There are always opportunities for enthusiastic and motivated postgraduate students and postdoctoral research fellows and many opportunities exist to obtain stipends and fellowships. Contact Sophie von der Heyden at svdh(at)sun.ac.za for more details.
Note that the major funding opportunities usually have deadlines towards the end of August each year (students) and April/May (postdocs), so be sure to make contact well before these dates. ------------ The von der Heyden Lab at Stellenbosch University is looking for PhD student interested in developing their skills in genomics and fisheries management to participate on the BiodivERsA funded project: Biodiversity on the run: evolutionary and socio-economic consequences of shifting distribution ranges in commercially exploited marine fishes (GenClim). The application will focus on using novel high-throughput data to assess and predict the impacts of climate change in range shifts of commercially exploited species in southern Africa, using genomic tools. This is collaborative project with ISPA-IU, University of Algarve (Portugal), Technical University of Denmark (Denmark) and Kiel University (Germany). Funding is available for three years for a competitive PhD fellowship (120 000 R / year), laboratory costs and travel between partner institutions. The student will be supervised by Prof von der Heyden at Stellenbosch University and Dr Romina Henriques at University of Pretoria, and work in close proximity with Prof Einar Nielsen and Dr Mark Payne (DTU), Prof Joana Robalo (ISPA) and Prof Rita Castilho (UAlg).
Applicants for this position will be hard-working, enthusiastic and independently motivated students, with an average of at least 65% for your MSc (or equivalent degree).You will need to have strong academic background in a related discipline (species distribution models, bioinformatics, population genetics/genomics) and be a good communicator, both written and orally. Ideally you would have experience with molecular and bioinformatics analyses (previous experience in handling large genetic/genomic datasets is a plus) and a good understanding of southern African marine ecosystems, although the latter is not essential. You must be able to work in a group and to enjoy problem solving. We do provide training in all analytical methodology and this is a great opportunity for students who wish to gain more exposure in genomics, bioinformatics and their application to conservation and management. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds.
Students will be mostly based at the von der Heyden Lab at Stellenbosch University, one of Africa’s leading marine research groups specializing in the use of molecular tools to understand patterns and processes driving southern Africa’s rich marine biodiversity. We are a dynamic lab, with a strong emphasis on research excellence as well as student training and support. Our work spans population genetics and phylogeography, fisheries management/stock identification, historical biogeography and the impacts of historical and contemporary climate change on species distributions. To do this, we use a wide range of tools including genomics and environmental DNA, with our overarching goal of promoting the integration of molecular tools into conservation and sustainable utilization of southern African marine species and resources. You can find out more about the von der Heyden lab and marine research at Stellenbosch University here: www.vonderheydenlab.com or via FB www.facebook.com/vonderheydenlab or on Twitter: @vonderheydenlab @HenriquesRo or @GenClim
Please direct all enquiries to Prof Sophie von der Heyden, svdh@sun.ac.za and Dr Romina Henriques, rhenriques@sun.ac.za. For applications to be considered, include an academic transcript, CV and if applicable details of molecular experience. Closing date 31st March 2021.