PhD position: Evolutionary Physiology of Avian Energetics

THE RESEARCH PROJECT

We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to investigate the ecological
and evolutionary significance of major energy metabolites (glucose and
fatty acids) circulating in avian blood.

Despite the central role of glucose and fatty acids in energy
metabolism, we still lack an understanding of how variation in their
circulating levels influences individual fitness and shapes life
history evolution.

The successful candidate will address these fundamental questions
within a project funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR). The
project provides a unique opportunity to learn and apply diverse
methodological approaches:
1. Within-species approach utilising extensive longitudinal
physiological data from a long-term study of barn swallows
2. Macroevolutionary comparative analyses across passerine birds,
including tropical species
3. Metabolic phenotyping utilising targeted metabolomics and enzyme
activity assays
4. Advanced statistical methods, including application of reaction
norm analysis, segmented regression, quantitative genetics, Bayesian
phylogenetic comparative models, and path analysis

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

The successful candidate will join the Avian Evolutionary Ecology
Group at the Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of
Sciences, Brno (IVB CAS), under the supervision of Dr Oldrich Tomasek.
The research group, led by Prof Tomas Albrecht, is a dynamic team of
full-time researchers, postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduates
focusing on evolutionary ecology and physiology of birds. The
candidate will have the opportunity to work with other team members
and national and international collaborators.

As IVB is a dedicated research institute, the candidate will enrol in
the four-year PhD program at either Masaryk University (Brno) or
Charles University (Prague), two of the leading research universities
in Central Europe.

FUNDING AND BENEFITS

The position is funded through a combination of research grant salary
and tax-free student stipend. The total net income for PhD students is
guaranteed by recent legislation of the Czech Republic to ensure a
comfortable standard of living. Additionally, IVB provides affordable
accommodation in modern, well-equipped student apartments,
significantly reducing living costs.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:
-  strong motivation for research at the intersection of evolutionary
ecology and physiology
-  good verbal and written communication in English
-  MSc degree in Biology or related fields (in early fall 2026 at the latest)

The following experience is an advantage:
-  capturing and handling birds, lab work, statistical analysis in R,
manuscript writing and publication

HOW TO APPLY

Please merge the following documents into a single PDF and start the
file name with your surname:
-  CV with standard details, research interests, previous experience,
list of publications (if any)
-  motivation letter (max. 400 words)
-  contact information of previous mentors for references (preferable
but not required)

Submit your application at https://forms.gle/AFkpt4foeV5i8Zda9

Review of the applications begins on March 16, 2026, and continues
until the position is filled. Official PhD enrolment is in June or
October 2026, with the opportunity to start earlier in May as a
research assistant.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND CONTACT

For more information or if you cannot access the submission form, do
not hesitate to contact me at tomasek@ivb.cz.

Oldrich Tomasek
Institute of Vertebrate Biology
Czech Academy of Sciences
Kvetna 8, 603 00 Brno

E-mail: tomasek@ivb.cz
https://www.ivb.cz/en/person/oldrich-tomasek/
bit.ly/tomasekscholar

Oldrich Tomasek <tomasek@ivb.cz>

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