Postdoctor in Botany (Plant Science)

the opportunity to test the agency of contemporary and historical factors as drivers of evolutionary diversification. In addition to the above, the postdoctor will be required to develop an independent research project that makes use of GBG’s living collections and/or contributes to GBG’s conservation agenda. This project may be systematic, address questions relating to trait evolution and/or geographical distribution, or have an explicit conservation focus (e.g., relating to threat assessment and _ex situ_ conservation practices). There is a possibility to participate in international plant collecting trips. The research will be supervised by Prof G Anthony Verboom (University of Gothenburg and GBG), Dr Nicola Bergh (GBG), and Dr Félix Forest (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). The postdoctor will also work closely with a PhD student whose research examines the diversification consequences of intercontinental long-distance dispersal. ## **Duties** - Conduct primary research leading to the publication of at least three papers, two relating to the diversification of SA Asteraceae and one relating to the GBG-based project (see above). Analytical methodologies potentially include bioinformatic processing of sequence data, phylogenomic analysis, GIS-based spatial analysis, and comparative macroevolutionary analysis. - Attend local and/or international conferences for the purpose of presenting research findings and contribute to fundraising to support such travels. - Deliver seminars and participate in journal clubs and other academic fora at BioEnv and GBG. - Potentially contribute to teaching in BioEnv, up to 10% of full-time employment. - Organize and run a limited number of training events for GBG scientific and curatorial staff, such as a series of short introductory R workshops (including Rstudio, ggplot, and tidyverse). ## **Eligibility** The eligibility criteria for employing teaching staff are set out in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the Appointment Procedure for Teaching Posts at the University of Gothenburg. To be eligible for appointment as a postdoc, the applicant is required to have a doctoral degree, a doctoral degree in art or a foreign degree that is deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met before the employment decision is made. In the first instance, those who have completed their degree no more than three years prior to the end of the application period shall be considered. Those who have completed their degree more than three years prior to the end of the application period may also be considered in the first instance if special grounds exist. Special grounds relate to leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, commissions of trust within union organisations, service within the defence services or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignment relevant to the subject area. ## **Assessment criteria** The suitability of applicants will be assessed based on (i) documentary evidence submitted at the time of application, (ii) a short oral presentation given at the time of interview, and (iii) response to interview questions. A subset of applicants will be invited for interview. Required qualifications for employment: - PhD in evolutionary biology or systematics. - Experience of data management and statistical analysis in R. - Working knowledge of phylogenetic inference and comparative macroevolutionary analysis - Ability to work well both independently and as part of a group. - Organizational skills and ability to co-lead and coordinate a large project which involves processing and analysis of large amounts of data. - Interest in field work. - Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken. Desirable qualifications for employment: - Advanced knowledge of plant taxonomy, systematics, and evolution. - Experience of processing and analyzing high-throughput genomic data, spatial data (e.g., SDM), and/or big data (i.e., on an HPC cluster). - Experience of working in a team. - Willingness to mentor undergraduate students. - Driver’s license. Personal qualifications: Given the expectation of independent research development, we require someone who is independent and self-motivated. Since the postdoctor will be expected to collaborate closely with a PhD student and colleagues at both BioEnv and GBG, we are also looking for someone who is collegial, a good communicator, and capable of working as part of a team. The most qualified candidates, in relation to the assessment criteria in the advertisement, are invited for an interview. Regulations for the evaluation of qualifications for academic positions are given in Chapter 4, Section 3 - 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance. ## **Employment** The employment is temporary, lasting two years, 100% full-time, placed at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science. Starting date 11 January 2027 or, by agreement, as soon as possible thereafter. ## **Contact information** If you have any questions about the position, please contact: Professor G Anthony Verboom Phone: +46 76 6185923 Email: [tony.verboom@bioenv.gu.se](mailto:tony.verboom@bioenv.gu.se) Webpage: [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QT3\_z5IAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QT3_z5IAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao) Åsa Arrhenius, Head of Department tel. +46 31 786 26 25 Email: [asa.arrhenius@bioenv.gu.se](mailto:asa.arrhenius@bioenv.gu.se) If you have any questions about the employment process, please contact HR at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science, [hr@bioenv.gu.se](mailto:hr@bioenv.gu.se) ## **Unions** Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: [https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-union-representatives](https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position#collective-agreement-and-unio