Årets utlysning av medel från Svenska artprojektet för taxonomisk forskning och inventering gällande dåligt kända organismgrupper ligger nu ute på vår hemsida (länk, se nedan. Sista ansökningsdag är måndag 3 juni 2013. http://www.slu.se/sv/centrumbildningar-och-projekt/artdatabanken/svenska-artprojektet1/forskning/anslag-att-soka/
Svenska artprojektets museistöd ses över
I måndagens Uppsala Nya Tidning (4 mars 2013) aviserade landsbygdsminister Eskil Erlandsson att regeringen avser att göra en översyn av museistödet inom Svenska artprojektet. Den 6 mars skrev landsbygdsministern i ett svar på en fråga från riksdagsledamot Helena Leander, som undrade varför ingenting sägs om museistödet i regeringsbeslutet om ”Riktlinjer för Svenska artprojektet”:
”I den översyn av Svenska artprojektet jag under fjolåret lät genomföra konstaterades att museistödets resultat inte hade varit möjliga att bedöma inom ramen för översynen. En översiktlig redovisning av museistödets användning finns i resultatsammanställningen av artprojektets vetenskapliga del. Utöver detta har ännu ingen samlad utvärdering gjorts av stödet. När det gäller tillgängliggörandet av den kunskap vi kan få genom de biologiska samlingarna pekade översynen av artprojektet på ett antal frågor som behöver klargöras. Detta föranleder en översyn i särskild ordning av stödet till biologiska samlingar, med tonvikt på museistödets betydelse för artprojektet. Inom Regeringskansliet bereds nu en sådan översyn.
Regeringens avsikt är alltså att försäkra sig om att resurserna används på ett kostnadseffektivt sätt och till största nytta för den biologiska mångfalden.”
Svaret i sin helhet kan du hitta här: http://www.riksdagen.se/sv/Dokument-Lagar/Fragor-och-anmalningar/Svar-pa-skriftliga-fragor/Riktlinjer-for-Svenska-artproj_H012344/
ArtDatabanken har ännu inte fått information om hur den aviserade översynen av museistödet ska ske.
Doktorand i svampdjurssystematik
Uppsala universitet söker en doktorand till programmet för Systematisk biologi där arbetet kommer att handla om systematik hos kiselsvampar (Demospongiae, Porifera). Mer information och ansökan hittar man på http://www.uu.se/jobb/doktorander/annonsvisning?tarContentId=236599&languageId=3
TTFN,
Mikael
Public seminar: Collecting without being arrested!
Seminar: Collecting without being arrested
14 March 2013
Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM), Locality: Lilla Hörsalen
The seminar deals with the implications of the Convention on Biological Diversity and ‘Access and Benefit Sharing’ (ABS) and the Nagoya protocol for natural history collections and scientific collecting and research, relevant to researchers in life sciences and collection personnel. Issues raised will address how to legally collect scientific specimens and samples in foreign countries, how to assure to follow the regulations when working with loans and donations in collection management, and how the implementation of the Nagoya protocol into EU and Swedish legislation is progressing.
Preliminary programme
13.00 Per Ericson, Science director, NRM. Welcome and Introduction to the seminar.
13.10 Börje Alriksson, Ministry of the Environment. A new EU regulation on ABS and its Swedish implementation.
13:30 China Williams, CBD Education Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Legal aspects of access to collections: tools for implementing the CBD.
14.20 – 14.50 Coffee break
14.50 Mari Källersjö, Director of Gothenburg Botanical Garden. IPEN – an exchange network for botanic gardens for non-commercial exchange of plant material, based on the CBD.
15.10 Panel discussion and questions.
16.00 Closing the seminar
Very welcome!
OBS!! Please register latest 8 March to: Thomas.Lyrholm@nrm.se
Regeringsbeslut om Svenska artprojektet – oklarheter och nedskärningshot kvarstår
Regeringen beslutade 21 februari om mål och inriktning för Svenska artprojektet, som syftar till att hitta och beskriva arter i Sverige och göra kunskapen tillgänglig för samhället. Artprojektet drivs inom ArtDatabanken vid SLU.
