Job 2: Early Stage Researcher ESR B4

Evolution

Institute/ Supervisor Giessen – Tom Wilke

Title 
Drivers of Pontocaspian biodiversity Rise and Demise: Molecular

evolution of Pontocaspian biota

Summary 
The Justus Liebig University Giessen is looking for prospective

candidates with a background in evolutionary biology and an interest

in interdisciplinary palaeontological and phylogenetic research in

the Pontocaspian region (Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Anatolia and

surroundings).

Description

The successful candidate will be employed as researcher without a

PhD and enrolled as PhD student to complete a PhD thesis within the

contract period of 3 years to reconstruct past evolutionary events

and diversity changes over ~2 Ma in several Pontocaspian species flocks

(e.g., lymnocardiine and dreissenid bivalves, pyrguline gastropods) using

genetic information from extant taxa combined with fossil occurrences as a

baseline for understanding the current species richness and distribution

patterns (biodiversity). Of interest are coalescent analyses based on

mt‐DNA data for reconstructing past demographic and spatial expansion

events, molecular clock analyses for timing past diversification events

and lineage‐through‐time (LTT) plots to test for deviations from a

constant speciation rate over time. The latter two approaches are based

on multi‐locus genetic datasets. The inferred evolutionary events will

be compared to major hydrological and climatic events of the Pontocaspian

derived from parallel projects to obtain an understanding of the biotic

and abiotic factors driving evolution in space and time. This project

will include a secondment at the Natural History Museum Grigore Antipa

in Bucharest (RU) for analyses of extant Black Sea taxa and a secondment

at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (NL) to study fossil mollusk

occurrences. The candidate will enroll in an extensive Network Training

Program.

Research Fields 
Evolution, phylogeny, phylogeography, paleontology,

Career Stage Early stage researcher or 04 yrs (Post graduate)

Research Profiles 
First Stage Researcher (R1)

Type of contract 
Temporary employment with the Federal State of

Hesse. Full time 40 hrs/wk

Salary a month/year
 A salary that matches the MSCAITN and local rules,

a monthly mobility allowance of 600, gross and a possible monthly

family allowance of 500, gross.

Benefits
 In accordance with Marie Sklodowska Curie Regulations

Information about the Marie Sklodowska Curie actions is available at

http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/

http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/aboutmsca/quickguide/index_en.htm

Financial and other technical information is available at

http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/aboutmsca/actions/itn/index_en.htm

www.pontocaspian.eu

Address details of workplace

Department of Animal Ecology and Systematics

Systematics and Biodiversity Group

Justus Liebig University Giessen

H.-Buff-Ring 26-32 (IFZ)

D-35392 Giessen, Germany

Specific demands from your country/ institute

Ability to work in an internationally oriented environment, including

fluency in EnglishÍžM.Sc. in relevant field

Applicants are invited to submit the following documents:

    Letter of application (max 2 pages);

    Resume (Curriculum vitae);

    The names, position and e-mail addresses of at least two persons

    that can be contacted for reference; List of publications, including

    submitted manuscripts or papers in press, if any; Transcript of BSc

    and MSc diploma.

The required documents should be submitted by email to

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  before 16 April 2015.