PhD student in Zoology

Stockholm University is a leading European university in Sweden’s dynamic capital city. The University has more than 33,000 students, 1,300 doctoral students and 5,500 staff members active within the natural sciences and humanities. Research and education at the Department of Zoology is located in the Arrhenius Laboratories, situated at the University Campus at Frescati. The Department of Zoology was founded in 1880 and has a long history of basic and applied research on animals. Research spans a broad range of subjects in animal biology, ranging from evolution to conservation, genomics to ecosystems, and nerve cells to behavior.

The Department of Zoology employs around 80 people in 17 research groups, including postdoctoral researchers and >20 PhD students. The research environment is characterized by its international focus and collaborative and stimulating working environment. The senior staff are both active researchers and teachers. They teach on many different courses that are part of biology education at both Bachelors and Masters level.

More information about us, please visit: the Department of Zoology.

Subject area

The Department of Zoology invites applications for a four-year PhD position focused on ‘Using artificial-intelligence-based image analysis to determine how animals shape pollen evolution’ led by Prof. John Fitzpatrick in close collaboration with co-investigators Dr. Allison Hsiang, Prof. Tanja Slotte, Prof. Catarina Rydin at Stockholm University.

Animals play a central role in plant reproduction. However, we know surprisingly little about how animals drive pollen evolution in flowering plants. This multidisciplinary project will combine artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and macroevolutionary analyses to investigate how changes in animal pollinators drive evolutionary divergence in pollen morphology. The thesis work will focus on developing novel AI-based tools for integrating and quantifying pollen morphology, and using macro-evolutionary comparative analyses to determine how different animal pollinators (i.e., insects, birds, mammals) influence the evolution of pollen size and shape. The work will involve high-resolution image acquisition, AI-based morphology analyses, and analyses within a phylogenetic framework spanning the flowering plant tree of life. The project is funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, the general syllabus for doctoral studies in the field of Zoology stipulates that applicants must have completed at least 120 higher education credits in biology, and at least 30 credits from a degree project within Zoology, Evolutionary Biology, Behavioural Ecology, Plant Ecology, or a related subject.

Applicants who have in principle acquired the corresponding competence in Sweden or in another country are also qualified. Therefore, applications from students who were educated outside of Sweden are also encouraged.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• documented knowledge of the theory and application in relevant fields of research, including evolutionary biology and related subjects 
• documented experience with coding, programming and other computational skills
• capacity for analytical and creative thinking
• initiative
• independence
• ability to collaborate and work in a team
• excellent written and oral proficiency in English.

Documented experience in the use of AI-based analyses and/or phylogenetic analyses are considered a strong merit but not a requirement for the position. Documented programming experience in Python is a merit but not required. Documented training in animal-plant interactions and/or experience working with gamete evolution is a merit but not required. Special emphasis will be placed on personal suitability and competence for the project.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact the principal investigator for this project, Professor John Fitzpatrick, john.fitzpatrick@zoologi.su.se, or the Head of Department, Professor Niclas Kolm, niclas.kolm@zoologi.su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.