Offer for PhD positions

[Dieter Waloszek]

This might be of interest to some of you, particularly in Europe.  
Please circulate it to interested persons. Thanks and regards, DIETER

MOLMORPH – Evolution of animal body plans as inferred by  
developmental biology, morphology, molecular phylogeny, and  
palaeontology

10 PhD fellowships available in an EU Marie Curie network in  
Evolutionary Developmental Biology

A total of 10 Ph.D. studentships is available for 36 months each,  
funded by the Marie Curie Early Stage Research Training Network  
“Evolution of animal body plans as inferred by developmental biology,  
morphology, molecular phylogeny, and palaeontology (MOLMORPH)”. The  
network has its focus on comparative data acquisition from “non-model  
system” species of a large variety of taxa throughout the entire  
Metazoa. The fellows are expected to participate in integrative  
research projects applying a variety of methodologies such as  
immunocytochemical, molecular, and palaeontological techniques. Thus,  
the fellows will receive comprehensive training in a variety of  
research areas relevant to modern Evolutionary Zoology such as  
immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, molecular biology, in situ  
gene expression analysis, phylogenetic analyses, etc. Due to the  
aspired comprehensiveness of the training the fellows will be  
expected to travel between some of the host institutions in order to  
profit from the expertise provided by each host group. 2 fellowships  
are available at each of the institutions of the network, which  
includes the universities of Copenhagen (Denmark), Berlin and Ulm  
(Germany), Vienna (Austria), and Barcelona (Spain).

Copenhagen: Fellows enrolled at the University of Copenhagen will be  
engaged in the group of Andreas Wanninger. The main focus of our  
current research is on inferring the ontogeny and evolution of  
muscular and neural systems within the Lophotrochozoa, such as  
flatworms, entoprocts, bryozoans, molluscs, and brachiopods, in order  
to contribute to questions relating to lophotrochozoan and bilaterian  
evolution. The successful candidates will work with embryonic and  
larval material of various marine invertebrates and will apply  
fluorescence labelling of neural and muscular structures, confocal  
laser-scanning microscopy, 3D imaging techniques, and electron  
microscopy in their projects. These data will be supplemented by gene  
expression analyses of candidate genes potentially involved in myo-  
and neurogenesis (in conjunction with our partners in Barcelona,  
Vienna, and Berlin). Candidates should send their application and/or  
requests for further information by e-mail to Assoc. Prof. Dr.  
Andreas Wanninger: awanninger at bi.ku.dk
http://www.bi.ku.dk/staff/staff-vip-details.asp?ID=147.

Barcelona: The fellows at the University of Barcelona will be  
dedicated to the characterization of gene/gene networks involved in  
the patterning of the major body axis in the ”primitive” bilaterian  
acoel worms. The main interest of our laboratory is the understanding  
of the mechanisms underlying the evolutionary transition that gave  
rise to bilaterian animals from radially symmetrical ancestors.  
Molecular Biology and Genomics technologies will be used in this  
context. Candidates should send their application and/or requests for  
further information by e-mail to Dr. Pedro Martinez:  
Pedro.martinez at ub.edu
http://www.ub.edu/genetica/evo-devoen/martinez.htm

Berlin: One focus of the research group of Gerhard Scholtz at the  
Humboldt-University is the analysis of cell lineages during early  
cleavage, gastrulation, germ band formation and morphogenesis, namely  
neurogenesis and segmentation. Successful applicants will be involved  
in this kind of research studying the early embryonic development of  
arthropods, spiralians, and related taxa. This will be a contribution  
to the current debates of metazoan phylogenetic relationships such as  
Ecdysozoa versus Articulata and Lophotrochozoa versus Spiralia.  
Various techniques will be applied such as single cell labelling,  
confocal-laser-scanning microscopy, computer aided 3-D  
reconstructions, 4-D microscopy, immunocytochemistry, etc. In  
cooperation with the other labs involved in the project additional  
techniques such as molecular genetics, cladistic analyses, and  
palaeontological methods can be used if required. Candidates should  
send their application and/or requests for further information by e- 
mail to Prof. Dr. Gerhard Scholtz: gerhard.scholtz at rz.hu-berlin.de.  
Homepage: http://www.biologie.hu-berlin.de/~zoologie/

