Best Biology PhD in the world: The function of reef fish colour patterns: how did the coral trout get its spots?
Ok, you didn’t get the ‘Best Job In The World’ (www.islandreefjob.com), which involved snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, living for weeks on remote tropical islands, and spending hours watching brightly coloured reef fish. So, why not come to The University of Queensland and do all that, and get a PhD?
We are looking for 1‐2 outstanding PhD candidates to work on a project investigating the evolution and function of reef fish colour patterns.
Students will be based at The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, in the Queensland Brain Institute and work in collaboration with researchers in the School of Biological Sciences, UQ and at the University of Bristol, UK. Supervisors will be Prof. Justin Marshall, Dr. Karen Cheney, Dr. Shelby Temple and/or Prof. Tom Cribb.
Applicants should have interests and preferably experience in neuroethology, neurobiology, sensory biology, fish behaviour, evolution of visual signals, and/or animal communication mechanisms. The PhD will include behavioural experiments, field observations, field spectrophotometry, retinal anatomy and/or microspectrophotometry.
The ideal candidate would be a qualified SCUBA diver, have experience in the field, and be prepared to spend time at field stations, such as Lizard Island (http://australianmuseum.net.au/Lizard‐Island‐Research‐Station) and Heron Island (http://www.science.uq.edu.au/facilities/heron‐island).
Prospective students will be expected to secure either an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA; for Australian citizens) OR an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS; International students). Note that to be competitive for an IPRS at least one publication, preferably as first author, may be required. For information on these awards go to: http://www.uq.edu.au/grad‐school/
This PhD will provide excellent scope for integrative research, for unique skill acquisition, as well as for personal development. For further information please contact Karen Cheney: k.cheney@uq.edu.au or Shelby Temple (Shelby.Temple@bristol.ac.uk )
To apply, please send a C.V. and covering letter outlining past research experience to Karen Cheney: k.cheney@uq.edu.au. Deadline is 15th April, 2011.
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Prof Justin Marshall
Sensory Neurobiology Group
Queensland Brain Institute
University of Queensland
St Lucia
Brisbane
Queensland 4072
AUSTRALIA
ph - +61 (0)7 33651397
fax - +61 (0)7 33654522
mob - 0423 024162 (Prawns in Space, Deep Australia)
Marshall lab Website: www.uq.edu.au/ecovis
CoralWatch website: www.coralwatch.org