Job+Description+9


 * === Core job information === ||
 * Job Title: |||||||| Postgraduate Research Assistant (Early Stage Researcher, PhD position) ||
 * Dept./School: |||| University of Vienna, Max F. Perutz Labs || Section: || Quantitative Biology ||
 * Career Family: |||| Academic & Education (Research) || Grade: || Off-scale ||
 * Working hours: |||| Full time || Appointment period: || 3 years ||
 * Reports to (job title): |||| Prof for Mathematics and Biosciences || Current location: || Campus Vienna Biocenter ||
 * **Job purpose** (Why does the job exist? What is it there to achieve or deliver?) ||
 * To contribute to research investigations in collaboration with and under the supervision of Prof. Joachim Hermisson (supervisor) in order to realise the objectives and development of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network INTERCROSSING. ||
 * ==== **Knowledge, Skills & Experience** (work experience, qualifications, specialist training, key skills, disposition) ==== ||
 * |||| Requirements || Essential/Desirable ||
 * Qualifications |||| Undergraduate degree (qualifying for a PhD position) in a Biological Science, Mathematics, Physics, Bioinformatics or related subject providing a background in modelling
 * |||| Requirements || Essential/Desirable ||
 * Qualifications |||| Undergraduate degree (qualifying for a PhD position) in a Biological Science, Mathematics, Physics, Bioinformatics or related subject providing a background in modelling

English language qualification || Essential

Desirable || A. Genetics / Evolution B. Bioinformatics C. Biomathematics or statistical modelling || Experience of one field of B. or C. or equivalent: Essential. More than one: Desirable || 2. Desirable 3. Essential 4. Essential 5. Essential 6. Essential 7. Desirable 8. Essential 9. Essential 10. Essential || 12. Essential 13. Essential || 15. Essential ||
 * Experience |||| Experience in at least one of the following areas
 * Knowledge, skills & abilities |||| * 1. Knowledge of one of the above fields
 * 2. Knowledge of two or more
 * 3. Ability to maintain accurate and up to date records
 * 4. Understanding of the research process
 * 5. Ability to organise research within the project timetable
 * 6. Computer literacy
 * 7. Programming skills
 * 8. Good communication skills
 * 9. Analytical skills
 * 10. Knowledge of the English language (written and verbal) || 1. Essential
 * Attitude & disposition |||| * 11. Flexible and co-operative
 * 12. Self-motivated and hardworking
 * 13. Willingness to learn new skills and to fulfill all requirements for a PhD || 11. Essential
 * Other circumstances |||| * 14. Willingness to work flexibly in order to achieve project demands and targets
 * 15. Able to travel to workshops and for research collaboration in other EU countries || 14. Essential


 * ** Project and Working Environment ** ||
 * * Contribute towards a research programme on "Analysis of Genetic Linkage and Introgression" (a work package of the INTERCROSSING network with collaboration of the University of Vienna and the Natural History Museum London).
 * * Contribute towards a research programme on "Analysis of Genetic Linkage and Introgression" (a work package of the INTERCROSSING network with collaboration of the University of Vienna and the Natural History Museum London).

Hybrid zones are a fascinating study object from a population genetics perspective since they provide us prime examples of "evolution in action". As the two "species" that meet at a hybrid zone are not yet fully separated, several questions arise: Is a narrow hybrid zone is a natural first step towards full speciation? If so, how do the barriers to gene-flow build up along the chromosome? And how long does this take? Is there a lasting potential for adaptive gene-flow through these barriers -- and could adaptive gene-flow inhibit speciation? Finally, can we detect "footprints" of these processes in DNA sequence variation? In this project, we address these questions with a combination of analytical and statistical modelling, and application of these models to next-generation DNA polymorphism data. The core work of the Vienna PhD student will be the development of models and methods. A second student at the Natural History Museum London (see project 8) will approach similar questions from the empirical side. Data at the Museum comes, primarily, from about 400 populations from a bluebell hybrid zone across Spain. The analysis of these data will be a joint endeavor. To this end, a six-month placement of the Vienna PhD student in London is part of the project. Vice-versa, the NHM student will stay in Vienna for six months.
 * Project: **

Vienna is not only one of the world's most liveable cities, but also offers an excellent research environment and is currently developing into one of the main centers in evolutionary research in Europe. The position will be located at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories, part of the Vienna Biocenter Campus, which houses a vibrant community of researchers from several institutes. As a member of the MaBS group ([|www.mabs.at]), the student will also interact closely with Magnus Nordborg and members of his group, and will be part of a larger community of evolutionary biologists and population geneticists through the activities of the Vienna Graduate School for Population Genetics (http://www.popgen-vienna.at) and EvolVienna ([|www.evolVienna.at]). During the six-month placement at the Natural History Museum in London, the student will be able to explore a second top research site in Europe (with INTERCROSSING groups at the Museum and at the University of London) -- in yet another exciting city.
 * Research environment: **

For informal inquiries and further information, interested candidates are encouraged to contact Joachim Hermisson before submitting a formal application. In this case, please send a brief statement of interest and CV to joachim.hermisson[AT]univie.ac.at ||


 * This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up. Such duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the p ||