Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Evolutionary Ecology

The primary project objectives are to quantify selection and genetic variation underlying expression of diverse forms of seasonal migration versus residence, and to predict the implications for eco-evolutionary dynamics in seasonally mobile systems. This will be achieved using advanced statistical analyses of multi-year field data from a system of partially migratory European shags in Scotland.

The successful applicant will lead the development and application of statistical models to quantify spatio-temporal variation in selection acting on non-breeding season location, and hence on the form of seasonal migration versus residence. The post will suit an applicant with wide interests in utilising field data to address conceptual questions in ecology and/or evolutionary biology.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated interests in understanding population, behavioural and/or evolutionary ecology in wild populations, and in working at the interface between statistical and empirical advances. They will have strong quantitative skills, including advanced statistical analyses (which could include generalized linear mixed models, capture-mark-recapture analyses and/or Bayesian analyses, although further training will be provided). They will ideally have some experience of working on relevant topics, for example involving demography, evolutionary ecology, seasonal migration or other forms of movement or life-history variation in wild populations. They will have demonstrated abilities to work effectively as part of a collaborative research team, including excellent written and verbal communication skills. They will also be self-motivated and able to work independently on a day-to-day basis.

The post is part of a UK NERC Pushing the Frontiers research project, aiming to understand eco-evolutionary dynamics involving partial seasonal migration. It provides an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral researcher to contribute to major new attempts to predict such eco-evolutionary dynamics in nature.

The researcher will be based primarily in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK. There will be close working collaborations with researchers at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU, Norway) and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (Edinburgh, UK, Professor Francis Daunt), with opportunities for extended visits to these groups.