********************GradStudentPositions******************** Graduate position: BC-CAS_Czechia.ButterflyGenomicsHighElevations PhD Position: Genomics of butterflies at high elevations (Please, feel free to distribute to all potential candidates) Closing date: May 8, 2026 We are seeking a motivated PhD student to join our international team at the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences. You will be part of an exciting research project aimed at understanding rapid evolution and adaptation in butterflies flying at high elevations. The goal of the PhD work is to infer signatures of genetic adaptation in Pierini white butterflies in the tropical Andes, and to study population structure and differentiation along elevational gradients. You will have the opportunity to generate new genome assemblies and whole-genome resequencing for butterflies that are only found at 1,500-4,000 m in the Andes. The focus of the research is on Phulia and Leptophobia, two rapidly diversifying genera with high-elevation specialists of independent origins. You will benefit from international networking, hands-on training and research mobility, working within a collaborative and multidisciplinary team. Priority will be given to candidates who have co-authored at least one scientific publication (submitted or accepted). Experience with population genetics, bioinformatics and/or comparative genomics is advantageous for this position. Required qualifications: Masters degree in biology or related fields (awarded before start). Good communication skills in English. Independence and documented research productivity. Funding and Environment: The position is fully funded through a combination of research grant salary and student stipend. The PhD program (4 years) is based at the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia (https://www.prf.jcu.cz/en). The research facility at the Biology Centre CAS (https://www.entu.cas.cz/en/) is in Ceske Budejovice, a charming historical city in the south of the country, within easy reach of Prague and Vienna. Our working environment (Department of Ecology, Institute of Entomology) is highly diverse and international. How to apply: Send your application in English to pavel.matos@entu.cas.cz, consisting of one single PDF containing the following: Cover letter, outlining your motivation, how your background and skills fit the project, and your potential plans within the research focus of this position (max. 2 pages). CV, including contact details of at least two referees familiar with your work. The deadline for applications is May 8, 2026. The top ranked candidates will be selected for an interview in English. The start date is expected in autumn 2026 (Czechia). For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Dr. Pavel Matos-Maravi Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Branisovska 31, 37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia Email: pavel.matos@entu.cas.cz Web: https://pavelmatos.wordpress.com/ Matos Maravi Pavel Fortunato (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************GradStudentPositions******************** THE PROJECT A fully-funded PhD studentship (tuition waiver, stipend, and research & training budget) is available at the University of Aberdeen, with Dr Catherine Sheard as lead supervisor. The project, 'Trait-based drivers of the ornamental plant trade', combines macroevolutionary methods, global databases of plant traits, and cultural evolution techniques to understand the forces shaping temporal, spatial, and taxonomic variation in the household plant trade. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a 'CASE partner', facilitating further opportunities for collaboration and skill development. ELIGIBILITY UK 'Home' students (e.g., 'settled' UK citizens or permanent residents, refugees, and other eligible categories) only. DEADLINE Apply by April 22. START DATE September 2026. WANT TO LEARN MORE? Please see https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/quartiles-dla-case-trait-based-drivers-of-the-ornamental-plant-trade/?p191547 for more information about the project and for instructions on how to apply. Best wishes, Catherine Dr Catherine Sheard (she/her) Interdisciplinary Fellow School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen catherine.sheard@abdn.ac.uk The University of Aberdeen is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013683. Tha Oilthigh Obar Dheathain na charthannas cl�raichte ann an Alba, �ir. SC013683. "Sheard, Catherine" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************PostDocs******************** The Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, (GEE) at University College London (UCL) is organised into six Centres, with cross-cutting research interests, and close links with other organisations, including the Francis Crick Institute, the Natural History Museum, and The Zoological Society of London. The department has a long and rich history across many biological topics, a summary of which can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/life-sciences/gee GEE is grouped into six centres that are especially interested in the following research areas: Institute of Healthy Aging: Ageing, age-related disease; interventions improving late-life health in model systems (e.g. cellular senescence); applying computational approaches to ageing and late-life disease (AI, big data, medical genomics). Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research: Evolution in response to environmental change; theoretical ecology/evolution; community or behavioural ecology (especially in plants, insects, fungi or microbes); biodiversity and its contributions to human health and well-being. Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution: Centre for Life's Origins and Evolution: Origins and diversification of major groups of life; comparative genomics; evolution of cells and cell types; invertebrate palaeontology, plant and fungal evolutionary genomics, experimental evolution. UCL Centre for Computational Biology: Big data and computation; computational genomics; computational phylogenomics. UCL Genetics Institute: Computational approaches to biology or medicine; computational tool development and applying them to genomic data; high-throughput bioinformatics, statistical genetics; metagenomics. UCL East People and Nature Lab: Cross-disciplinary solutions hub bringing together expertise from ecology, computer science, public health, built environment and social science to gather evidence on how we can best manage our natural resources for a sustainable and resilient future. About the role GEE invites Expressions of Interest from Early Career Researchers (ECRs) who wish to be sponsored to apply for external fellowships to establish an independent research group. GEE offers a world-class, interactive and supportive research environment within the Division of Biosciences at UCL. We are strongly committed to recruiting and supporting the most promising ECRs who choose to secure a Group Leader Fellowship as their route to becoming a Principal Investigator. This policy applies to senior fellowships such as Wellcome Trust Henry Dale, MRC CDA, BBSRC David Phillips, NERC IRF, Royal Society URF, CRUK, ERC Starting Grants and equivalent fellowships. The deadline for this round is 30 April 2026 *Important* Salary is provided by the external award that is secured in future applications to the relevant fellowship schemes. UCL will not provide salary whilst the supported fellows apply for the fellowship schemes. Applications need to be submitted via this link https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs/apply?jobId=Q1KFK026203F3VBQBLO8M8M07-42816&langCode=en_GB About you We are looking for candidates of the highest calibre, able to demonstrate an exceptional track record in relation to their career stage, and have the potential to submit competitive fellowship applications and secure external funding. Your initial application will be pre-assessed by several members of staff. We will also identify the researcher in GEE closest to your field, who will act as your sponsor and guide you through the selection process. If selected as a suitable candidate following pre-assessment, you will be invited to deliver a research talk to present your recent work and fellowship plans. This is planned to occur in early June 2026. You will get the chance to meet our staff and students and view our facilities. In addition, you will get the opportunity to meet current GEE fellows, including those who have progressed to permanent positions within the department, and learn about the supportive and stimulating environment we offer. Where a visit is not possible, the discussion will be conducted online. Following a positive outcome of the visit, we will identify a sponsor(s) to support your fellowship application. Eligibility: Candidates should confirm their eligibility for specific fellowship schemes and will be required to provide evidence of eligibility to work in the UK before commencing any fellowship offered. To apply, please ensure to attach the following: 1. Your CV that includes a list of publications (2 pages maximum). 2. A brief (2 pages maximum) document outlining your research proposal that will form your first fellowship application. 3. A list of fellowship schemes you are planning to apply for (the main ones are listed on our website), checking your eligibility for the schemes. 4. A document (1 page maximum) describing how you see yourself and your research fitting into the department. What we offer We provide support to ensure that fellows can successfully establish their own research group, have opportunities to gain teaching skills and play a full role in the running of the department. Our commitment starts with academic and administrative support at the application and interview stages and continues throughout the tenure of the fellowship, with regular career development and mentoring programmes. We expect fellows to develop into strong candidates for Principal Investigator positions in the department or elsewhere. In line with this ethos, a large proportion of our past departmental fellows have progressed to permanent positions in