********************GradStudentPositions******************** We are advertising two PhD projects for highly motivated and enthusiastic students to study the evolution, development and genomics of sexual traits in stalk-eyed flies: *Project: Genomics and development of an exaggerated sexual trait in stalk-eyed flies * *Project: **The impact of climate change on sexually selected traits and its consequences for evolutionary fitness * *Deadline for applying: Wednesday, January 7, 2026* Lead supervisor: Dr Alison Wright, University of Sheffield ( a.e.wright@sheffield.ac.uk) *Project 1: Genomics and development of an exaggerated sexual trait in stalk-eyed flies* While most body parts grow in proportion to overall body size, many traits develop to become disproportionately elaborate or extended. These exaggerated appendages are costly to produce and are often present only in males. Why these traits arise, and how extreme growth is facilitated and uncoupled between males and females has fascinated biologists for centuries. This project will interrogate the genomic and developmental basis of an exaggerated sexual trait in stalk-eyed flies. Stalk-eyed flies are a classic model of sexual selection as they exhibit highly-exaggerated eye-stalks, with males often having an eye span greater than their body length. We will capitalise on recent advances in single-cell sequencing, bioimaging techniques and gene editing to provide transformative insights into longstanding questions about how exaggerated traits develop and evolve. Co-supervisors: Dr Matt Towers (U. Sheffield), Dr Domino Joyce (U. Hull), Prof Andrew Pomiankowski (UCL) & Prof Kanchon Dasmahapatra (U. York) For details on how to apply, including eligibility, see: https://www.yorkshirebiosciencedtp.ac.uk https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/bbsrc-yorkshire-bioscience-dla-programme-genomics-and-development-of-an-exaggerated-sexual-trait-in-stalk-eyed-flies/?p189983 *The Team* The PhD student will be joining a productive and collaborative research group in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield. There will be many opportunities to collaborate with ongoing work in the lab. For more details see www.alisonewright.co.uk. The applicant will also benefit from the diverse range of expertise offered by the co-supervisors. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Alison Wright, the lead supervisor, for more details on the group, project and facilities ( a.e.wright@sheffield.ac.uk). *Project 2: The impact of climate change on sexually selected traits and its consequences for evolutionary fitness* Sexual selection plays a key role in shaping traits that influence reproductive success, such as elaborate ornaments and courtship behaviors. These traits are costly to produce and maintain, making them highly sensitive to environmental stress. However, the impact of climate change stressors on sexually selected traits remains poorly understood. Disruption of sexual signaling can alter mate choice, reproductive success, and diminish population resilience, ultimately affecting species' ability to reproduce, adapt and persist in a warming world. We propose an interdisciplinary project that integrates experimental, ecological, theoretical and genomic approaches using stalk-eyed flies. The specific questions and approaches taken during the project can be tailored to the particular interests of the student. The student will be supervised by a diverse team with expertise in all aspects of the work, including single-cell genomics, sexual selection and reproduction, gene editing, experimental approaches, and stalk-eyed fly biology. Co-supervisors: Dr Vicky Lloyd (U. Sheffield), Dr Nic Hemmings (U. Sheffield), Dr Stu Wigby (U. Liverpool), Prof Andrew Pomiankowski (UCL) & Prof Kanchon Dasmahapatra (U. York) For details on how to apply, including eligibility, see: https://accedtp.ac.uk https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/acce-dla-programme-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-sexually-selected-traits-and-its-consequences-for-evolutionary-fitness/?p189806 Dr Alison Wright Senior Lecturer School of Biosciences University of Sheffield Alison E Wright (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Jobs******************** PROFESSOR IN PLANT POPULATION ECOLOGY, TENURE-TRACK ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OR OPEN RANK (80-100 %) The Department of Biology at the University of Bern invites applications to lead the re-search division of Plant Population Ecology within the Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS). We aim to fill the position at the level of Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, but in exceptional cases related to diversity and excellence, an appointment as Associate Professor or Full Professor can also be considered. We are looking for applications from candidates with an outstanding research record in plant population ecology. The successful candidate will develop an internationally recognised research program on understanding plant populations. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, evolutionary ecology, life history strategies, agro-ecology, forest ecology, population genetics, and invasive species. We are looking for candidates who use modern experimental and empirical approaches, potentially, but not necessarily, in combination with theoretical approaches. The successful candidate should complement the current scientific strengths and methods of the Institute of Plant Sciences. The candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant field, several years of postdoctoral and teaching expertise and experience in successfully obtaining external funding. They should have an interest in establishing an active research group, teaching, mentoring early-career researchers, fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, and in collaborating with other researchers of the institute, the department and beyond. The new faculty member will have responsibility for teaching in the field of plant ecology and population ecology at undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate teaching should be in German in the long run, while graduate teaching is in English. The advertised position includes the professor's salary at 80-100% employment level, a starting package, and continual core funding for personnel and consumables. The University of Bern has a clear set of guidelines for promotion to tenure after four to six years in the position. The IPS supports flexible working conditions and part-time employment and welcomes applications by job sharing partnerships (see job sharing guidelines). The IPS offers a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment covering all aspects of plant science from molecules to