A highly motivated postgraduate student is sought to join a project
exploring the shifts that occur in a mutualistic ant-plant network when
tropical rain forest is logged, fragmented, and converted to oil palm
plantation in Malaysian Borneo. The student will conduct field surveys
for ant-inhabited trees, measure ant and plant fitness correlates, and
perform experimental manipulations of the mutualistic communities, in
particular in relation to forest regeneration. The studentship will
provide the opportunity to collaborate with two cutting-edge large-scale
manipulations of tropical forests: 1. The Stability of Altered Forest
Ecosystems project (SAFE), the world’s largest rain forest fragmentation
experiment. 2. The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (SBE), a project
assessing the impacts of different diversities of tree planting on
ecosystem functioning. There will also be opportunities to develop the
project in a direction of the student’s own choosing. Duties will
include spending extensive periods of time in the field in Malaysian Borneo.
The successful applicant will join the Ant Research Group
(http://antscience.com/) at the Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre
Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, under the
supervision of Tom Fayle (http://www.tomfayle.com/index.htm). The
laboratory is a dynamic, multinational group studying ant ecology,
evolution and biogeography, and is embedded within the Department of
Ecology and Conservation Biology, a world-class centre for interaction
network research with regular publications in Science, Nature and other
leading journals. The deadline for applications is February 29th 2016,
with a start date of May 1st 2016. The student will receive a
scholarship from the University of South Bohemia and employment on an
ongoing grant for three years, sufficient to cover living expenses in
Czech Republic. Applicants from all countries are eligible.
Required
• A master’s degree (non-negotiable requirement for PhD study in
Czech Republic).
• Interest in the ecology of insects or plants.
• 1st or 2.1 undergraduate degree in ecology or related subject (or
equivalent).
• Enthusiasm for working in the field for extended periods of time in
challenging conditions in tropical rain forest.
• Ability to work independently.
• Experience in the use of ecological statistical analyses.
Desirable
• Previous experience of tropical field work.
• Research experience with plant or insect ecology.
• Experience of molecular laboratory work, specifically DNA barcoding
for species identifications.
To apply please send a CV, contact details for three references, and
cover letter stating qualifications, previous work and motivation to Tom
Fayle (tmfa...@gmail.com).
