Male-male competition vs female choice: same-same or something different?

We are looking for a talented student to conduct their PhD on sexual selection in Drosophila. Typically, males compete with one another for access to females, and females choose their preferred suitor among competing males. This precopulatory sexual selection can have profoundly positive effects on population fitness, which could be critical for the health and management of wild and domestic species. In this project, you will use evolution experiments to disentangle the conflated aspects of male-male competition and female choice, and determine what effects they have on the genome.

The successful applicant would ideally have, or less ideally be predicted to receive, a first class Honours or Master’s degree at an institution of high repute. The degree must have included a research project that represents a significant contribution to the final mark. While papers are important evidence of research ability, a high GPA weighs heavily in the ranking process; if your GPA is good and research thesis marks are high but you have no publications, please consider applying. Previous skills working with Drosophila would be viewed favourably.

If you are interested, please email Dr Robert Dugand ([Email Address Removed]) with a CV and brief letter stating your interest and background and I will let you know whether I think your skill set and academic record would place you well against the competition.

Applications are open for non-Australian applicants both in Australia and overseas.