6 PhD Positions at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research - iDiv in Leipzig, Germany

iDiv is one of the seven National Research Centres funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It is located in the city of Leipzig and jointly hosted by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), the University of Leipzig (UL), and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). It is supported by the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association, the Klaus Tschira Foundation and the Free State of Saxony. One of the central missions of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research is the promotion of theory-driven synthesis and data-driven theory in biodiversity sciences. The concept of iDiv encompasses the detection of biodiversity, understanding its emergence, exploring its consequences for ecosystem functions and services, and developing strategies to safeguard biodiversity under global change.

Outstanding students of all nationalities are invited to apply for doctoral fellowships on:

•   Importance of mutualistic interactions for current and future patterns of plant and bird diversity in the tropical Andes
•   Ecological Modelling of Genetic Diversity in Plant Communities
•   Apiculture and the pollinator decline: A model for pathogen driven biodiversity risks
•   Mapping genetic and species diversity of pollinators to the ecosystem service of pollination across changing landscapes
•   Accelerated Evolution in Chromosomal Rearrangements and Speciation in Lacertid Lizards
•   Plant Physiology/Biospectroscopy

In the active research environment of iDiv, PhD students will be embedded in the Young Biodiversity Research Training Group (yDiv). Its goal is to educate a new generation of scientists in transdisciplinary biodiversity research, who will have gained expertise both in experimental as well as theoretical fields of research. Fellows will attend lectures and seminars on a broad range of topics in the field of biodiversity science and conduct their research in a modern, international and integrative working environment. The working language is English.
Each doctoral fellow receives individual supervision and mentoring and is guided in her/his research work by a PhD advisory committee.

Application: We promote a research environment free of gender bias. Severely disabled persons are encouraged to apply and are preferred in the case of equal suitability. Applicants should hold a MSc or equivalent degree in biology or a related discipline. Applications are in English and should be sent before January 18, 2013. A detailed description of each position and the respective application address can be found under  www.idiv-biodiversity.de