MNF/Open PhD position Branching spirals in deep time: Ammonoid phylogeny and macroecology 80 %

Join Our Academic Community

The University of Zurich, the largest university in Switzerland, is committed to fostering a vibrant and innovative working environment. With a diverse workforce of around 10,000 employees and numerous apprenticeship programs, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of research and education.

Your Responsibilities

As a PhD candidate, you will engage in a research project dedicated to constructing an ammonoid phylogeny using a Bayesian framework. Collaborating closely with two Postdoctoral researchers, the project leader, and a network of international partners, your key responsibilities will include:

• Defining morphological characters for character matrices to investigate ammonoid evolution.
• Selecting a broad spectrum of ammonoids for which representative taxa will be analyzed.
• Conducting Bayesian and parsimony analyses that will contribute to an ammonoid supertree.
• Exploring additional significant aspects of ammonoid biology, such as dimorphism or variability.

Your Profile

The ideal candidate is a motivated student specializing in Life or Earth Sciences, with a background in biology, geology, or paleontology. Strong writing skills in English are essential. Familiarity with phylogenetic reconstruction methods, particularly Bayesian and parsimony approaches, is highly valued. If you are not yet familiar with these techniques, a willingness to learn early in the project is expected. Additionally, some computational skills or experience in statistics are beneficial. Knowledge of ammonoid paleobiology is a plus. While proficiency in German is helpful for daily interactions within the university environment, it is not a requirement for this role.