Graduate positions in ecological, evolutionary, and behavioral genetics and genomics
The Hughes lab at Florida State University (http://www.bio.fsu.edu/kahughes/Hughes_Lab_Home_Page.html <http://www.bio.fsu.edu/kahughes/Hughes_Lab_Home_Page.html>) is recruiting new graduate students in Fall 2017. The lab is broadly interested in evolutionary, ecological and behavioral genetics and genomics. Our goal is to understand how natural selection, mediated by the physical, biological, and social environment, interacts with other evolutionary processes to maintain genetic diversity in ecologically important traits. We want to know how much of the ubiquitous genetic diversity in natural populations is adaptive and how much is non-adaptive, and we are interested in the consequences of both kinds of variation for individuals, populations, and species. We work mainly with natural populations of poeciliid fish and fruit flies, but are open to students who wish to study other organisms. We use techniques that include field studies, lab and field experiments, and genetic, genomic and behavioral analysis. Students are encouraged to develop their own projects within this broad framework. Current student projects include investigating the interaction of inheritance and social environment in determining alternative male life histories in mollies, the genetic and genomic consequences of sexual selection and mate preference in guppies; genetic, social, and physiological modifiers of aggression and dominance in mosquitofish, and the genetics and evolution of immunity and aging in fruit flies. The Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program at FSU has a long history of excellence in student training and research (http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/eealumni.php <http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/eealumni.php>), and includes many faculty with overlapping interests at the interface of ecology, evolution, and genetics (http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/ <http://www.bio.fsu.edu/ee/>). Graduate students are provided with teaching or research assistantships which supply a stipend, and with tuition waivers and health insurance. FSU also offers competitive graduate Fellowships, which have an early deadline for application. The Tallahassee area is a hotspot for biodiversity and offers access to diverse habitats including terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Interested students should contact Kim Hughes (kahug...@bio.fsu.edu <mailto:kahug...@bio.fsu.edu>) prior to applying to the graduate program and to discuss application procedures. FSU is an equal opportunity employer. Kim Hughes Professor Department of Biological Science Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306 850-645-8553 kahug...@bio.fsu.edu <mailto:kahug...@bio.fsu.edu>
