Postdoctoral Fellow (Zoology)

Postdoctoral Fellow (Zoology)-2301977

 

DIVISION OF SCIENCES - TE ROHE A AHIKAROA
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY - TE TARI MĀTAI KARAREHE

Who we are/Mō te tīma

The Department of Zoology has a strong international reputation in whole-organism biology, with research strengths in areas including conservation biology, genetics, evolutionary parasitology, environmental physiology, wildlife management, neurobiology and statistical modeling, as well as in molecular, functional, population, community, freshwater and behavioural ecology.  

We have well-established links to the Departments of Botany and Marine Science, to the cross-disciplinary Ecology, Genetics and Neuroscience Programmes, and to other centres at the University of Otago, providing a collaborative environment and resources for innovative interdisciplinary research.

Our staff have international reputations in their areas of expertise and make major contributions to answering fundamental questions in basic and applied research.

The role/Te mahi

As a Postdoctoral Fellow, you will work on a Marsden Fund project that aims to disentangle competing sources of morphological variation in the fossil record. Preliminary evidence suggests that variation within species is often mistaken for variation between species, perhaps leading to taxonomic oversplitting and inflated estimates of biodiversity and speciation/extinction. The Postdoctoral Fellow will test this overarching hypothesis by applying a novel combination of geometric morphometrics and palaeo-genetics to contemporary and fossil specimens of geckos and skinks from New Zealand and New Caledonia. The outcomes of this research will have important implications for taxonomy, palaeontology, and conservation. 

You will be located in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, which has a dedicated ancient DNA laboratory, a modern genetics laboratory, and access to high-throughput sequencing and 3D micro-CT scanners on campus and across Australasia. The department has a large, vibrant and diverse research environment with opportunities for collaboration across numerous scientific fields including ecology, evolutionary genetics, neurobiology, parasitology, physiology, and zoology.

As part of the Marsden Fund project, you will be part of an internationally collaborative team including a PhD and MSc student, and researchers and museums from New Zealand, Australia, New Caledonia, the UK, and the USA.

Your skills and experience/Kā pūkeka me kā wheako

•    PhD or equivalent doctorate in appropriate field.
•    Experience in the following:
     o    Ancient DNA (DNA extraction, single and double stranded library preparation, quantitative PCR, hybridisation capture enrichment of mitogenomes and nuclear DNA)
     o    Different high-throughput sequencing platforms
     o    Bioinformatic analysis of high throughput sequencing data (enriched and shotgun), especially ancient DNA
     o    Phylogenetic analysis (Bayesian [e.g. BEAST], maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony approaches, divergence dating) 
     o    Geometric morphometrics (3D micro-CT scanning, 2D and 3D photogrammetry, morphometric analysis in R).

Further details/Pūroko

This position is full time (1FTE) fixed term (three years) and located in Dunedin.

The annual salary for a Postdoctoral Fellow position is $86,210 per annum.

Specific enquiries may be directed to Associate Professor Nic Rawlence, via the contact details below.

Application/ Tono

To submit your application please click the apply button. Applications quoting reference number 2301977 will close on Thursday, 22 February 2024.

Additional Information

Contact: Associate Professor Nic Rawlence    Tel: +64 3 479 5385

Position details: Information Statement

Guidelines for Academic Positions: Guidelines

Further Information: Department Website

Create an email with a link to this vacancy: Create email

Location: About Dunedin

Primary Location
 NZL-SI-Dunedin
Employment Status
 Fixed Term 
Salary Level and Range
 Postdoctoral Fellow ($86,210)
Organisation
 Zoology
Job Function
 Research