项目介绍

2026年9月30日

About the position

A 4-year position as PhD Research Fellow in Population Genomics is available at the Natural History Museum (NHM), University of Oslo. The 4-year fellowship includes 25% career-enhancing work, such as curation, teaching, supervision, research support and public outreach.

The project is supervised by Dr. Andrew Foote (NHM).
The PhD project will reconstruct the colonisation of high latitudes by North Atlantic killer whales (Orcinus orca), to better understand how populations responded to past climatic warming at the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Range expansions and demographic change leave signatures in the genome, including changes in genetic diversity and in how genetic variation is distributed within and among populations. These signatures are not uniform along the genome, but depend on local genomic parameters such as mutation and recombination rate.

The candidate will quantify changes in genetic diversity and variation through time, and investigate how these patterns vary across the genome. The project will combine an existing dataset of approximately 200 contemporary genomes with a new time series of ancient killer whale genomes generated within the project. The tasks will include ancient DNA laboratory work, bioinformatic processing of Next Generation Sequencing data, and population genomic analyses, including demographic inference.
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The selected candidate will be enrolled in the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Within two months of commencing the position, the candidate must submit a PhD agreement, including a plan for the required doctoral courses and a project description. For more information about the programme, see: http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/   

Qualifications / Requirments 

You must have:
•    An MSc degree in evolutionary biology, population genetics, bioinformatics, or a related field.
•    Research experience in population genetics or population genomics.
•    Experience with bioinformatic analysis of Next Generation Sequencing data, including command-line work in a high-performance computing environment.
•    Programming or scripting skills (e.g., R, Python, bash).
•    Excellent written and verbal communication ability in English. English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/EEA countries and exemptions from the requirement, see: https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc8 

Desirable qualifications (in ranked order):
•    Experience with ancient DNA laboratory work.
•    Experience with demographic inference, coalescent methods, or population genetic simulations.
•    Strong interest in evolutionary responses to past climate change

Grade requirements:
The norm is as follows, according to the Norwegian educational system:
•    The average grade for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
•    The average grade for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
•    The Master’s thesis must have grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
See: https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc7 

The evaluation of applicants will focus on the following:
•    Relevance and quality of the MSc thesis
•    Relevance and quality of scientific publications (not necessarily expected at this level)
•    Grades at relevant university-level courses (population genetics, evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, statistics, programming, wet-lab molecular techniques)
•    The fit of the applicant’s career plan, interests, and skills as formulated in the cover letter (see How to apply below)
•    Personal suitability (incl. collaborative skills) and motivation for the position
•    An interview, including a 15 minute presentation of your MSc thesis (only short-listed candidates)

What are we looking for in you?

•    Honesty and high standards for scientific integrity
•    Ability to give and receive scientific criticism in a constructive manner
•    A positive attitude and drive for learning skills, methods and theory
•    Ability to work in a structured manner, facilitating teamwork
•    Ability to prioritise and complete work tasks
•    Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively in an international and interdisciplinary research environment
•    Careful and well-documented approach to laboratory and computational work

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.