A two-year postdoc is available on August 1, 2018 for an innovative and motivated person to work on the adaptation of Pachyrhynchus weevils or the speciation of endemic Psolodesmus damselflies.
Project: The position is funded by the MOST (Ministry of Science & Technology, Taiwan) grants focused on testing hypotheses about the adaptation of aposematic colors in Pachyrhynchus weevils and the process of species formation in two subspecies of Psolodesmus damselflies. 1. Aposematism of Weevils Pachyrhynchus weevils are a group of brilliant, metallic-colored weevils distributed in the Old World tropics. Recent studies showed that the conspicuous colouration of these weevils function as effective warning signals for their hard bodies to prevent predacious pursuit by lizards. We are interested in studying the adaptation, evolution, and spatio-temporal dynamics of interactions between vertebrate predators and aposematic prey using these weevils. Related articles: Wang, L-Y., W-S. Huang, H-C. Tang, L-C. Huang and C-P. Lin* (2018) Too hard to swallow: A secret secondary defence of an aposematic insect. Journal of Experimental Biology 221. Tseng, H-Y., W-S. Huang, M-L. Jeng, R.J.T. Villanueva, O.M. Nuñeza and C-P. Lin* (2018) Complex inter-island colonization and peripatric founder speciation promote diversification of flightless Pachyrhynchus weevils in the Taiwan-Luzon volcanic belt. Journal of Biogeography 45: 89–100. Chen, Y-T., H-Y. Tseng, M-L. Jeng, Y-C. Su, W-S. Huang and C-P. Lin* (2017) Integrated species delimitation and conservation implications of an endangered weevil Pachyrhynchus sonani (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Green and Orchid Islands of Taiwan. Systematic Entomology 42: 796– 813. Tseng, H-Y., C-P. Lin*, J-Y Hsu, D.A. Pike and W-S. Huang* (2014) The functional significance of aposematic signals: geographic variation in the responses of widespread lizard predators to colourful invertebrate prey. PLoS ONE 9(3):e91777. 2. Damselfly Speciation We focus on a damselfly species, Psolodesmus mandarinus, with two subspecies differ in their distribution and wing pigmentations in Taiwan. It provides a great opportunity to evaluate the relative importance of natural and sexual selection in damselfly divergence. The project will incorporate a wide range of techniques, including a whole-island field survey, behavioural studies, manipulation experiments, population genetics and genomic analysis to investigate the divergence in damselflies. A description of the research project: https://sites.google.com/site/yuhsunhsu/research?pli=1 Requirement: 1. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for either leading a hypothesis-driven field/laboratory experiment, or the analyses of genomic-scale DNA sequence data sets. The applicant is also encouraged to develop an independent project based on applicant's expertise and the study systems. 2. The successful applicant must have demonstrated expertise in behavioral ecology, population genetics, phylogenetics, genomics, or computational statistics. 3. Preference will be given to candidates with: (1) Background in behavioral ecology studies, (2) Experience of high performance computing, (3) The ability to develop and apply statistical or computational methods to solve biological problems, (4) Expertise in research on adaptation, speciation, theoretical models of evolution, or trait divergence. Application: To apply, please contact Chung-Ping Lin by email (treehop...@ntnu.edu.tw), and attach a single PDF file containing: 1) a cover letter, 2) a CV, 3) a brief 2-page statement of research interests, and how your skills can contribute to project objectives, and 4) contact information for three references. Salary & Deadline: The position will be available from 2018/08 to 2020/07. Start date is flexible. Funding is available for at least 2 year with a potential extension of 3 years, pending on the performance and funding. A monthly post-doc salary of about $55,000 NTD ($1,900 USD) will be offered, including retirement plan, health benefits, and a year-ending bonus of 1.5- month salary. The average living cost in Taiwan is about 1/2 of that in the USA. The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. More information: Chung Ping Lin's lab: http://web.ntnu.edu.tw/~treehopper/
