 |
IUSSI North-west European section
International Union for the Study of Social Insects |
| who's where | vacancies | INSECTSmail |
Vacancies
|
IUSSI North-west European section
International Union for the Study of Social Insects |
| who's where | vacancies | INSECTSmail |
Vacancies
Here you will find details of social insect related job vacancies, studentships and grants currently available. If you have any social insect related vacancies that you would like to have advertised here, please e-mail to INSECTS@bio.ku.dk. All advertisements must include either a closing date for applications, or a date on which they may be removed from the web site. This page was last modified on Thursday, May 30, 2024
Field Assistants: Insect Sociality, University of Exeter
No specific deadline given but apply as soon as possible, as fieldwork starts in June.
We seek multiple fieldwork assistants to help research how helping may have evolved using a wild digger wasp population (Ammophila) from early June until mid-end of August 2024.
The assistants will be working alongside a Postdoctoral researcher and several other field assistants at a nature reserve just outside of Guildford, Surrey, UK. A. pubescens is a non-social wasp which does not sting humans, and lays each egg in a separate burrow containing a paralysed caterpillar. The female wasp will provide further food items as her larvae grow, making the species an ideal system for testing how helping may have evolved. A couple of our previous papers on this system are: (1) Field & Brace (2004). Pre-social benefits of extended parental care. Nature 428: 650-652; (2) Field et al. (2023). Brood parasites that care: alternative nesting tactics in a subsocial wasp. American Naturalist 202(5): 655-666.
The fieldwork involves: observing and manipulating provisioning behaviour, handling and marking wasps, setting up video cameras, uploading video footage and data entry. In warm weather, this involves long days in the field! Because the work involves recording colour marks on individual animals, the job would not be suitable for someone who is colour-blind. See our research group website for more information about the kind of work we do (https://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Jeremy_Field).
Experience of conducting fieldwork (especially with insects) and a degree (or working towards a degree) in a Behaviour/Evolution/Ecology-related topic are desired. Flexibility around the start and end date of the assistant position is required. The successful applicants must have enthusiasm for fieldwork, and will obtain excellent experience of cutting-edge research.
Shared accommodation in Surrey is provided, but assistants are required to pay for their own food/personal expenses. Assistants receive £125 per week to help cover personal costs.
Please contact Lucy Winder l.winder2@exeter.ac.uk to discuss these positions further, attaching a CV.
Posted 26/5/2024
PhD Position: Molecular manipulation of host phenotype via regulatory interference, JGU, Mainz, Germany
Deadline for applications: 15 July 2024
Supervisor: Susanne Foitzik, Co-Supervisors: Peter Baumann, Joan Barau
Project Overview:
Explore the fascinating world of parasitic manipulation with a PhD project focusing on the molecular mechanisms used by the parasitic cestode Anomotaenia brevis to alter the phenotype of its ant host, Temnothorax nylanderi. This project investigates how the parasite interferes with host gene regulation through epigenetic processes, aiming to understand the transcriptional and epigenetic changes that lead to altered host behavior, physiology, and extended lifespan.
Key Techniques and Skills:
Qualifications:
Applicants should have a Master's or 4-year Bachelor's degree in biology, molecular biology, or bioinformatics. Knowledge of bioinformatics, molecular genetics, and evolutionary biology is important. Experience with social insect biology and parasitology is advantageous but not required.
Publications:
Seistrup et al., 2023 - Molecular Ecology; Hartke et al., 2023 - Molecular Ecology; Sistermans et al., 2023 - Molecular Ecology; Beros et al., 2021 - Royal Society Open Science; Beros et al., 2015 - Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Apply now to contribute to cutting-edge research on the molecular manipulation of host phenotypes by parasites!
This projects is part of the international PhD training program Gene regulation in Evolution https://www.genevo-rtg.de/. In GenEvo, scientists are working together on the core question of how complex and multi-layered gene regulatory systems have evolved. Experts in the field of molecular & evolutionary biology support & train our PhD students in their interdisciplinary research as well as their personal development. Offered position will be located at the Faculty of Biology of JGU in Mainz. All PhD students will become a member of the International PhD Programme (IPP). Mainz is a history lively city with a large student population, located at the river Rhine.
Application webpage: https://www.genevo-rtg.de/application
Registration deadline: 15 July 2024
Interviews: 9-10 September 2024
Starting date: 1 January 2025
Posted 26/5/2024
Vacancies will be advertised on this page until the closing date for applications, or, where no firm closing date is given, for a maximum of 3 months. If a position has been filled in the meantime, please let the webmaster know.
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