Sök medel till taxonomisk forskning och inventeringar från Svenska artprojektet – Grants for taxonomic research and inventories from the STI

Svenska artprojektet har utlyst medel för taxonomisk forskning och inventering gällande dåligt kända organismgrupper i Sverige. Sista ansökningsdag är 1 juni 2017. Läs mer här. Nästa ordinarie utlysning sker i april 2018.

The Swedish Taxonomy Initiative (STI) has announced grants for taxonomic research and inventories within poorly known organismal groups in Sweden.  Apply before 1 June 2017. Read more here. Next announcement will be made in April, 2018.

Want to know more? Contact STI’s Research Officer.

Christoffer Schander memorial fund (Marine Biology)

Going to a conference and can’t find travel funds? Interested in museum collections but can’t afford to get to the incredible resources for your research? Doing cool fieldwork but hampered by the expense? Then we have a possible answer: The Christoffer Schander Memorial Fund is giving 3 stipends of 10 thousand crowns to worthy recipients in spring 2017.

The main focus of the fund lies in encouraging scientific cooperation in marine biology by providing financial support for fieldwork (collecting of material for taxonomic and/or biodiversity work) and taxonomic studies in museum collections.

Visiting marine taxonomists and systematists can apply for funding for travel and accommodation in connection to short term visits at the Marine Biological Station in Espegrend and at the University Museum of Bergen Norway. Likewise, Master and PhD students in marine biology at University of Bergen can apply for support for short-term projects in cooperation with other institutions or support for conference participation where they will present their own results. Projects including fieldwork or work in scientific collections will be prioritized.

Selection will be done by the five member funding board of national and international scientists and family members.

Please include a letter of intent, describing the purpose of your stay in Bergen or trip to other institutions, and a short CV. Students should include a letter of support from their supervisor. Applications will be evaluated shortly after the submission deadline and successful candidates will be informed in early June.

Deadline is May 31, 2017. Please send the complete application form as a single attachment to Karin.Pittman@uib.no.

EXPLORE THE WORLD – AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

PhD position announcement

Lund University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology

We seek a PhD student for a project: 

Ecotype differentiation in plants – a first step towards speciation?
 
– Scorzoneroides (= Leontodon) autumnalis as a model to link phenotypic expression and genomic differentiation with ecotype specialization, phylogeographic history and taxonomic complexity


Short project description

Scandinavia has been recolonized by plants after the last glaciation and only a few species are endemics. On the other hand, several groups of plants have developed more or less distinct ecotypes. These may represent a first step towards speciation, initiated after post-glacial migration. They may alternatively represent older lineages that have different immigration histories, which have arrived from different directions or at different times. Differentiation may thus have originated at one or several occasions and the future development is dependent on local selection pressures, gene flow among ecotypes and eventual development of sterility barriers. The Asteraceae family belong to the crown of the angiosperm phylogenetic tree, representing one of the fastest radiating families during the recent millions of years. We aim to understand what traits have made this plant family successful through studies of Scorzoneroides autumnalis

For details, see:
https://lu.mynetworkglobal.com/en/what:job/jobID:147713/

Welcome to Göteborg on April 19: Scott Edwards’ lecture and inauguration of GGBC

Welcome to Scott Edward’s public lecture and inauguration of the Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre

Date: April 19, 2017
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: Conference Centre Wallenberg, Medicinaregatan 20 A, Wallenbergsalen, Göteborg

Programme

14.00 Welcome! – Karin Hårding, GoCas representative
14.05 Pam Fredman, rektor GU
14.10 Stefan Bengtsson, rektor Chalmers
14.15 Alexandre Antonelli, director Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre
14.25-15.10 Scott Edwards (Harvard University), Origins of Biodiversity: Birds, Dinosaurs and DNA
15.10-15.30 Questions and discussion
15.30-16.00 Coffee, cake and continued discussions. Informal poster session.
Origins of Biodiversity: Birds, Dinosaurs and DNA
Although we know from paleontology that dinosaurs are still among us in the form of birds today, it is less clear how dinosaur genomes changed to evolve into the streamlined, feathery creatures that are now found throughout the globe. In this talk we will take a journey starting from the dinosaur ancestors of birds and learn how modern genomics and evolutionary theory can tell us not only what dinosaur genomes looked like, but also the key events in DNA that transformed dinosaurs into birds. It is a fascinating story covering over 200 million years of evolution, and gives us insight into how birds are coping with modern pressures of human-induced global changes.

From early April to June 2017, Professor Scott V. Edwards from Harvard University is leading researchers from biology, medicine, mathematics, physics and computer science in a joint effort to reach new insights in the evolution of biodiversity on earth.

