The Biodiversity and Population genetics lab of Chloé Schmidt at
Dalhousie University is inviting applications for a PhD position. Our
team studies big-picture questions surrounding spatial patterns of
biodiversity from a population genetics perspective. Students will work
with and contribute to building a large database of population-level
microsatellite datasets in terrestrial vertebrates and potentially other
taxonomic groups. The position will be fully computational with no field
or lab component.

Potential PhD projects include either urban evolutionary ecology
or the biogeography of genetic diversity, depending on student
interests. The urban ecology and evolution project will focus on
understanding within-city variation in genetic diversity across
Canadian cities, particularly the role of socioeconomic factors and
relationships between wildlife genetic diversity across species and
neighborhood racial composition. Projects on the biogeography of genetic
diversity will focus on describing multi-species patterns of genetic
diversity from continental to global scales and understanding how
these patterns are related to environmental factors and other aspects
of biodiversity. For more information about the kind of work we do,
please see our research themes and publications on the lab website:
https://www.schmidt-biodiversity-lab.org/

Applications are welcome from those curious about evolutionary ecology,
population genetics, biogeography, and macroecology who are interested
in developing quantitative skills (R coding, geographic information
systems [GIS], and statistical modeling including hierarchical modeling
and modeling spatial data). Previous experience with these topics is a
bonus, but not required! If these types of research questions interest
you please don't hesitate to get in touch.

The position is based in Halifax, Canada. Preferred start date is
September 2025 or January 2026 (this is flexible). The position is
fully funded.

To apply, please send (1) a motivation letter describing your reasons for
applying, your research interests and how they intersect with those of the
lab; (2) a CV; and (3) contact information for two academic references
to Chloé Schmidt (chloe.schmidt@dal.ca). Review of applications will
begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Chloe Schmidt <Chloe.Schmidt@dal.ca>

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