Sexual selection, population genetics and conservation in an agamid lizard

We have a longstanding data set on the ornate dragon lizard that is native to the Western Australian wheatbelt (see Dr LeBas’s Google Scholar page). The ornate dragon lives exclusively on isolated granite outcrops ‘islands’ surrounded by farmland or uncleared bushland. Our data set includes historical samples of DNA from 1800 lizards from 50 wild populations spanning 15 years, mapping of numerous small populations inside and outside nature reserves, knowledge of the sexual selection operating in the species, quantification of the MHC and established population genetics. We are looking for an enthusiastic student to conduct a project following up on this research to look at the integration of conservation with sexual selection - a current topical subject.

Interested candidates should have a background in evolutionary biology, population genetics or behavioural ecology. Please contact us for further information.

The main limitation is your competitive ability in UWA’s screening process. Competitive applicants in previous rounds have had first class degrees and often masters degrees with distinction and frequently publications. If you are interested in the opportunity to be a fully funded student under our supervision please contact us to discuss the possibilities. The higher the world ranking of your university the fewer publications/other degrees might be needed to be competitive - so please ask. Students with 3 years UK Honours degrees can apply even though the web prerequisite is for 4 years of tertiary study.

Deadline: There are two deadlines a year for international students and two for domestic students. Please check the UWA Scholarships website for the latest closing dates. We will assess applications and interview over skype to select applicants to go forward to compete in the latest round. The current round closes at the end of August 2018.