Job Description

The group of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel, Switzerland (https://duw.unibas.ch/en/ecoevo/), is looking for a PhD student in the field of Conservation Genetics.

Your position

New computational and analytical tools in population genetics allow to estimate both contemporary and past effective population sizes. With these in hands, the project aims to verify how well reported dynamics of decline in rare plant species align with inferred trajectories of effective population size. Conversely, the project will also address whether habitat and species protection have had a beneficial impact, by slowing down or even stopping species' decline when measured in term of effective population size. Should this not be the case, the role of mutation accumulation may be investigated. Practical work involves collecting of plant material, wet lab work, bioinformatics, population genetic analysis, and growing plants to assess mutation accumulation.

Your profile

We are looking for highly motivated applicants with a master's degree in evolutionary biology, population genetics, or conservation genetics. In addition to an interest in evolutionary and conservation biology, the candidate should be committed to: doing field work, wet-lab work, learning about bioinformatics, including R and shell programing, and analyzing data using population genetics tools and theories. Apart, the candidate should have good self-organization, be solution-oriented, and have good spoken and written English. Having a driver's license is not a necessity but will help with field work.

We offer you

The fellowship is for up to 4 years. You will have the opportunity to enroll in the PhD Program in Plant Sciences (http://www.plantsciences.uzh.ch/en/teaching/phdplantscience.html) of the Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center (PSC). The program provides training in frontier topics of plant sciences and opportunities to acquire technical and transferable skills for careers in- and outside of academia. In addition, the Graduate Center of the University of Basel (https://www.unibas.ch/en/University/Administration-Services/Vice-President-s-Office-for-Education/Academic-Programs/Graduate-Center.html) offers various training formats for PhD students and organizes networking events. Finally, Basel is a mid-sized Swiss city, well connected and offering a broad range of cultural and recreational activities.

Application / Contact

Motivated applicants should submit (1) a one-page letter that summarizes interests and relevant experience, (2) their CV, (3) copies of BSc and MSc transcripts, and (4) contact information of two references. We accept only online applications. Applications are welcome until the position is filled and will be reviewed starting January 15, 2026. For more information, contact Yvonne Willi (yvonne.willi@unibas.ch).
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