PhD student in plant evolution

Are you passionate about studying how flowers have convergently evolved in response to bee pollinators? We are now looking for a PhD student in plant evolution to join us at the
Plant Ecology and Evolution program
, Department of Ecology and Genetics.
The Department of Ecology and Genetics
(IEG) is an international environment with staff and students from all over the world. We are part of the Evolutionary Biology Center (EBC) which is a prime environment for graduate students interested in addressing fundamental and applied biological questions through an evolutionary perspective.

Project description

Convergent evolution in buzz-pollinated flowers
Convergent evolution, where similar traits evolve repeatedly across independent biological groups is a recurrent and important phenomenon in the history of life. In most studies of convergent evolution, similarity in function is assumed from similarity on phenotype (form). However, in principle, it is possible that similar traits evolve independently without functioning in the same way.
To date, few studies have explicitly compared similarity in form and function across a taxonomically broad sample of convergent plant lineages, and this is the main knowledge gap that the PhD student will address here. As a model system, we will study flowers that are pollinated by vibration-producing bees (buzz pollinated flowers). These flowers are one of the most widespread examples of convergent evolution in plants, encompassing more than 20,000 species. Our project will study independent origins of buzz pollinated flowers to: (1) evaluate the extent of convergence in key floral traits across plants in several plant families, (2) test specific hypotheses for the function of buzz pollinated flowers across independent evolutionary origins, and (3) combine analyses of trait and functional convergence to understand the pathways of convergence and evolutionary novelty in plants.

Duties

The PhD student will work with both bumblebees and with recently developed bee-size robotic shakers ( robo-buzzers) to explore form and function of buzz pollinated flowers. This is an experimentally focused project that requires skills for working with delicate electronic equipment, careful experimentation, and handling live bees. The student should be willing to learn the use and troubleshooting of electronic and mechanical hardware and corresponding software. Floral characterization will include the use of X-ray micro-computed tomography. Other tasks include growing and caring for plants in the glasshouse and maintaining bumblebee colonies.
The PhD student is also expected to actively participate in the academic activities of our research group (including attending weekly meetings), develop analytical frameworks, prepare manuscripts for publication, and present their work at national and international meetings.
Qualifications required
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must:
Hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in biology, evolutionary biology, plant biology, or electrical engineering or have completed at least 240 credits in higher education with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.
Be able to work closely with plants and bees.
Be able to handle and effectively use delicate and complex electro-mechanical equipment and associated software.
Candidates must be able to express themselves fully in spoken as well as written English.
Qualifications desired
Knowledge of ecological and evolutionary theory
Demonstrated capacity to design and troubleshoot experiments
Experience of working with technically complex electro-mechanical equipment
Knowledge of basic biophysical and biomechanical principles
Experience with statistical analyses and associated software (e.g., R, MatLab)
Previous experience with plant and bee work
Academic writing skills appropriate for their career stage
Familiarity with pollination biology
Capacity to work as part of a team and contribute to the academic development of more junior members

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 §7. Scope of employment: full-time. Starting date 1 March 2027 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala
.
Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in
Uppsala University's rules and guidelines
.
For further information about the position, please contact
Professor, Mario Vallejo-Marin, mario.vallejo-marin@ebc.uu.se

Application instructions

The application should include:
A concise letter describing your research interests, the motivation for why you want to pursue a Ph.D., your interest in this specific project, and your suitability for the position, specifically addressing how you fulfill the qualifications mentioned in the ad, your CV, including your education, research experience, and references to publications if applicable, names and contact details of two referees (email addresses, institution, and phone numbers).
Use of AI when applying
:
For the letter in (1), we are most interested in reading your personal voice, so we expect you not to rely on AI tools to write the letter for you. If you do use AI, include a statement explaining what you used it for. The application should be written in English.
You are welcome to submit your application no later than
17 January 2027
. UFV-PA
2026/3445
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