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and may not be available.
Duration: 3 years.
Requirements: You should hold, or realistically expect to obtain, at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree or equivalent and a Masters degree or equivalent experience. You should have a strong academic background in biological or mathematical sciences.
Project outline: Evolutionary theory and experiments have mostly considered single species or perhaps pairs of interacting species. Yet, all species live in communities with many other species, and the direction and amount of evolution is likely to depend greatly on interactions with other species. Microbial communities offer a perfect opportunity to test such ideas, because of their potential for rapid evolution and the ease with which community membership can be manipulated. Furthermore, understanding evolution in microbial communities is vital for many human activities, including predicting ecosystem responses to climate change and managing complex gut communities. You will use field and laboratory experiments, molecular labwork and/or mathematical modeling, to test theories for how species interactions shape evolutionary dynamics. Possible topics include the importance of recombination and horizontal gene transfer for determining which species adapt to new conditions, and whether selection tends to increase specialization and positive interactions among species.
Eligibility: UK nationals, EU nationals who have spent at least 3 years prior to the application resident in the UK. Non-UK residents might be considered if the research organization can demonstrate a shortage of high-quality UK candidates.
To apply: Please send a CV and a covering letter explaining why you are interested and what skills and abilities you could bring to the studentship to Tim Barraclough (t.barraclough@imperial.ac.uk) by the 16th March 2012.
Further information: Tim Barraclough (t.barraclough@imperial.ac.uk). Division of Ecology & Evolution, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7PY, UK. Telephone: +44 (0)207 594 2247.
Funding Notes:
BBSRC studentship, full support for tuition fees, all project costs, and an annual tax-free stipend of £15,740.
Eligibility: UK nationals, EU nationals who have spent at least 3 years prior to the application resident in the UK. Non-UK residents might be considered if the research organization can demonstrate a shortage of high-quality UK candidates.