Oferty pracy w projektach finansowanych przez NCN

Nazwa jednostki: Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw – Warszawa, Inne oferty z tego miasta »
Nazwa stanowiska: Assistant Professor (post-doc)
Wymagania:

Skills/Qualifications
• Fulfill the requirements set out in Article 113 of the Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 1571, consolidated text)
• Hold a Ph.D. degree in biological sciences or a related field obtained before the application deadline.
• A doctoral degree awarded no earlier than 7 years prior to employment on the project (subject to exceptions in accordance with the NCN regulations).
• Have significant scientific achievements documented by well-cited publications in renowned international journals, invitations to deliver lectures or seminars, etc.
• Have international experience, e.g.: participation in international conferences, engagement in international research projects, international collaborations documented by joint publications.
• Submit a research plan outlining personal scientific development.
• high proficiency in written and spoken English
• Research competencies in the field of:
o first-hand experience with phylogenetic analyses of various organisms (e.g., parasites and/or their vertebrate hosts) including molecular alignment as well as total evidence analyses
OR
o broad experience with modeling approaches, building phylogenies and programming applicable in biology in particular ecology

In addition, we expect:
• Experience in individual work with students (e.g., supervising theses) and science popularization activities.
• Research mobility, e.g., a fellowship at a reputable foreign research institution.
• Experience in securing research funding.
• Good organizational skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to solve problems independently.
• Experience in preparing scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals, including as first author and/or corresponding author, commensurate with career stage
• Experience to integrate fossil data into phylogenetic analyses (e.g., assembling and performing the total evidence analyses) and co-phylogenetic analysis of symbionts and their hosts
• Experience aligning and assembling the phylogenies, programming or development of Bayesian (co-)phylogenetic analysis tools and/or simulations (e.g., extinction risk) and/or machine learning approaches
If hired, we expect the University of Warsaw to be the primary workplace for the successful candidate.

Opis zadań:

The position of Assistant Professor in the programme/project/undertaking The impact of mass extinctions on parasite diversity and evolution.
PI: Dr. hab. Kenneth De Baets, Prof. ucz. Funding institution: National Science Centre Poland.

Description of project:
Parasites are some of the most diverse and ecologically important organisms on Earth. Despite their importance for planetary health, their nature and small size have made them unpopular in nature conservation as well as in fossil diversity studies, where the focus lies on their hosts. In the face of current environmental crisis and unprecedented biodiversity loss, understanding past parasite-host associations are crucial for predicting future shifts in parasite diversity and associated zoonotic disease risk. Indeed, current models infer future extinctions and host switching based on the modern distribution of symbiont-host associations only. Fossil vertebrate coprolites (fossilized excrements) provide a unique opportunity to see direct changes in parasite prevalence and distribution through past environmental perturbations and can thus fill this lack of knowledge.
The main aim of the project is to model how changes in the host diversity and diet affect the representation and diversity of parasitic helminth (flatworms, nematodes) propagules from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event and apply this knowledge to current models.
The following research tasks are planned for this project:
• Quantitative sampling of new coprolites from Permian and Triassic outcrops and categorizing them (via morphology, internal structure e.g., obtained by microscopy and computed tomography)
• Subsampling coprolites for thin sections and retrieving food and parasitic inclusions
• Assigning coprolite to the host producer and its diet based on content and structure
• Placing parasite inclusions in phylogeny using machine learning and Total Evidence Approaches
• Modelling the impact of environmental and host factors on parasite diversity and analysis of cophylogenetic extinction risk
The results will improve our understanding of parasite-host co-evolution both in the past and in the present. An unprecedented systematic sampling of coprolites for parasitic helminth propagules across the Permian-Triassic extinction will allow constraining dominant drivers. By combining past extinction data with statistical and co-phylogenetic modeling, we will create new improved models that accurately capture host switching and parasite extinction risk in the future. Obtained data and extinction models will be useful for fields ranging from conservation biology, over climate change and diversity modelling, to disease and health prediction.
The Postdoc will focus on assembling and performing the total evidence analyses and co-phylogenetic analysis of vertebrate hosts and their helminth parasites. Particularly aligning and assembling the phylogenies as well as further development of Bayesian (co-)phylogenetic analysis to accommodate fossil data to estimate macroevolutionary events as well as improve and simulate extinction risk.

Typ konkursu NCN: OPUS – NZ
Termin składania ofert: 10 listopada 2026, 23:59
Forma składania ofert: email
Warunki zatrudnienia:

Benefits
Full-time employment contract.
Employment starting from February 2027, for 12 months which will be extended for an additional 12 months pending positive evaluation.
Basic remuneration PLN 8700 gross/month plus the additional annual remuneration, allowance for years of service. More information: https://rekrutacja-i-rozwoj.bsp.uw.edu.pl/przydatne-dokumenty/
Workplace: Institute of Evolutionary Biology.
Career opportunities: More information: https://rekrutacja-i-rozwoj.bsp.uw.edu.pl/praca-na-uw/

Dodatkowe informacje:

Selection process
Method of submitting an application:
Send applications via email to k.de-baets@uw.edu.pl and the Faculty Dean's Office: dziekanat.biol@uw.edu.pl.
Candidates will receive an email confirmation of document submission. If no confirmation is received, please contact the project leader.
Required documents:
• Personal questionnaire – available on the Faculty of Biology UW website.
• Motivation letter including description of scientific interests and research activity plan.
Ensure the completeness of your application and submit it by the deadline. Failure to meet these requirements will result in rejection on formal grounds. Please, ensure that your application is complete and submitted by the deadline indicated!
Criteria for the assessment of candidates in a competition:
• Quality of the publication record
• Project-relevant skills documented by the publication record, including experience in using morphological as well as molecular data in evolutionary analyses and expertise in (co-)phylogenetic analyses
• Competences and skills complementary to the research team
Stages of competiton:
• Stage I - formal evaluation of documents,
• Stage II - substantive evaluation on the basis of submitted documents,
• Stage III - interview with selected candidates, during which the candidate will be required to give a short presentation on their previous achievements and career plans, followed by a Q&A session with members of the selection committee,
• Stage IV - final evaluation of competence, experience and scientific achievements,
• Stage V - adjudication of the competition and announcement of results.
Interviews will take place 18-20 November. Candidates will be individually notified about their interview schedule with the selection committee.
Candidates will be informed of the results via email by 18.12.2026
More information:
https://www.biol.uw.edu.pl/ogloszenia-praca/
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/469223

Data dodania ogłoszenia: 2026-10-07 10:12:49