A Postdoc Position in Evolution of Stag Beetle's Weapons & Fighting
Behaviors (NTNU, Taipei, Taiwan)

A 3-year postdoc is available in the Department of Life Science at the
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), Taipei, Taiwan, starting
on August 1, 2025 for an innovative and motivated person to work on
research topics related to the evolution of weapons & fighting behaviors
in stag beetles and related insects. The position is funded by the NSTC
(National Science & Technology Council, Taiwan) grants.

Project:
Evolutionarily innovative traits represent one of the most exciting
topics of modern biological research in understanding adaptive
diversification. Males of many animal species use weapons in direct
physical combats with rival males over access to resources critical
for survival and reproduction, such as food, females and breeding
sites. Animal weapons exhibit a remarkable diversity in forms and often
evolve to reach extreme size and attain elaborate shapes. Equipped with
exaggerated mandibular weapons, the stag beetle (Lucanidae) is one of
the insect groups with the most diverse weapon forms. The project will
investigate the evolution of weapon forms, fighting behavior and fighting
assessment strategy in Odontolabis stag beetles, which exhibit a diverse
polymorphism of distinct male morphs with unique weapon forms.

References:
1. Nasif B. S., R. J A Guilani, S. Ramezanpour, A. Toofani, S. H Eraghi,
G. Goss, C-P. Lin, S. Gorb and H. Rajabi(2025) Engineering the battle:
Design-specific analysis of stag beetle mandibles for combat efficiency.
PNAS Nexuspgaf205, (accepted) doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf205

2. Chen H., S-P. Huang, C-P. Lin, Z-Y. Chen and Y. Hsu(2024) Energetically
costly weaponry in the large morph of male stag beetles.  Journal of
Zoology324: 277-286 doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13222

3. Weber, J. N., W. Kojima, R. P. Boisseau, T. Niimi, S. Morita,
S. Shigenobu, H. Gotoh, K. Araya, C-P. Lin, C. Thomas-Bulle,
C. E. Allen, W. Tong, L. C. Lavine, B. O. Swanson and D. J. Emlen(2023)
Evolution of horn length and lifting strength in the Japanese
rhinoceros beetleTrypoxylus dichotomus.  Current Biology33: 1-13
doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.066

4. Chen, Z-Y., C-P. Lin and Y. Hsu(2022) Stag beetleCyclommatus
mniszechiemploys both mutual- and self-assessment strategies
in male-male combat.  Behavioural Processes22: 104750
doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104750

5. Chen, Z-Y., Y. Hsu and C-P. Lin(2020) Allometry and fighting behaviour
of a dimorphic stag beetleCyclommatus mniszechi(Coleoptera: Lucanidae).
Insects11(2), 81 January 23 2020 doi.org:10.3390/insects11020081

Requirement:
1. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for either leading
hypothesis-driven field/laboratory experiments, or the analyses of
genomic-scale DNA sequence data sets. The applicant is also encouraged
to develop an independent project based on applicant's expertise and
the study systems.

2. The successful applicant must have demonstrated expertise in field
research, behavioral ecology, behavioral studies, population genetics,
phylogenetics, genomics, or computational statistics and modeling.

3. Preference will be given to candidates with: (1) Background
in behavioral ecology & behavioral studies, (2) Experience of high
performance computing, (2) The ability to develop and apply statistical
or computational methods to solve biological problems, (3) Expertise
in research on adaptation, theoretical models of evolution, or trait
divergence.

Application:
To apply, please contact Prof. Chung-Ping Lin by e-mail
(treehopper@ntnu.edu.tw), with a message title "postdoc application
2025", and attach a single PDF file containing: 1) a cover letter, 2)
a CV, 3) a brief 2-page statement of research interests, and how your
research skills can contribute to project objectives, and 4) contact
information for three references.

Salary & Deadline:
The position will be available from 2025/08/01 to 2028/07/31 (re-newable
based on the performance). The exact starting date is negotiable.

A monthly post-doc salary of ~ $65,000 NTD ($2,200 USD) will be offered,
including retirement plan, health benefits, and a year-ending bonus of
1.5-month salary. The average living cost in Taipei, Taiwan is about
1/2 of that in major cities of the USA.

The deadline for application is 2025/08/01. The position will remain
open until a suitable candidate is found.

More information:
Prof. Chung Ping Lin's lab: 
http://arachsociety.tw/systevo/index.php?page=home&lang=en
Department of Life Science in NTNU: 
https://www.biol.ntnu.edu.tw/index.php/en/home_en/
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU): 
https://en.ntnu.edu.tw/

Treehopper <treehopper@ntnu.edu.tw>

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