Regeringens beslut om målen är att fortsätta arbetet med att kartlägga vilka arter som finns i landet och göra den kunskapen tillgänglig för forskare och naturvårdare, med fokus på digital kunskapsspridning. Projektet ska också stimulera den naturintresserade allmänheten att rapportera arter på Artportalen. Verksamheten ska bidra till att uppfylla miljömålen och ta fram kunskapsunderlag och verktyg för miljöövervakning och naturvårdsåtgärder. Regeringen fastslår också att SLU ska fortsätta att leda Artprojektet.
− Vi välkomnar att regeringen äntligen lagt fast vilka mål som ska gälla för projektet. Regeringens beslut stämmer väl överens med hur vi redan arbetar i projektet och hur vi tidigare i år bestämde framtida inriktning, säger Johan Bodegård, chef för ArtDatabanken.
− Det är mycket bekymmersamt att beslutet inte berör framtiden för stödet till de biologiska museerna, som är en viktig grundbult i projektet säger Ulf Gärdenfors, stf chef för ArtDatabanken. Det innebär att våra samarbetspartner bland museerna fortfarande lever i osäkerhet om framtiden.
SLU har också tidigare fått ett uppdrag att till den 15 maj i år föreslå ytterligare effektiviseringar och besparingar för Artprojektet.
− Det är oroande att regeringen vill minska vår budget ännu mer, utöver den nedskärning med tio miljoner kronor som redan gjorts. Det fortsätter att skapa osäkerhet om projektets framtid. Alla de fantastiska människor som arbetar med Artprojektet behöver arbetsro för att kunna utveckla projektet efter de mål och förutsättningar som nu lagts fast, framhåller Johan Bodegård.
Regeringsbeslutet kan du läsa om du surfar till den här sidan: http://www.slu.se/sv/centrumbildningar-och-projekt/artdatabanken/aktuellt1/nyheter1/2013/2/artprojektet-bra-med-klara-mal-men-annu-oro-kring-framtiden/
Biosyst.eu 2017 in Sweden
Dear members of Svenska Systematikföreningen
I am happy to inform you that the BioSyst.EU council decided that the responsibility for arranging the next meeting (August 2017) went to us, Svenska Systematikföreningen. This also means that our chairperson (Livia Wanntorp) will be spokesperson for Biosyst.eu until then. There is a prospect for arranging the conference in Göteborg (see attached pdf).
Bengt
Postdoc: worm genomics in Stockholm
Post-doctoral researcher
A postdoc position is available in the research group of Ulf Jondelius at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm.
We are looking for a highly motivated postdoc with interest in animal evolution for a project using data from genome sequencing of microscopic marine worms (Acoelomorpha). Acoelomorpha are simple animals lacking many features present in other Bilateria (e.g. circulatory system, body cavity, excretory organs). Their phylogenetic position is highly contested: they have been proposed to be either the earliest extant bilaterians, part of the flatworms, or deuterostomes closely related to echinoderms and hemichordates. The conflicting hypotheses imply widely disparate interpretations of their morphological evolution as either primitively simple or secondarily reduced in complexity. We will sample genomic data to cover acoelomorph diversity aiming to reconstruct their phylogenetic position within the Metazoa and study the structure of the genomes expecting to find either a simple basal metazoan genome or higher bilaterian and deuterostome signatures. The succesful candidate will work on assembly and analysis of genomes from several acoelomorph species together with the PI, collaborators, students, and technicians and will be responsible for analyzing results, writing manuscripts, and contributing to the development of the project.
The project is a collaboration with SciLife lab in Stockholm and Uppsala and colleagues at the Sars Centre in Bergen, Norway.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate has a recent PhD in Bioinformatics, Genomics, Molecular or Evolutionary biology or related fields, experience in analyzing next-generation DNA sequence data, and a record of publishing in scientific journals. Programming experience in a scripting language (such as Python or Perl) is desirable.
Starting date is September 1, 2013. The appointment is for two years.
Informal inquiries should be directed at Ulf Jondelius (ulf.jondelius@nrm.se). The union representatives are Bodil Kajrup, SACO-S and Yvonne Arremo, ST can be reached at telephone number + 46 8 519 540 00.
How to apply: Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter describing your
research interests and background, (2) a detailed CV (including
publications), and (3) the contact details of three references as a single pdf document to rekrytering@nrm.se or to Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden, no later than May 10, 2013. Mark your application with dnr 2.3.1-144-2013
PhD-position on mosses
The Museum of Natural History and Archaeology in Trondheim, Norway has recently announced an open PhD-position. The successful candidate will study evolutionary processes associated with dispersal within, and hybridization between, closely related species of peat mosses (Sphagnum).
