Dear Marmam subscribers, A fully-funded PhD position is available in a project integrating functional genomics and 3D skull shape modelling of bottlenose dolphins globally. The project is led by Dr Andre E. Moura at the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, whose research group is focused on cetacean ecology and evolution. The research group is based at the Research Station of the Museum and Institute of Zoology (MIZ), Polish Academy of Sciences in Gdańsk – Górki Wschodnie. The successful candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student in the Bioplanet Doctoral School of the Polish Academy of Sciences, with starting date of October 1st 2020 (application to the Doctoral School is required, and attendance of the required oral entry exam). A tax-free stipend is available for the 4 years of the PhD and is not extendible. The stipend is sufficient to cover life expenses of a single person and ensures a good standard of life in Poland. The School does not charge tuition fees, and includes mandatory and optional classes for PhD students, which are run in English. Travelling from Gdańsk to Warsaw will be required to attend the classes. The project involves collaboration with international institutions, including the Smithsonian Museum (Washington, USA) and the National Museum for Nature and Science (Tokyo, Japan), and will likely require travelling to museums worldwide for data collection (funding is provided). This includes a 3 month stay in Japan for data collection and learning of 3D modelling techniques (will require funding application to relevant scheme). We are mindful that travelling might be disturbed under the current Covid19 situation, and any decisions regarding travelling for this project will take the situation into account as it develops. How to Apply: A list of the required qualifications/skills can be found at the end of this email. To apply an email message with the subject “Application for PhD position in dolphin evolutionary ecology” should be sent to avmoura@miiz.waw.pl no later than 03/07/2020, and including the following documents: 1. Copy of the master's or bachelor's certificate if the master's degree is still ongoing. 2. Curriculum vitae including the publication list, with the following statement provided at the end and signed: “I give my consent to the processing of personal data provided in my application documents by the Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS for the purpose of the recruitment process, pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act of 10 May 2018 (Journal of Laws 2018, item 1000) and in agreement with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation; L 119 from 04.05.2016)”. Applications that do not include this statement won't be considered. 3. Motivation letter (maximum one page) 4. If available, a copy of one research paper to be evaluated in the recruitment process. If this is not available, a copy of undergraduate or Master thesis is acceptable. 5. Contact details of two persons who can be contacted for references. The interviews of shortlisted candidates will take place in early July, and will be held by teleconference (Skype, Zoom, etc.). Interviews in person at the Research Station in Gdańsk – Górki Wschodnie are possible, but only if it is logistically feasible and safe to do so. Informal inquiries can also be addressed to Andre Moura. Requirements Candidates can have a background in biology, zoology, bioinformatics, or related fields. The candidate must have a master's degree completed at the time of registration at the doctoral school. Authorship in peer-review publications as a first author is highly valued. The following essential criteria must be met: 1. Masters degree in biology or other relevant fields 2. Self-motivated character 3. Willingness to learn new methodologies 4. Highly organised and capable of independent work 5. Willingness to travel during the PhD studies 6. Ability to communicate with a multi-disciplinary team; In addition, the following criteria will be favoured: 7. First authorship in peer-review publications 8. Experience with morphological analyses 9. Experience with genetic analyses 10. Knowledge of cetacean biology 11. Experience working in an international team. Research environment The research at the MIZ is focused on a broad range of themes in animal biology, including systematics, biogeography, evolutionary biology, ecology and population genetics. Andre Moura’s research group is part of the Laboratory of the Molecular and Biometric Techniques led by Prof. Wieslaw Bogdanowicz, grouping researchers focused on population genetics, phylogeography and evolutionary genomics of a broad range of animal taxa. MIZ laboratories contain modern equipment for genomic analyses, including Pacific Biosciences RSII long-read sequencer and Illumina MiSeq System. The state-of-the-art ancient DNA laboratory carries out work on mammalian palaeogenetics. The Museum’s zoological collection is among the largest and most valuable in Europe.