Job posting

Job posting
Type of position
scientific
administrative
Target group
graduates
post docs
other
Title
Stellenausschreibung Ref.# 01-16027
Institution
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung has an
international reputation in all fields of Natural History research. It
runs six research institutes and two museums in Germany and
is also custodian of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Messel.
The Department “Palaeoanthropology and Messel Research” of
the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History
Museum in Frankfurt invites applications for a
Position
PhD position (Geosciences) in
“Pattern of element loss in the autopodial and axial skeleton of
extant and fossil mammals” (55%)
This position is part of the joint research project “Forward
Genomics”, which aims at identifying the genomic causes of
phenotypic differences between placental mammals. This
project is funded by the Leibniz Association (Leibniz
Competition).
Responsibilities The successful applicant will be working in the Module 1
“Phenotyping skeletal traits” that focusses on systematically
exploring phenotypic traits of mammals and provide the other
modules with solid, calibrated, and evolutionary as well as
developmentally understood characters in a practical way (e.g.,
establishing morpho-matrices). He/she will investigate the
evolutionary patterns of vertebral formula and autopodial
skeleton: analysis of the thoracolumbar vertebral formula in keyfossil mammals (e.g. from Messel), study on the evolution and
variation of sacral and caudal vertebrae count in fossil and
extant taxa, analysis of the loss/fusion of basipodials and fingers
using ontogenetic observations.
The project brings together palaeontology and biology with
advanced imaging techniques. It provides a unique opportunity
to combine anatomical and genetic field studies to bridge the
gap between phenotype and genotype. Finally, the results could
even find application in the medical field. The project will be
conducted in close collaboration with other PhD students
(Senckenberg Dresden, Max Plank Institute Dresden) and other
members of the research project.
Requirements
•You hold a Master degree (or equivalent) in Palaeontology,
Biology or a related field
• Strong interest in mammal evolution and ontogeny with a
background in vertebrate comparative anatomy
• Experience in collection based research on fossil and extant
vertebrates, as well as in investigating histological serial
sections
• Good knowledge of image processing in particular μCT data
and virtual 3D reconstructions (e.g., VG StudioMAX, Amira,
Avizo)
• Very good written and oral communication skills in English
(knowledge of German is desirable)
• Strong ability to work independently, and interest for
interdisciplinary teamwork is highly recommended
Application
procedure
(deadline etc.)
Salary and benefits are accordance with a public service
position in Germany (TV-H E13, 55%). The contract shall start
between October and December 2016 and will be initially limited
to a 3-year term. The Senckenberg Research Institute supports
equal opportunity of men and women and therefore strongly
invites women to apply. Equally qualified handicapped
applicants will be given preference. The place of employment
station will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The employer is the
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung.
Please submit your application before August 1st, 2016 by email (attachment in a single pdf document), mentioning the
reference of this position (Ref. #01-16027) and including a letter
outlining your suitability for the post, a detailed CV including
relevant certificates, a 1-page summary of your Master thesis
and contact details of 2 potential referees to the address below.
Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
Senckenberganlage 25
60325 Frankfurt am Main
[email protected]
Contact
For scientific enquiries please contact Dr. Thomas Lehmann
([email protected]) or PD Dr. Irina Ruf
([email protected]).

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