Fully funded, deep-sea biodiversity and vision research opportunities PhD, Postdoc & Program Manager positions available. The School of Biological Sciences and the University of Western Australia Oceans Institute (Perth) are offering several research opportunities in the context of species evolution, delimitation and description, behaviour, physiology, and functional morphology of visual and other sensory systems in deep sea (midwater) invertebrates. The project is supported by the Ocean Shot project (Sasakawa Peace Foundation) "Discovery in the largest frontier: advance imaging and genomics of open ocean animals" The project is run in collaboration with Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA. Our aim is to accelerate the process of species discovery, classification, and documentation in the largest and least explored habitat on earth - the deep, open ocean or midwater. We have four primary objectives. 1. Expediting species discovery. 2. Fast and accurate classification. 3. Understanding the role of newly discovered species in oceanic processes. And 4. building collaboration within the midwater science and engineering community. We will gather high-quality, biologically meaningful data about the morphology and sensory systems (with a focus on vision) of novel specimens using innovative in situ and ex situ imaging and sampling systems. Genome sequencing will produce reference libraries for a wide diversity of midwater invertebrates. At UWA we will develop and apply approaches such as bioinformatics, modelling, anatomy (including 3D microCT), electrophysiology, and behaviour to identify, document and describe novel species and their midwater communities. We are looking to assemble a dynamic and diversely skilled team to work together on this opportunity. We are looking for a program manager with an interest in deep sea biology, to bind it all together. Positions available at University of Western Australia: - Project/data manager (1+1+1 yrs) - Midwater invertebrate behavior postdoc (1+1+1 yrs) - PhD students (3.5 yrs) Contact for further information: Prof Jan Hemmi jan.hemmi@uwa.edu.au -- Karen Osborn Research Zoologist/Curator of Polychaetes, Peracarids and Plankton Department of Invertebrate Zoology w 202.633.3668 osbornk@si.edu http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4226-9257 Mail: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, MRC-163 P.O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 USA Courier Address: Smithsonian Institution, MR 0163, Natural History, West Loading Dock, 10th and Constitution Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20560 ** Due to my schedule, you may get an email outside of your normal working hours. Please do not feel that you need to respond outside of your normal working hours. ** "Osborn, Karen" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)