More information at: http://www.chalmers.se/en/centres/GoCAS/Events/Origin-of-Biodiversity/Pages/default.aspx

Swedish press release at: 

ForBio/STIRS course: Microalgae – systematics and taxonomy

September 11-22 , 2017, Drøbak Marine Research Station, Norway

The course will present and overview of the microalgae – marine and freshwater, pelagic and benthic. We will cover the systematics, taxonomy and identification of ochrophytes (including diatoms), dinoflagellates, haptophytes, chlorophytes, cryptophytes, euglenophytes and cyanobacteria. Sessions will include lectures, fieldwork and laboratory exercises. The students will be trained in various techniques for identification and sampling. The target group is PhD students, master students, researchers, consultants, government officials/museum staff – with relevant background in biology. Registration will open soon, and be announced on the ForBio Facebook page. Contact: ForBio coordinator Aino Hosia, e-mail: aino.hosia@uib.no or STIRS representative: maria.backlund@slu.se

Position as Professor of Botany (Mycology), Graz, Austria

The Institute of Plant Sciences at the Faculty of Natural Sciences is seeking to appoint a

Professor (f/m) of Botany (40 hours per week; permanent employment according to the Austrian Law on Salaried Employment (AngG); expected starting date October 1st 2018)

The professorship (according to § 98 UG) with the focus on mycology is assigned to the field of Systematic Botany and Geobotany. The research emphasis on questions relating to diversity and interactions of fungal organisms is desired. The holder of the position shall have an outstanding record of high profile publications and successful acquisition of third-party funds in plant scientific/mycological research in the field mentioned above. The research of the position holder shall support the research core area of the University in ”Environment and Global Change” as well as the research nucleus ”Evolution and Functional Biodiversity” of the Institute. Active participation in the strategic local cooperation NAWI Graz ist expected. In addition, we expect gender mainstreaming competence.

Please submit your applications stating the reference number BV/7/98 ex 2015/16 by June 7th 2017 at the latest. For information about the application procedures and other prerequisites, please visit jobs.uni-graz.at/en/BV/7/98.

Post-doctoral researcher Lichens

A two-year postdoctoral position is available in the Department of Botany, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm. The position is placed within professor Mats Wedin’s research group and is a part of the project “Collemataceae and Placynthiaceae in Sweden” funded by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative. The research group has several additional projects funded by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative and the Swedish Research Council, focussing on taxonomic and phylogenetic biodiversity questions in lichens and associated organisms.

Collemataceae and Placynthiaceae in Sweden

Collemataceae and Placynthiaceae together form a strongly supported clade within the major group of Ascomycota that form lichen symbioses with cyanobacteria (Peltigerales). Until very recently, the generic classification of the Collemataceae s. str. was based solely on one character, presence (Leptogium) or absence (Collema) of a cellular cortex. Collema and Leptogium were recently confirmed as highly non-monophyletic, and a new classification was suggested accepting ten mostly well supported groups as genera. There are a couple of generic delimitation problem remaining, but most of the problems in Sweden are species delimitation issues. The sister-group of Collemataceae is Placynthiaceae, a group of comparatively small saxicolous lichens, which is a poorly understood and understudied group. Collemataceae and Placynthiaceae include numerous species delimitation problems. The current species taxonomies in the Nordic countries are based on morphological investigations from the pre-molecular era. The present project aims at resolving species delimitations and remaining generic delimitation questions in these groups, in Sweden and neighbouring areas.

Qualifications 

Candidates have a recent PhD in systematics/evolutionary biology or similar, with experience in lichenology and/or mycology. A demonstrated publication record and excellent English communication and writing skills are expected. Good knowledge in molecular lab work, phylogenetics and light microscopy are required, as is experience with independent field work. Knowledge with the groups under study is a strong advantage, as is experience in phylogenetic and coalescent-based species-delimitation studies. A valid driving licence is also an advantage. The successful candidate will mainly pursue own research, but is expected to participate also in other collaborations and undertake some administration (lab management duties) subject to discussion.

The preferred starting date is April 1st 2017, but can be discussed. The appointment is for two years.

For more information please contact professor Mats Wedin (mats.wedin@nrm.se). Union representative is Johannes Lundberg, SACO-S. Both can be reached at telephone number + 46 8 519 540 00.

Mark your application, including a cover letter outlining relevant background, experience and motivation, your CV including a list of publications, contact information for two references, and copies of educational certificates, with dnr 2.3.1-777-2016, and send it as a single pdf document to rekrytering@nrm.se (copy to mats.wedin@nrm.se) or to the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden, no later than January 28th, 2017.

Course at the Swedish Museum of Natural History on R in Biodiversity Analysis

Two-day course in biodiversity analysis “R in Biodiversity Analysis: rOpenSci for all” Tuesday-Wednesday January 24-25 2017.

While in recent years the availability to biodiversity information has increased dramatically, successively more researchers and analysts have employed R programming for presentation and analysis in ecology, evolutionary and conservation biology, and environmental management practice.

By a collaborative effort GBIF-Sweden, the Bioinformatics and Genetics unit at theSwedish Museum of Natural History, EU BON and Swedish LifeWatch now offer a two-day course in R programming introducing up-to-date tools for application and analysis within these fields of science and management.

By bringing together some of the world´s most prominent R developers we expect to be able to offer a wide-ranging introduction to the topic, to present possibilities for customized tools adaptation, and opportunities for individual practice.

Welcome to the course! Please find detailed information regarding the two-day programme and registration instructions at http://www.nrm.se/english/researchandcollections/courseopensourcetoolsforbiodiversityanalysis.9003870.html. Additional information will be published successively at the same address. Remember to register no later than January 16.