Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Ecology in Rapidly Changing Environments

Introduction: 

Our global environment is changing rapidly, due to e.g. changes in land use, agricultural practices, urbanization and global warming. Recent research has revealed astonishing evolutionary dynamics in species living in these rapidly changing environments. Understanding how plasticity and evolutionary adaptation determine the level of resilience of such ‘anthropogenic’ ecosystems will help to meet the European biodiversity and climate goals. We seek to appoint an early career assistant professor for a tenure track in the area of Evolutionary Ecology in rapidly changing environments within the department of Evolutionary and Population Biology at IBED (see https://ibed.uva.nl/content/research-departments/epb/epb.html ). 

At IBED, we investigate how species relationships determine the structure and stability of biological communities, and how the integrity of these communities is influenced or compromised by processes such as species extinction, the introduction of non-native invaders, and the growth of harmful species. Within EPB, our research comprises fundamental and applied investigations at the level of individual variation, population genetics and community dynamics, to understand the process of speciation, the evolution of resistance, the evolution of endangered and invasive species, and evolution in the face of climate change. Specifically, we are working on evolutionary questions related to plant communities, plant-herbivore, herbivore-herbivore, predator-herbivore and host-pathogen interactions, both within and between species. 

We are looking for candidates that can complement the research program of the department of Evolutionary and Population Biology (EPB) at IBED, that covers a broad range of topics related to the eco-evolutionary dynamics of species interactions in challenging environments.  The ideal candidate will also strengthen collaborations between existing research lines within EPB as well as within IBED, and link fundamental research on evolutionary ecology with applied areas such as (urban) planning, nature conservation or pest management and values public engagement and outreach.  

As for education, the EPB Department is involved in the educational programs of the BSc-programs (i) Biology and (ii) Future Planet Studies, and the MSc-programs (i) Ecology and Evolution and (ii) Future Planet Ecosystem Science, and teaches courses in the fields of behavioral and physiological biology, (field) ecology, neurobiology and evolutionary biology, among others.  

What are you going to do

In the field of research you will, among other things, be involved in: 

• Pursue biological research within the area of your academic specialization, leading to publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and contributing to the development of a long-term research strategy of the research group, the department and the Institute. 

• Engage fully with the collaborative ethos of IBED, encouraging and fostering collaborations between academic colleagues of other departments within IBED, the University of Amsterdam and elsewhere in the Netherlands and abroad. 

• Obtain funding from national and international sources. 

Teaching responsibilities include: 

• Contribute to the educational programs of the BSc-programs Biology and Future Planet Studies, and the MSc-programs Ecology and Evolution and Future Planet Ecosystem Science. The time investment will grow to 30-40% of your time (including both lecturing and supervising students), but will be less in initial years of your appointment.

• Obtain a University Teaching Qualification (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO)) within two years.   

• Organize course(s) and develop modules in the field of Evolutionary Ecology. We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to fieldwork courses in the BSc-program Biology. 

• As our teaching programs are mostly research-based, we also expect the assistant professor to supervise BSc and MSc students in 2-6 month long research projects where students learn how to collect, analyze and store data and writing a literature thesis. 

The candidate is also expected to spend up to 10% of your time on organizational tasks within the institute, so that 50-60% of your time will be devoted to research by the end of the tenure track period.