Graduate position: UBarcelona.PlasticityColorationMayfly PhD position (4 years) fully funded studying "Phenotypic plasticity versus phenotypic determinism: colour variations in the mayfly Cloeon dipterum (COLOREON Project)" University of Barcelona, Spain. The Almudi lab located at the Genetics, Microbiology & Statistics Department, at the University of Barcelona is offering one PhD student contract. Project: The laboratory is interested in understanding the adaptation to different environments and the origin of new organs during the radiation of winged insects. During the last years, the laboratory has established the mayfly species, Cloeon dipterum, as an emergent model organism to investigate insect evolution and evolutionary novelties (see Pallares-Albanell, Ortega et al., (2024), Almudi et al., (2020) Nat Comms 11,2631; Almudi et al., (2019) Evodevo 10, 6). The specific aim of the COLOREON project is studying the evolution of the regulatory networks responsible for the phenotypic plasticity observed in mayfly nymphs and the sexual dimorphism occurring in mayfly adults. The project will combine state-of- the-art functional genomics, transcriptomics, advanced imaging, genome editing methods, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) Eligibility: Successful candidates will have a keen interest in developmental and/or evolutionary biology. The ideal candidate will have some experience/interest in both wet lab, bioinformatics and/or insect biology, although this is not strictly necessary as training will be provided. We expect the candidate to be creative, and enthusiastic to work in a multi-disciplinary team. Job description: We are offering a 4-year Predoc contract associated to the PID2023-151401NB-I00 project, funded by the Spanish Research Council. Remuneration (fixed by UB) will range from ~18000 euro (1st year) - 23000 euro (4th year) gross/year. The expected starting date is beginning of 2025. Working environment and life in Barcelona: The candidate will be enrolled in the Genetics doctoral program from the University of Barcelona. This is a very multidisciplinary program that covers basic and applied research and that helps developing training competences. The candidate will also benefit from the international and collaborative atmosphere of our research group and of the Department and the Institute de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio).The department offers a privileged environment, including the so-called "Barcelona Evo-Devo School", with an excellent international community. The team is committed to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and friendly working environment, as well as promoting your career development. Barcelona is a cosmopolitan and vibrant city and a major cultural, economic, and financial centre in southwestern Europe. Application procedure: Interested candidates should submit a single pdf file with a motivation letter, a short description of current and past research projects, their CV, and contact details of 2 referees to ialmudi@ub.edu. Deadline: 31st, August 2024. The application will be formalized in September 2024 (from September 9th until Sept. 27th) Starting date is expected to be beginning of 2025. For more information, please check https://www.mayflyecoevodevo.com/home or contact ialmudi@ub.edu. Sophie Tandonnet (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)