participate in the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology, the PhD program of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen and Radolfzell and the University of Konstanz. All IMPRS students are supported by stipends or contracts. The program offers a dedicated teaching program, high quality research experience, and outstanding research facilities in an inspiring research and living environment. The working language is English. Each PhD student receives individual supervision and mentoring and is guided in her/his research work by a PhD advisory committee. Qualification Applicants should hold a MSc or equivalent degree in biology or a related discipline at the point of enrollment. Queries should be mailed to the IMPRS program office: im...@uni-konstanz.de Deadline for the application is January 15, 2013. Interviews are scheduled for Mid-March. The successful candidate is expected to start latest September 2013. The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunity employer. Application For the online application process visit www.orn.mpg.de/IMPRS More information at www.orn.mpg.de/IMPRS and www.facebook.com/OrganismalBiology