GEE. For further details visit our fellowship homepage: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/biosciences/gee/fellowships For informal enquiries and more information, please contact the GEE Fellowship Coordinators: Prof David Murrell d.murrell@ucl.ac.uk Prof Hernán Burbano h.burbano@ucl.ac.uk Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality. Professor David Murrell Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Medawar Building Gower Street London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom Programme Lead for MRes Biosciences https://www.ucl.ac.uk/biosciences/study/masters/mres-biosciences Personal research website http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbtdjm/Site/Home.html Telephone: 020 31087696 Email: d.murrell@ucl.ac.uk David Murrell (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Dear all, We are pleased to announce the upcoming online Physalia course "Phylogenetic Comparative Methods in R" (6th edition), taking place from 15-19 June. Course website: ( https://www.physalia-courses.org/courses-workshops/course44/ ) This five-day hands-on course is designed for advanced students, researchers, and professionals interested in applying phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate trait evolution, diversification rates, and historical biogeography. Participants will work with ultrametric (time-calibrated) phylogenies and real datasets, gaining practical experience in generating chronograms, reconstructing trait evolution, and interpreting results in an evolutionary context. Each day combines lectures with practical tutorials in R, covering topics such as: Generating and manipulating ultrametric trees Bayesian and likelihood approaches for dating and trait evolution Phylogenetic independent contrasts, phylogenetic PCA, and ancestral state reconstruction Modelling diversification, adaptive radiations, and historical biogeography Students will work on instructor-provided datasets and are encouraged to bring their own data for guidance on setting up analyses. The course assumes basic knowledge of molecular evolution and some familiarity with R, though guidance will be provided throughout. For the full list of our courses and workshops, please visit: ( https://www.physalia-courses.org/courses-workshops/course44/ ) Best regards, Carlo Carlo Pecoraro, Ph.D Physalia-courses DIRECTOR info@physalia-courses.org mobile: +49 17645230846 ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/physalia-courses-a64418127/ ) "info@physalia-courses.org" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************WorkshopsCourses******************** Genomics Data Analysis Course: ConGen 2026 Theme: Applications of genomics in ecology, evolution, and conservation. see: www.umt.edu/congen/ Course Objective: To provide training in conceptual and practical approaches using genomic data to address key research questions. You will learn the coalescent-, Bayesian-, and likelihood-based approaches. We emphasize next-generation sequencing data analysis (RAD-seq, DNA-capture, whole genomes) and the interpretation of output from important statistical approaches, pipelines, and software, taught by 15 + expert instructors. You'll learn R and Linux and take raw reads through to genotype calling, assemble a genome, estimate pop effective sizes (Ne), inbreeding, detect selection (landscape genomics), estimate gene flow & dispersal rates, parentage, & more. Who should apply: Advanced undergraduates, M.S. and Ph.D. students, post-docs, faculty, and PIs with a basic understanding of population genetics. We teach R and Linux skills the first weeks to ensure your success. Overseas participation is common, strongly encouraged, and facilitated by video-recordings of lectures. Where: Online (Zoom). Lectures are video-recorded for asynchronous participation (e.g., by overseas participants). When: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 8-9:50 AM (Mountain time, USA), Sept 24th - Nov. 13th (20 + lectures) Instructors: Eric Anderson, Ellie Armstrong, Chris Funk, Marty Kardos, Brenna Forester, Will Hemstrom, Paul Hohenlohe, Gordon Luikart, Rena Schweizer, Arun Sethuraman, Bruce Rannala, Steve Spear, Robin Waples, Schuyler Liphardt, and more... For more details and to Apply see: www.umt.edu/congen/ Registration: costs $890 and includes all lectures and video-recorded Q&A sessions for later viewing, hands-on exercises with worksheets & genomic datasets, PowerPoint slides, recommended readings, and individual advice from instructors on your research. Course credit: 3 course credits are available through The Univ of Montana (BIOB 595 Pop Gen Data Analysis). Selected lecture topics: see www.umt.edu/congen/. The history and role of genomics in population genetic and conservation - a thorough overview! Pop genomics: Concepts and tools to answer eco-evo questions R & Linux basics, FastQ file format for next-generation sequencing data Scripting, data handling, & organizing bioinformatics projects Probability, Bayesian statistics, MCMC, and genotype likelihood calculations The Coalescent: Theory and applications Raw