ecosystems. It has currently six divisions led by professors, and it hosts lecturers, non-tenure track group leaders and a large international postdoc and PhD student cohort. The IPS is one of three institutes of the Department of Biology at the University of Bern and is involved in teaching on the BSc in Biology and in four MSc Programs (Ecology and Evolution, Molecular Life Sciences, Climate Sciences, Bioinformatics). The IPS provides research facilities and supports funding for research staff. Collaborations with the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, the Wyss Academy for Nature, the Centre for Development and Environment and other University structures are encouraged. The University of Bern supports the Better Science Initiative, is an equal opportunity employer and has set the aim to increase the number of women and all underrepresented groups in leadership positions. The University of Bern is committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion among students, staff, and faculty and strongly encourages applications from women and all underrepresented groups. Applications should include a motivation letter, a CV with funding history, a full publication list, a two-page statement on future research and teaching interests, a maximum one-page statement outlining the candidate's track record and/or plans on promoting and facilitating students and scientists of underrepresented groups, and the filled-in questionnaire https://www.ips.unibe.ch/questionnaire/. The position will be open from 01.08.2027. Applications should be sent as a single pdf document to applications.natdek@unibe.ch (Dekanat der Phil.- nat. Fakultät, Universität Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland). Deadline for application is 23.01.2026. For further enquiries, please contact eric.allan@unibe.ch "helga.rodriguez@unibe.ch" (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Other******************** *ESEB Conference Travel Award 2026* The ESEB Conference Travel Award 2026 stipends are for students and young scientists who are professionally based in countries with a low GDP to attend the European Meeting of PhD Students in Evolutionary Biology (EMPSEB) in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, on June 8^th -12th 2026, or the Evolution meeting of ASN/ESEB/SSB/SSE in Cleveland, OH, US, on June 20^th -24^th , 2026. The stipend will contribute to covering travel, living expenses, and early bird congress registration fees. The funds will be paid out as a reimbursement after the meeting, based on the specification of the expenses. Please note that this Conference Travel Award is distinct from the Congress Attendance Aid Grant , which is designed to promote the attendance of under-represented groups and to help with the additional costs of meeting attendance due to responsibilities for caring for dependents when attending the meetings, and _NOT_ for the costs of the applicant to attend the meeting. *DEADLINE: 30 January 2026*. Expected decision by the end of February 2026. Eligibility:** * Applicants must be ESEB members before the deadline (for becoming an ESEB member, please visit https://eseb.org/society/eseb-membership/). * Applications can be submitted by scientists at various stages of their professional career (e.g., Masters and PhD students, postdocs, and young lecturers). * Scientists working in a country with a high GDP are not eligible. High income countries are classified due to the map of the World Bank at https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/world-bank-country-classifications-by-income-level-for-2024-2025. * People who received an ESEB travel stipend in the last five years are not eligible. * Applicants must apply to present either an oral communication or a poster to be eligible for the stipend. Presentation of a talk or a poster will be verified before the reimbursement, but no proof that a poster or talk is accepted is necessary at the application stage. Please note that being chosen for a travel award does not guarantee acceptance of a poster or talk at the conference, that the stipend will be given based on receipts, and that participation is mandatory in order to receive it. */Please note that these stipends are given in conjunction with analogous stipends offered by the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE; separate call) to support participation at the Evolution meeting 2026, so there is no need to apply to both, the ESEB and the SSE awards./* How to apply:** Send your application by email to the ESEB Office (office@eseb.org; subject: *Conference Travel Award 2026*). The application should be no more than 2 pages long and include: * Name of the applicant; * ESEB membership number; * Budget (currency = EUR), including sources of additional support; * An explanation of how attendance at the meeting will support the attendant's professional goals; * and a short CV. Please submit the application as a single PDF-File. A support letter from the applicant's advisor/mentor/senior colleague is also required. Support letters should be send to the same email address (office@eseb.org) by the applicant's mentor *by the deadline*. European Society for Evolutionary Biology https://eseb.org Email: office@eseb.org ESEB Office (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca) ********************Conferences******************** Dear colleagues, We would like to invite you to the next online seminar for the "Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation" Special Topic Network (STN) funded by the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, which will take place on November 13th, 15:00 UTC. Our speakers for this seminar are: Jenn Coughlan (Yale University): Parental conflict, introgression, and the repeated evolution of reproductive isolation in a wildflower species complex Emily Moore (University of Nebraska): Parent-of-origin disruption of growth and metabolism during gestation in hybrid mice We expect the meeting to take approximately 1.5 hours. Meeting details: Date: November 13, 2025. Time: 15:00 UTC Meeting link: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/99509526675?jst=2 If you would like to get on our mailing list and take part in our upcoming events, please visit our website ( https://internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/) for more information. Sincerely, The Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation STN Manus Patten, Arvid Ågren, Thomas Hitchcock, Martijn Schenkel, and Nina Wedell ESEB-funded Special Topic Network "Internal Conflicts and Organismal Adaptation" https://internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/ https://eseb.org/prizes-funding/special-topic-networks/ Internal Conflicts STN (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)