What do we offer? We offer a PhD position starting on December 2018-January 2019.
To do what? We
are looking for a PhD student interested in studying the evolutionary
factors modulating the intensity of male-male competition and sexual
conflict, and its consequences in terms of population viability. Strong
sexual selection can improve population viability and evolvability
through a number of processes, such as genic capture. However, strong
sexual selection will also often give rise to sexual conflict and female
harm, which does not only tend to deviate females from their
evolutionary optima, but can drastically affect population viability,
leading to a “reproductive tragedy of the commons”. We are still far
from understanding what factors modulate the evolution of female harm
levels, and sexual conflict at large, and how this feeds back into
population viability. Our
on-going research aims to contribute to fill these gaps in knowledge by
investigating factors potentially modulating the evolution of sexual
conflict. This PhD will explore the role of different ecological and
demographic factors (e.g. temperature, population density and structure)
affect male-male competition levels and the potential for sexual
conflict, mainly in Drosophila melanogaster. The
research project involves behavioural experiments in the lab,
experimental evolution, and considerable fieldwork in Spain, the USA and
Australia.
Funding We offer funding for 3 yrs, but applicants will be expected to apply for independent PhD fellowships.
Where? The
student will be supervised by Dr. Pau Carazo, and based at the
Behaviour and Evolution group of the Ethology Lab, at the Cavanilles
institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (University of
Valencia, Spain). For information about our group visit our website (http://paucarazo.com).
Who? We
are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic, hard-working candidate with
some background (and a strong interest) in sexual selection, and
evolutionary biology and animal behaviour at large.
Contact For further information and expressions of interest, please contact Pau Carazo (University of Valencia; pau.carazo@uv.es). The deadline for applications is the 10th November.