Ulm: Fellows enrolled at the University of Ulm will be engaged in two  
different working groups: The group of Dieter Waloszek focuses on  
Recent and fossil arthropods and nemathelminths using Early  
Palaeozoic evidence especially from the Swedish ‘Orsten’ and the  
Chinese Maotianshan-Shale biota. We will, e.g., consider questions of  
tagmosis and segmentation including ontogenetic evidence and  
phylogenetic systematics. The applicants should have interest in  
handling and microscopy of fossil material. The second group, headed  
by Steffen Harzsch, explores structure and development of the  
arthropod nervous system in an evolutionary context. The fellow will  
analyse neurogenesis and gene expression in the brain of a crustacean  
and other non-model arthropods. Methods include immunohistochemistry,  
proliferation markers, confocal microscopy, and in situ  
hybridization. This project requires experience in histological and  
molecular biological techniques. Candidates should send their  
application and/or requests for further information by e-mail to  
Prof. Dr. Dieter Waloszek: dieter.waloszek at uni-ulm.de and PD Dr.  
Steffen Harzsch, respectively steffen.harzsch at uni-ulm.de.
http://biosys-serv.biologie.uni-ulm.de; http://stammhirn.biologie.uni- 
ulm.de/ge/Frameset.htm.

Vienna: Fellows at the University of Vienna will dedicate their  
research on the characterization and evolution of homeobox genes  
(e.g. HOX, engrailed) in molluscs and tardigrades. Both groups of  
animals mark major evolutionary transitions, from acoelomates to  
coelomates and proarthropods to arthropods. The projects include  
rearing of animals, molecular biology methods, phylogenetic analyses,  
and gene expression experiments (in cooperation with partners in  
Barcelona and Copenhagen). Candidates should send their application  
and/or requests for further information by e-mail to Prof. Gerhard  
Steiner: gerhard.steiner at univie.ac.at.
http://www.univie.ac.at/molecular-phylogenetics.

All applicants should have a B.Sc., B.Sc., Diploma, or equivalent.  
Experience in one of the above mentioned techniques is desirable but  
not a necessity. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for EU  
Marie Curie Early Stage Research Training programmes which include  
the following:

(1) Candidates must not be a national of the respective host country.
(2) Candidates must have no more than four years of full time  
graduate research experience.
(3) Candidates may not have resided or carried out their main  
activity in the respective host country for more than 12 months in  
the 3 years prior to the start of the fellowship.

Please note that a maximum of 30% of the fellowships may be available  
to non-EU nationals. The salary will be between 30.500 and 40.000 €  
per annum depending on current salary scales of the respective host  
country, family status of the fellow, etc. Each fellow will also be  
entitled to receive additional benefits such as travel and mobility  
allowances and career development fees.

Applications should be sent ELECTRONICALLY (i.e., by e-mail) to the  
contact person of the respective host institution (see above) or to  
the MOLMORPH coordinator (A. Wanninger) and should include a CV,  
publication list (if available), a short outline of a proposed PhD  
project, and the email addresses of two potential referees. Closing  
date: Jan. 31st, 2006 or once suitable candidates have been found.  
Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview soon after  
the deadline. All host institutions are equal opportunity employers  
and selection of the fellows will be on merit alone. In order to  
improve gender balance within the European Research Area, female  
candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.


Prof. Dr. Dieter Waloszek
Head of the Section for Biosystematic Documentation
University of Ulm, Helmholtzstrasse 20, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
phone x49-(0)731-5031000, Fax x49-731-5031009
NEW: dieter.waloszek at uni-ulm.de (old email address remains valid  
through 2005)
http://biosys-serv.biologie.uni-ulm.de/
Center of Orsten Research & Exploration C.O.R.E.:  http://www.CORE- 
Orsten-Research.de