We have an opening for a postdoc position (Research Assistant in UK terminology) within the Parsons lab where we study the evolutionary divergence of sticklebacks in relation to geothermally warmed waters. Information on the study system can be found in recent publications: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.17.638600v1 https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10907 https://doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac018 You will be based at Glasgow and contribute to a BBSRC funded project: Mechanisms of gut-brain axis involvement in ectotherm thermotolerance: how the gut brain axis helps animals weather the heat? working with Kevin Parsons (Glasgow), and co-PI Alexandre Benedetto (Lancaster) as well as collaboration with Jason Chin (Queen's University Belfast) and Phillip Donkersley (Lancaster). The successful candidate will join this team and focus on thermally-driven variation in microbiomes associated with threespine stickleback populations inhabiting geothermally-warmed habitats. However, this is part of a much larger project which aims to test for common core microbiota related to thermotolerance across a range of species (e.g. worms, bees, fish). Experiments and analysis will operate within an evolutionary framework to provide a deeper understanding of microbiome function, and will contribute to a broader insight into how populations of ectotherms could respond to climate change. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications as well as help manage and direct this project as opportunities allow. Specifically, the project will develop a unique natural gut microbial collection and identify gut microbes with thermoprotective potential. Approaches will involve shotgun-metagenomics, assisting with the isolation and cultivation of gut bacteria associated with heat adaptation, identifying genetic and developmental variation associated with heat adaptation, experimental manipulations of gut bacteria, and identification of gut/brain gene-expression changes associated with heat adaptation. More details and formal processes can be found here: https://www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/research-assistant-70 We seek candidates who excel at teamwork to join a social and friendly team of researchers within the Parsons' lab. Field work will take place in Iceland will collaborators at Holar University, with regular meetings with team members in Lancaster and Belfast. The position will provide the candidate with an exciting range of skillsets, working with microbiologists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists. Closing date: 24 November 2025 at 23:45 (UK time) Please be in touch @ kevin.parsons@glasgow.ac.uk for any questions We welcome international applicants and assistance with work visas is provided by the university. Dr. Kevin Parsons Editor in Chief - Evolutionary Biology School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Veterinary Medicine University of Glasgow Phone: +44 (0) 0141 330 5974 https://sites.google.com/site/kevinparsonslab/home http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm/staff/kevinparsons/ Kevin.Parsons@glasgow.ac.uk (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)