A 4-year PhD position at University of Helsinki in resurrection ecology:

A 4-year PhD position at University of Helsinki in resurrection ecology: 

Reconstructing past responses of Eubosmina maritima to anthropogenic
environmental changes using the historical archives of the Baltic Sea
sediment.

A powerful way to reconstruct past responses of populations to human-induced
environmental changes is to use the information hidden in the sediment in
the form of dormant eggs and subfossils.  An investigation of how and why the
cladoceran zooplankton community has changed in response to human-induced
environmental change during the last century, using resurrection ecology,
paleolimnology and paleogenomics has been instrumental for researchers at University of Helsinki.

The PhD project will involve reconstructing past responses of Eubosmina
maritima to human-induced changes of the Baltic Sea, particularly to
eutrophication and changes in the fish fauna. Recorded phenotypic changes
will be related to environmental changes to determine whether the population
has been able to track changes in the environment. Reaction norm experiments
will be performed to investigate the degree of plasticity and the limits of
responses. The work will be complemented with genomic work carried out
within the research group. This will allow us to determine the genetic
underpinning of the phenotypic changes. A detailed research plans will be
developed and tailored to match your individual interests and strengths. The
work is done in collaboration with the research groups of prof. Dieter Ebert
at University of Basel and Dr Luisa Orsini at University of Birmingham.
English is the working language.

*Your role: Your work will include the retrieval and hatching of dormant
eggs of E. maritima from dated sediments of the Baltic Sea, the cultivation
of clonal lineages from these resurrected eggs, and the performance of
reaction norm experiments using the clonal lineages, to determine their
responses to blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. In addition, microfossils will
be measured to record phenotypic changes across time. Depending on your
interests and strengths, you can contribute to the genomic work. You will
work in close collaboration with two post-docs within the group, and
participate in the supervision of undergraduate students and assistants.

*Qualifications: You will have a Masters or equivalent degree in ecology or
evolutionary biology (or related fields), and a strong interest in the
research questions and a high motivation to pursue a PhD. Excellent written
and oral communication skills in English are required, as are the ability to
work efficiently, independently as well as in collaboration. 

*We offer: The salary will follow the demands level chart for teaching and
research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities, with a
salary component based on personal performance. All standard pension
benefits and occupational health care are provided for university employees.
For information on the University of Helsinki, please visit:
http://www.helsinki.fi/university/index.html

*Starting date:  1st of September 2014 or as agreed on.

*To apply:  Consideration of applications will begin on 15th of June 2014,
and will remain open until filled.  Please send your application with (1) a
statement of research interests and why you have applied for this position,
(2) your CV, (3) an authorized copy of your MSc degree (if available at time
of application, and (4) contact details of two references to Dr Ulrika
Candolin at ulrika.candolin@helsinki.fi

Feel free to address informal inquiries to: 

Ulrika Candolin
Phone:  +358-(0)2941-57800
Email:  ulrika.candolin@helsinki.fi
http://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/ucandoli

ulrika.candolin@helsinki.fi