Ph.D. position in insect-microbe coevolution

Location: Laboratory of Insect Symbiosis, Institute of Entomology,
Biology Centre in Èeské Budìjovice, Czechia (https://bucek-lab.org)

Supervision: Thomas Bourguignon (OIST, Japan) and Ale¹ Buèek
Starting date: April 2024 (negotiable)
Application deadlines: March 14, 2024

Project outline:

Termites host diverse symbiotic communities in their guts consisting
of protists, archaea, and bacteria. Termite colonies also host
inside their nests diverse arthropods - particularly rove beetles
(Staphylinidae:Aleocharinae). The Ph.D. project will focus on the study
of this tripartite termite-beetle-microbe association, which evolved
many times independently but has never been investigated. The successful
candidate will use phylogenetics and comparative genomics of bacterial
symbionts of both termites and termitophiles to study the coevolution
between termites, their microbes, and their termitophilous beetles. We
have already generated sequence data for a large number of termites,
termitophilous beetles, and the non-termitophilous relatives of beetles
and have extensive collections of preserved specimens, which will give the
Ph.D. candidate a head start with their analyses. Collection of additional
specimens is encouraged if the successful candidate wants to do fieldwork.

We require
- curiosity and enthusiasm about insects and their evolution
- excellent written and spoken communication ability in English
- MSc degree in biology, bioinformatics, or related fields

We offer
- supportive research environment with an international community
  situated in a green campus of the most bicycle-friendly city in
  Czechia
- starting monthly net compensation based on previous experience ~ 1,000-
  1,200 EUR consisting of student scholarship and salary, competitive
  within Czechia (note that the living cost is generally lower in
  Czechia compared to countries in Western Europe)
- participation in international collaborations (especially Japan)

The following previous experience will be seen favorably:
Evolutionary biology | termite and/or beetle taxonomy | R/Python/Bash |
wet lab experience with next-generation sequencing | bioinformatics and
next-generation sequence data analysis | phylogenetics

Apply by sending a single pdf including a motivation letter
(~ 1 page), CV, and contact information for two reference
persons (one of them preferably a previous supervisor) to
Thomas Bourguignon (Thomas.bourgui@gmail.com) and Ale¹ Buèek
(ales.bucek@entu.cas.cz). Inquiries for further details are welcome.

Ales Bucek <bucek.ales@gmail.com>

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