PhD position in Pollinator-Plant Interactions

14.11.2022, Wissenschaftliches Personal

A position is available at the Plant-Insect Interactions group as part of the Department of Life Science Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Starting date is March 1st 2023. The position is fixed-term (36 months). Salary scale: TV-L 13, 65%. The position is limited to a time period deemed adequate for the completion of a doctoral degree. As part of the assigned duties, there will be ample opportunity to conduct the independent scientific research necessary for the completion of a doctorate. The limitation complies to § 2, 1 WissZeitVG.

Project description:
Within-species trait variation is important for natural selection and resilience. Floral traits (e.g. colour, display size, nectar quality etc.) are known to vary between plant individuals, which affects the interaction with pollinating insects. In this project, we want to investigate the role of intraspecific variation in floral traits for interactions between plants and pollinators and for pollination success (i.e. seed set) in grasslands differing in land-use intensity and management The successful applicant will conduct fieldwork as part of the Biodiversity Exploratories, NGS-based pollen analysis, spectral and morphological analyses, chemical analyses, and statistical as well as bioinformatic analyses.

Applications and further information:
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with passion for and experience in plant/insect research, and ideally with experience in fieldwork and molecular work. The project extends a close collaboration with Munich (A. Keller) and Groningen (C. J. van der Kooi). Please send any inquiries to Sara Leonhardt ([email protected]) and your application via eMail to Cornelia Wenske ([email protected]) as a single PDF document until 31st Dec 2022. Applications should include a cover letter, a short summary of research interests and experience, CV, list of publications, certificates, and contacts of two potential referees.

We require:
• Strong interest and motivation in conducting biodiversity research at different levels.
• MSc/Diplom (DE) in a field related to ecology (e.g. pollination ecology, chemical ecology, molecular ecology and / or bioinformatics).
• Strong experience with statistical data analyses.
• Experience in or willingness to learn bioinformatic data processing.
• Excellent command of English language (written & oral) and experience with scientific writing.
• Driver’s license valid in Germany and (ideally) access to a car for field work.

We offer:
• Friendly and inspiring working atmosphere in international ambitious young research work groups, as part of a vivid ecological department.
• Direct admission to Biodiversity Exploratories, a renowned large scale experiment maintained by a large group of internationally renowned scientists, associated PhD students and Postdocs.
• Free access to transferable skill and statistical courses as part of the TUM Graduate School and the Biodiversity Exploratories.

Salary & Conditions:
TUM strives to raise the proportion of women in its workforce and explicitly encourages applications from qualified women. Applications from disabled persons with essentially the same qualifications will be given preference. As part of your application, you provide personal data to the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Please view our privacy policy on collecting and processing personal data in the course of the application process pursuant to Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (GDPR) at https://portal.mytum.de/kompass/datenschutz/Bewerbung/. By submitting your application you confirm to have read and understood the data protection information provided by TUM. Find out more about us at www.tum.de

Data Protection Information:
When you apply for a position with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), you are submitting personal information. With regard to personal information, please take note of the Datenschutzhinweise gemäß Art. 13 Datenschutz-Grundverordnung (DSGVO) zur Erhebung und Verarbeitung von personenbezogenen Daten im Rahmen Ihrer Bewerbung. (data protection information on collecting and processing personal data contained in your application in accordance with Art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)). By submitting your application, you confirm that you have acknowledged the above data protection information of TUM.

Kontakt: [email protected] /[email protected]