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From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Donald Price [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2016 6:05 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Graduate Position: UNLV.HawaiianDrosophila.BehavioralGenomics

A PhD Assistantship position is available in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

The successful student will be supported through a combination of RA and TA positions. The student will become part of a vibrant, interdisciplinary research team investigating the evolutionary genetics, ecology, and behavior of Hawaiian picture-winged Drosophila in Dr. Donald Price’s laboratory (https://sites.google.com/a/unlv.edu/donald-price/). The student will enroll in the PhD program in Biological Sciences with a start date for the position of August 2017.

Project Summary - The spectacular diversity of the ca. 120 species of Hawaiian picture-wing Drosophila display highly divergent behavioral, ecological and morphological traits. The overarching goal of this project is to determine the functional genomics underlying adaptive radiation for three Hawaiian picture-wing Drosophila species. Recombinant inbred lines between D. silvestris and D. heteroneura and between D. silvestrisand D. planitibia will be created and the genomes of each line sequenced. RNA-seq analysis will be conducted in targeted tissues to analyze the tissue-specific gene expression profiles and phenotypic traits will be measured that differ between species that play critical roles in adaptation, reproduction and reproductive isolation between species. The combined analysis of genome sequence analysis, RNA-seq profiling and phenotypic trait analysis in these recombinant lines will allow for an understanding of the role of structural genomic and gene expression in the development and expression of phenotypic traits important in adaptive divergence.  The graduate student will be engaged in each phase of this project with a focus on analyzing the genomes and phenotypic traits in the recombinant lines.  The graduate student will be expected to develop independent research projects.

The student must meet admission requirements to the PhD program of the School of Life Sciences (https://www.unlv.edu/lifesciences/admissions). Additionally, to be considered for this position, the student ideally will have: a) completed a master’s degree or graduated by August 2017. Someone with a Bachelor’s degree with extensive research experience may qualify; b) performed laboratory or field research in evolutionary or behavioral genetics as part of master’s degree research; c) published (or in prep.) one or more manuscripts from a research project from master’s degree research or other research. The student should be self-motivated, able to work in teams, and have an interest in working and living in southern Nevada and being part of UNLV graduate and research programs.

The School of Life Sciences is one of the largest academic units on the UNLV campus. It has 30 full-time faculty members, 10 adjunct and research faculty, approximately 2000 undergraduate majors and 50 graduate students. Further information on the program and university is accessible via the School of Life Sciences website (http://www.unlv.edu/lifesciences). UNLV is an urban university surrounded by extensive public land including Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Desert National Wildlife Refuge, and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound year-round.

Interested candidates should email me ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) the following: (a) 1-page statement of interest outlining your background, coursework, research and publication experience including laboratory and fieldwork, research interests and career goals; (b) CV or resume including undergraduate and Master’s degrees and GPA, list of relevant coursework, and employment and professional experience; (c) names and contact information of three academic or professional references. In your email, please use a subject line of: Hawaiian Drosophila UNLV PhD Position Application (your name). We will contact applicants directly for further consideration.


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Donald K. Price, Ph.D.
Director and Professor
School of Life Sciences
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 S Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89154

School of Life Sciences:
Director Office: 702.895.2053<tel:(702)%20895-2053>
Office: 702.895.4456<tel:(702)%20895-4456>
Lab: 702.895.4457<tel:(702)%20895-4457>

[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

https://www.unlv.edu/lifesciences
https://sites.google.com/a/unlv.edu/donald-price/home

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