4-year PhD position in Evolutionary Biology

Project: Speciation mechanisms in oceanic island birds: linking phenotypic and genomic variation

PI: Borja Milá, MNCN-CSIC

About the project

We aim to understand the evolutionary mechanisms underlying incipient speciation in oceanic island birds, and we focus on (a) Inferring patterns of local adaptation and premating barriers to gene flow by measuring phenotypic variation in ecologically relevant fitness traits (morphology) and sexual signaling traits (plumage color and male song) across species, populations and habitats; (b) assessing the role of demographic parameters and estimating natal dispersal by combining field experiments and population genomic analysis; (c) inferring the role of inter-specific introgression using whole-genome resequencing data; and (d) associating adaptive phenotypic variation with specific regions of the genome to help reveal their genetic basis. We focus on two oceanic island systems, Fringilla chaffinches of Macaronesia, and Calypte hummingbirds and Haemorhous finches on Guadalupe Island in the Mexican Pacific.

What we offer

Four-year contract, including tuition fees and visits to international research institutes for further training.

Required qualifications

• Master’s degree in Biology (MSc)
• Advanced level of spoken and written English.
• Experience in bioinformatic analysis of genomic data preferred.
• Experience with statistical analysis in R environment preferred.
• Field experience working with birds preferred.

How to apply

• Send full CV and a letter of interest to b.mila@csic.es
• Application deadline: October 10^th.
• Contact by email ahead of deadline is strongly encouraged

---

Picture of Sumit Banga. Available in Unsplash