PhD student position, spider evolutionary research

A doctorate student position is available in the EZ laboratory of Dr. Matjaž Kuntner at the Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Ljubljana, Slovenia (http://ezlab.zrc-sazu.si/). The PhD project will broadly deal with evolutionary research of orb weaving spiders at the interface of behavior and comparative biology, a precise focus depending on the candidate’s background and preferences. The candidate will work under a co-mentorship of Drs. M. Kuntner and Simona Kralj-Fišer and with a close collaboration with international partner research labs (http://ezlab.zrc-sazu.si/research).

The position is funded by a grant from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) to advisor, and will cover salary with benefits, tuition fees, and research costs. The fellowship is for 3.5 years, starting with the academic year 2014/15 and covers a standard EU doctoral study program. The student will be employed by the Institute, and will be a PhD candidate at one of the Slovenian universities, most likely the University of Ljubljana offering a Biosciences interdisciplinary doctoral program in English.

The candidate should have been awarded a Bachelor in Biological Sciences at the most five years prior to enrollment in the doctoral study, and have a minimum of 8.0 grade average on a 1 to 10 scale in the undergraduate records. The candidate needs to show proficiency in English, have research experience resulting in a published or accepted research paper, and a strong interest in spider evolutionary biology. Experience in the field, and in the morphological/behavioral/molecular lab are a bonus.

Interested applicants should send a single pdf file containing letter of intent, CV, and contact information for two referees to Matjaž Kuntner electronically (kuntnerATgmail.com) no later than 15 March 2014. A shortlist of candidates will subsequently be asked to supply full paperwork with two letters of recommendation by the specified referees. The final choice of the candidate will also depend on his/her acceptance within the university program.

17 February 2014