Virginia Valcárcel invites candidates to apply to the annual call for the PhD scholarship program of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid that provides funding for 4-year PhD research positions.
The PhD project will address how the interaction between biogeographic and ecological processes determines evolutionary patterns in plants, using the Asian Palmate group of the Araliaceae (Ginsen family) as study-case. The PhD project is integrated within a Spanish National-funded project recently granted to Virginia Valcárcel and entitled “The role of niche differentiation in the evolution of Araliaceae: Macro- and micro-evolutionary analyses”. The project involves (1) field work across western Europe (Irelanda, Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal), (2) lab work mainly conducted at the National Museum of Natural History (DC, USA) and Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, (3) computer work mainly conducted at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
The PhD student will integrate in the international research group of the funded-project. The members of the research team have a history of research collaboration but the research team itself is young, involves expertise in different biological topics from five countries (USA, Germany, Chezck Republic, China and Spain). The PhD student will intensely collaborate with Dr. Mario Fernández-Mazuecos (Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, CSIC), Dr. Nagore G. Medina (University of South Bohemia), and Dr. Jun Wen (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution).
The PhD student will be based at the Biology Department at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. The Universidad Autónoma de Madrid is one of the Universities of Excellence in Spain and its campus is located just outside Madrid.
Applicants are required to have their degree (Bachelor or Master) in a field related to Biology since 2014 (January, 1st) or later, with a minimum score equivalent to 7,5/10. Applicants should have interest in evolutionary biology and ecology. Field and lab experience will be valued. Driving license is desirable.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact virginia.valcárcel@nulluam.es (please, also include ngmedina@nullgmail.com, mfmazuecos@nullrjb.csic.es in CC). If interested in applying to the PhD program call, please send a brief motivation letter and your CV as soon as possible. Please, be aware that the deadline of the PhD program call is April 23rd but candidates need to be evaluated long before that date.
