PhD student in behavioural disease ecology

The Department of Zoology is one of the oldest departments at Stockholm University with a long history of basic and applied animal research, from arthropods to large mammals. The Department is a dynamic research environment and consists of c. 80 employees, including permanent professors, researchers, PhD students, and administrative staff. There are several groups working on fish ecology, evolution, and behaviour, as well as population genetics and evolutionary genomics..
More information about us, please visit: the Department of Zoology.

Project description

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student to join an international research project led by Jessica Stephenson that examines the role of sexual selection in epidemics. We will use the guppy Poecilia reticulata and its gyrodactylid parasites.

Sexual selection has two intuitive but overlooked implications for epidemics. First, infectious diseases spread when individuals contact each other. Reproduction is a major driver of contact: mate preferences should affect who contacts whom, and thus parasite transmission opportunity. Sexual selection research shows that choosers prefer mates with high quality ornaments, which generally indicate parasite resistance, but the predicted epidemiological consequence of such contact with more resistant individuals – that transmission slows – is untested. Second, choosers selecting mates that resist parasite infection may benefit indirectly as this increases the parasite resistance of their offspring. If choosers consistently produce offspring with the most genetically resistant mates, population-level parasite resistance should increase through generations: again, untested. The guppy-gyrodactylid system represents a unique opportunity to test these ideas.

This PhD project will use data from existing experimental epidemics, artificial selection lines of guppies, AI-assisted behavioural tracking, mathematical modelling, and laboratory experiments to examine whether and how female preference drives epidemic dynamics. The student will take a leading role in experimental work, data collection, quantitative analyses, and will contribute to international collaborations. This PhD provides broad training in experimental design, animal behaviour, evolutionary theory, advanced data analysis, and scientific writing. You can learn more about our research and the lab environment here: https://stephensonlab.com/

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.

For specific entry requirements to be admitted to a doctoral program in zoology, the applicant must have passed courses worth at least 120 credits in biology, or equivalent, and have completed an independent project in biology, or equivalent, worth at least 30 credits, at advanced level, with passing results. Exceptions to special eligibility may be made.

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 in a relevant field of research
capacity for analytical and creative thinking
initiative
independence
ability to collaborate
written and oral proficiency in both Swedish and English.

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 Jessica Stephenson, jess.stephenson@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.