Postdoctoral researcher in systematic Zoology

The Swedish Museum of Natural History is a government agency with a mandate to promote knowledge, research and interest in our world. It is a prominent research institution and Sweden's largest museum. The museum conducts research in bioinformatics, botany, mycology, zoology, paleobiology, and geoscience. The scope of our research includes biological diversity, evolution and extinctions, ecology, as well as studies of the Earth and the solar system. We collect, process, and manage vast amounts of data and contribute to the global digital advancement. The museum's physical and digital research infrastructures — encompassing collections, high-technology facilities, laboratories, and data — are sought after by researchers from around the globe. For more than 200 years, the museum has been collecting specimens and data and conducting research on life on earth. The collections contain more than 11 million plants, animals, fungi, environmental samples, minerals and fossils. All research and knowledge are shared in the exhibitions, Cosmonova and in activities at the museum and digitally.

Research in the Department of Zoology focuses on the taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution of various animal groups, ranging from microscopic roundworms and acoels to molluscs, insects, and vertebrates. The analysis and documentation of biodiversity within different animal groups constitute a central part of our research, grounded in the study of animal morphology combined with the analysis of genetic data. Materials for these studies are sourced from museum collections but also from extensive fieldwork worldwide.

The Department of Zoology is now looking for a well-qualified scientist to fill in a position of a postdoctoral researcher within the externally funded project "Diversity and phylogeny of insect associated nematodes in Sweden", under the supervision of Dr. Oleksandr Holovachov. The objectives of the project are: (1) to perform a systematic survey of the insect-associated nematodes from the families Thelastomatoidea, Panagrolaimidae, Diplogastridae, and Rhabditidae in Sweden, generating new faunistic records and discovering and describing species new to science; (2) to generate molecular data for all species, including draft genomes for 60 representatives and amplicon sequences for the rest; (3) to generate a hypothesis about the phylogenetic relationships within these parasitic nematode groups.

WORK TASKS
-Field work, collection and parasitological survey of insects.

-Cultivation of nematodes on artificial media.

-Preservation of nematode for morphological and genetic studies.

-Sanger sequencing of standard genetic markers.

-Whole genome amplification and sequencing using ONT technology.

-Identification of nematodes to genus and species level.

-Identification of host insects to genus and species level.

-Preparation of species descriptions and illustrations.

-Phylogenetic analysis using morphological and molecular characters.

-Public outreach.

QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate must have a recent (maximum 3 years old) PhD in Zoology, specifically in Nematology, Parasitology or related to the project disciplines, with experience in molecular and morphology-based systematics and well as species delimitation and description. A relevant record of scientific publications, thoroughness and orderliness, and proficiency in English are expected. 

Experience in using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, amplicon and genome sequencing, identification of nematodes and their host insects, specifically of insect-associated nematodes, knowledge of taxonomic principles and zoological nomenclature, work with scientific collections ability to work independently and in a team, are highly desirable. 

Selection will be based on scientific merits including the quality of the PhD thesis and published scientific work, as well as documented competence in subjects of relevance for the research project.

The application must include;

- Curriculum Vitae

- List of scientific publications 

- Copy of PhD diploma

OTHER
We advance our knowledge of the natural world, inspiring to better care of our planet. Our ambition is that the employees of The Swedish Museum of Natural History shall represent the diversity in Sweden and we welcome every applicant.

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