For more information on the position and how to apply, please visit http://www.jobbnorge.no/job.aspx?jobid=90772
Best regards,
Torbjørn
TWO NEW POSITIONS IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
TWO NEW POSITIONS IN EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Available at http://antonelli-lab.net (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
Closing date: February 28, 2013
1) PhD Position. Fixed-term employment, four years
You will test competing hypotheses of diversification for explaining the outstanding diversity in tropical America (including soil specialisation, temperature increases, polyploidy, habitat shifts, biome conservatism and range expansion). To achieve this goal you will carry out extensive fieldwork in Latin America, especially the tropical Andes and Amazonia, to collect plant and soil samples. You will then produce molecular data using next-generation sequencing techniques. Your analyses will include estimation of phylogenies, divergence times, species trees from gene trees, diversification rates, species distribution modelling, and biogeographic reconstructions.
The choice of plant group will depend on the candidate’s previous experience and interests (e.g. during the Masters project). Ideally, the study group should have a wide Neotropical distribution with a centre of species diversity in northern South America, have been recently revised taxonomically, be already relatively well collected, and included in phylogenetic analyses. Please indicate your suggestion of plant group in the motivation letter (this is recommended but not mandatory).
Good communication skills (written and spoken) in English are necessary. Priority will be given to those candidates who have co-authored at least one scientific publication. Fieldwork experience in the tropics, experience working with molecular phylogenetics and/or next-generation sequence data, and language skills in Spanish and/or Portuguese is advantageous. We are seeking a candidate who is independent, self-motivated, and interested in the use or development of new methods and approaches, in short, a person willing to go beyond the state-of-the-art in the field. We will attach great importance to personal characteristics and independence in learning and working, creativity and documented productivity.
For more information and on-line application click HERE
2) Post-doc. Fixed-term employment, two years
You will carry out research focused on speciation mechanisms in Amazonian plants, particularly palms. Although sympatric speciation is recognized as a driver of ”island” biodiversity (Howea palms, Cichlid fish, apple maggots), it remains to be discovered how it contributes to the mega-biodiversity in Amazonia. The understory palm Geonoma macrostachys is highly suited for this study because significant progress has been made to quantify and understand its complex variation. Responsibilities include extensive fieldwork across western Amazonia (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru); development of next-generation sequence data, analyses and publications; and the training and supervision of graduate students.
Highest priority will be given to candidates with a strong publication record who have fieldwork experience in the tropics and experience with next-generation sequence data. Due to intensive fieldwork in Latin America good language skills in Spanish and/or Portuguese is necessary as well as good communication skills (written and spoken) in English.
A strong background in phylogenetics, biogeography, and species delimitation as well as research experience with palms (taxonomy, phylogenetics, and/or ecology) is meritorious.
We are seeking a candidate who is independent, self-motivated, and interested in the use or development of new methods and approaches, in short, a person willing to go beyond the state-of-the-art in the field. We will attach great importance to personal characteristics and independence in learning and working, creativity and documented productivity.
For more information and on-line application click HERE
Best wishes
Carl Skottsbergs gata 22A, 413 19 Göteborg, Sweden
E-mail alexandre.antonelli@bioenv.gu.se
Marine zooplankton: diversity, systematics and biology
STIRS and ForBio proudly announces an advanced course on these fascinating organisms. The course will be held May 27-31, 2013, The Lovén Center for Marine Sciences, Tjärnö (Sweden). Application deadline: May 4, 2013.
Marine zooplankton is a term summarizing an incredibly high diversity of species from 18 animal phyla, partly spending their entire lifetime in the pelagic environment (holoplankton) or having a pelagic (usually larval) life stage (meroplankton). While some holoplanktonic organisms have high ecological impact on marine foodchains, lies much of the biodiversity in the meroplanktonic life stages of benthic animals. Knowledge of appropriate sampling and preparation techniques, identification skills – including a general awareness of changes in morphology due to ontogenetic stages-, and an understanding of taxonomic difficulties are prerequisite for all studies on planktonic organisms.
More information on this exciting course can be found here: http://www.slu.se/en/collaborative-centres-and-projects/artdatabanken/the-swedish-taxonomy-initiative/research/research-school/