No deadline given
Monash U Australia/Graduate Position/Immediate start
A fully-funded Ph.D. position is available examining thermal adaptation in native Australian bees. Bees are keystone species in many ecosystems due to their role as pollinators. Any changes in the abundance and distribution of bees will have significant knock-on effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Despite their outsized ecological role, we know very little about climatic adaptation in bees, or even which climatic factors drive bee distributions.
In this project, we will use the rich and diverse Australian bee fauna to investigate the capacity of bees to adapt to climate change. Using field-based surveys of a bees thermal tolerances, comparative phylogenetic approaches and field reciprocal transplant experiments the project aims to: determine the role of temperature and rainfall in shaping the distribution of native bee species, predict the capacity of native bees to adapt to climate change and determine the role of environment and genetic variation in shaping population variation.
We are seeking a student who is highly motivated and passionate about evolutionary biology. Preferred candidates will have experience in evolution, ecology and thermal physiology, although experience in these areas is not necessary. There will be opportunities for the successful applicant to pursue their own scientific ideas within the aims of the project. The successful candidates will be supervised by Dr Vanessa Kellermann (Monash University) and Dr Ros Gloag (University of Sydney) and will be based at Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences.
The successful applicant will be awarded a scholarship that covers salary (current rate is $27,862 AUD tax-free per year), and a waiver of student fees, international students are welcome to apply.
Interested applicants should submit a CV, a copy of their academic transcript and a cover letter outlining their research interests to vanessa.kellermann@monash.edu and ros.gloag@sydney.edu.au. For links to the PhD application process at Monash University go to vanessakellermann.com.