Competition for a postdoctoral researcher position in the National Science Centre project „The role of hybridisation in the evolutionary response to environmental changes: Establishing the genus Canis as an ideal model”

Principal Investigator: dr hab. Małgorzata Pilot

Job title: postdoctoral researcher

Number of positions: 1

NCN call: SONATA BIS 9

A summary of the project:

This project uses the genus Canis as a model system to study the role of hybridisation in the evolutionary response to environmental changes. The advantage of the genus Canis as a model is that all its representatives – from apex predators heavily affected by anthropogenic changes to domestic dogs that are well adapted to living in human-dominated ecosystems – can naturally interbreed despite their great morphological and behavioural diversification. The project jointly analyses genomic variation in wild and domesticated representatives of the genus Canis, using their exceptional phenotypic variability as a key characteristic that facilitates our understanding of the hybridisation process. The aim of the project is to gain a better understanding of the circumstances when hybridisation can constitute an adaptive evolutionary process and when it should be prevented as a threat to the species. This will guide the management strategies and legal regulations for increasingly common admixed populations.

Workplace: University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Biology, Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics

The recruitment process will be carried out in accordance with the rules for employing post-docs adopted by the NCN for the SONATA BIS 9 call (https://ncn.gov.pl/ogloszenia/konkursy/sonata-bis9). The successful candidate will be selected based on a ranking prepared in accordance with the above-mentioned rules. The Selection Committee reserves the right to invite selected candidates to an interview. In the event that the candidate ranked first resigns from employment in the project, the Selection Committee may decide to employ the next candidates from the ranking list. The Selection Committee may also decide to close the competition without selecting a candidate and to re-open the competition.

Requirements

1. A candidate applying for the position of post-doc must, at the time of signing the employment contract, have a doctoral degree, obtained not earlier than 7 years before the year of employment in the project.
2. The competition is open to persons who meet the conditions set out in the Act of 20 July 2018 Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1668, as amended) and the Statute of the University of Gdańsk.

The following essential skills are required:

3. experience with landscape genetics methods;
4. experience with using Geographic Information Systems to analyse environmental data;
5. experience with preparing research work for publication, evidenced by a first authorship of at least one research paper;
6. excellent spoken and written English.

Desirable skills include:

7. experience with carnivore ecology;
8. theoretical knowledge of population genetics;
9. experience of working in interdisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities:

1. This position will involve carrying out research work as agreed with the project PI.
2. The successful applicant will be responsible for the collection of environmental data from the regions of sample collection using GIS methods and performing landscape genomic analyses to address the following questions:

- the effect of environmental factors on hybridisation rates;

- environmental factors associated with positive selection on introgressed gene variants.

3. The successful applicant will be responsible for preparing peer-reviewed publications as the first author, and will also participate in the preparation of publications as a co-author and in the preparation of reports on project implementation.
4. The successful applicant will also be responsible for the appropriate storage of environmental and genomic data generated during the project implementation in accordance with the data management plan.
5. The successful applicant will disseminate the results of his or her work on the project by participating in scientific conferences and through the media
6. The successful applicant will participate in the preparation of grant applications submitted by the group, with the opportunity to work on their own applications for grants and scholarships for early career researchers.
7. The successful applicant will contribute to the supervision of MSc and PhD students in the group.
8. The work will require learning new methods of data analysis, and therefore strong self-motivation and willingness to learn is essential.
9. The position will involve participation in scientific, didactic and organizational work of the Team, in accordance with the Work Regulations of the University of Gdańsk (https://bip.ug.edu.pl/akty_normatywne/regulaminy/regulamin_pracy).

Conditions of employment

1. Employment will take place on the basis of a fixed-term employment contract for a period of 17 months.   
2. Planned start of work on the project: 01.03.2024.
3. Salary: approx. 7 600 PLN gross
4. Place of work: University of Gdańsk, Faculty of Biology, Department of Evolutionary Genetics and Biosystematics, Gdańsk, Poland.

Application deadline: 20.12.2023, 23:59

Competition results deadline: by 15.01.2024

Submission procedure:

Applications should be sent to the principal investigator, dr hab. Małgorzata Pilot, via e-mail (in pdf format) to the following address: malgorzata.pilot@ug.edu.pl, with the subject line: "Application for a postdoctoral position in landscape genomics". Any questions about the project and this competition can also be sent to the same address.

Please send all the required documents as one PDF file:

1. Copy of PhD certificate
2. Curriculum vitae including the publication list
3. Motivation letter (maximum one page)
4. A copy of one research paper to be evaluated in the recruitment process
5. Contact details of two persons who can be contacted for references.
6. Signed information clause with the following wording:

INFORMATION CLAUSE

For the candidate taking part in the competition for the position of postdoctoral researcher

in the project "The role of hybridisation in the evolutionary response to environmental changes: Establishing the genus Canis as an ideal model "

According to the General Data Protection Regulation of 27 April 2016, hereinafter referred to as GDPR, we would like to inform you that: 

1. Your personal data controller is the University of Gdańsk with its seat in (80-309) Gdańsk at ul. Jana Bażyńskiego 8.
2. The controller has appointed a Data Protection Officer who may be contacted by phone at (58) 523 31 30 or by e-mail at: iod@ug.edu.pl . The Data Protection Officer may be contacted in all matters regarding the processing of personal data and exercising the rights connected with the processing.
3. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of carrying out the recruitment process for the postdoctoral researcher position at the Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, within the project "The role of hybridisation in the evolutionary response to environmental changes: Establishing the genus Canis as an ideal model" funded by the National Science Centre, and in the case of successful completion of the competition also for purposes related to employment within the project.
4. The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is Article 6(1)(a) of the DPA - consent of the data subject, and in the case of obtaining the status of a scholarship holder also Article 6(1)(b) of the DPA - processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party or to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
5.  Providing your personal data is voluntary, but is a condition for employment within the project "The role of hybridisation in the evolutionary response to environmental changes: Establishing the genus Canis as an ideal model" funded by the National Science Centre.
6. Your personal data will be processed on behalf of the data controller by authorised personnel solely for the purposes referred to in section 3.
7. Your personal data will be stored for the period necessary to achieve the objectives indicated in point 3, including the period of the Project implementation as well as its sustainability and archiving, with the possibility of its extension by the financing institution. In the case of an unfavourable outcome of the competition, your data will be deleted immediately after its completion, unless archiving is required by legal regulations to a certain extent - then for the period specified in these regulations.
8. Your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties with the exception of cases laid down by law.  Furthermore, the recipients of your personal data may be Managing, Clearing, Intermediary, Monitoring, Controlling, Implementing Authorities or Project Partners. Additionally, in case of electronic submission of the application documents, the recipient of your data may be an entity acting on behalf of the controller, i.e. a postal service provider.
9.  Under the terms of the GDPR you have the right to:
   1. access your data,
   2. rectify your data, should it be inaccurate,
   3. erase your data, restrict the processing of it as well as the right to data portability – in cases laid down by law,
   4. object to the processing of your data,
   5. lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority – President of the Personal Data Protection Office, should you consider that the processing of your data infringes the personal data protection regulations.         

I have read the above clause:

……………………………………

(date and signature of candidate)