sequence read filtering and genotype calling (with and without a reference genome) Filtering (QC) best practices, and effects of Filtering choices on downstream analyses Inbreeding and runs of homozygosity (RoH) Genome sequencing and assembly: Conceptual and practical aspects *PacBio, and Nanopore representatives will present recent technologies and services Inferring population structure and conservation units Effective population size estimation Assignment tests for quantifying gene flow, dispersal, and forensics testing (WGSassign, GeneClass) Gene flow estimation (BayesAss - a new version) Hybridization quantification (IM models) Detecting local adaptation and adaptive loci (Landscape Genomics) Phylogeny and phylogenomics eDNA Metabarcoding applications (biodiversity monitoring, diet analysis, microbiomes, etc.) Past course review publications: Hendricks et al. 2018: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eva.12659; Rena Schweizer et al. 2021: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab019 Schiebelhut et al 2023: doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13893 ; Hemstrom et al. 2024: Next-generation data filtering. doi: 10.1038/s41576-024-00738-6 *We teach a similar course in Ecuador in Jan. 2028 (with optional trip to the Galapagos Islands, & a cloud forest field station) "gordon.luikart@mso.umt.edu" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Conferences******************** As a joint effort across three current CIHR Health Research Training Platforms, registration is now open for a national One Health-focused research meeting at Dalhousie University, July 6-9 that will hopefully be of interest to ICG members! The meeting will cover evolutionary topics related to emerging zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and bioinformatics. We aim to have a strong trainee focus complemented by talks from leading Canadian researchers and training workshops on topics such as research data management and outbreak response. There is plenty of trainee opportunities to present, informative methodologically-focused talks, and an optional hands-on set of biosecurity-focused tours and talks at the agricultural campus. Registration is only $50 (+$20 for the conference dinner and ag-campus trip) for the full 3.5-day meeting. The program and full details can be found at https://zambi.ca Please register if you are interested in attending or speaking! Cheers, Fin Dr. Finlay Maguire Assistant Professor Computer Science and Community Health & Epidemiology Dalhousie University Lab Website: maguire-lab.github.io Finlay Maguire (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Conferences******************** The American Society of Naturalists Proposals for Symposia at the ASN stand-alone meeting in Long Island 2027 Due April 30, 2026 The American Society of Naturalists will be holding an East Coast meeting in 2027 (https://www.amnat.org/announcements/ASN-mtg-2027.html) in Glen Cove, New York (our biennial stand-alone conference - Long Island 2027) on 8-12 January 2027! Have an idea for a special symposium? We want to hear it! The ASN Symposium Committee invites you to submit proposals for a special symposium. Proposed symposium topics should support the Society's goal to advance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences and to further knowledge in evolution, ecology, behavior, and organismal biology. Topics could center around important emerging issues in evolution, ecology, or behavior or focus on a pivotal historical paper, tracing its impact and exploring current cutting-edge research inspired by this work. A budget of up to $5,000 is available to defray travel, registration, and lodging costs for speakers. Proposals should include (1) a title; (2) a description of the symposium topic (up to one page); (3) a list of six speakers, including institutional affiliations, who have agreed to participate in the symposium; (4) a justification for the symposium, explaining why the topic and speakers are appropriate for an ASN symposium (up to one page). Please submit proposals by email (cas383@miami.edu) no later than midnight Eastern Time on April 30, 2026. Send your proposal as a single pdf attachment, under subject heading 'ASN Long Island 2027 Symposium Proposal'. In line with the ASN's commitment to diversity, we encourage including speakers from groups who have been historically excluded from STEM. Therefore, proposals that include a diverse list of speakers from a range of backgrounds, institutions, career stages, geography, gender, race, etc. are especially encouraged. The Society's selection committee will evaluate proposals based on their potential to attracting substantial audience and stimulate discussion, the significance and timeliness of the topic, and on the topic's differing substantively from recent symposia hosted by the Society. Applicants will be notified of the decision before the end of May 2026. Christopher Searcy ASN Symposium Committee Chair Department of Biology University of Miami cas383@miami.edu "Fuller, Becky Claire" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)