PhD position in Paleoecology & Paleogenomics

A 4-year PhD position is available at the University of Bern (Switzerland) to work on a SNSF Starting Grant project. The project aims to address the impact of past climate and human disturbance on mountain vegetation at different scales, from intraspecific genetic variation to local and regional vegetation dynamics, using plant remains preserved in cave ice archives. The position involves fieldwork such as ice coring in the Pyrenees and the European Alps, microscopic analyses of pollen and plant macrofossils, the isolation of aDNA, and the analysis of paleoecological and paleogenomic data to assess genetic diversity variation. You should preferably have a MSc degree in Biology, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Biochemistry, or a related field. Good knowledge in plant ecology, molecular biology, and population genetics is desired. You are highly motivated, creative, reliable, resilient, independent, precise and like to work in a team. A good command of English is fundamental. Expertise in (a)DNA extraction, library preparation, NGS genome data analysis and bioinformatic tools (Unix, R, Python) is advantageous. Please send your complete application, including motivation letter, CV, academic record incl. grades, MSc diploma, and reference letter or contact address of your MSc-supervisor(s) as a single pdf file to: [email protected].