Doctoral Student in Biology - Invertebrate Colour Vision

About the role

Lund University is looking for a doctoral student in Biology to join the Bok lab, which studies the evolution and ecology of vision in diverse invertebrates. The lab sits in the Lund Vision Group, a cluster of eight labs focused on eye design, adaptation and use of vision for navigation and behaviour. The student is both admitted as a student and employed at full time, with a maximum of 20% of working time available for teaching and departmental work.

Key responsibilities

• Investigate whether the firefly squid (mollusc) and the alciopid worm (annelid) have convergently evolved colour vision, and what behaviours are controlled by it.
• Behaviour: run field experiments in Italy and Japan testing responses to colour and polarization stimuli with custom light sources and projection screens.
• Molecules: work with postdocs to use single-nucleolus transcriptomic data to localize photoreceptor and visual interneuron classes in the retina and optic lobe.
• Circuits: use serial block-face electron microscopy (SBEM) to map synaptic connections and projections, then use the data to guide electrophysiology recordings of putative colour and polarization opponent neurons.
• Participate in doctoral courses, seminars and conferences, and gain experience as a lab instructor for undergraduate courses and in outreach.

Required profile

• Second-cycle qualification, or equivalent knowledge, with a Master's degree in biology or marine biology or substantial equivalent.
• Independent work (e.g. degree project) of at least 30 higher education credits in a relevant subject.
• Practical experience with animal vision behavioural experiments and with fieldwork-based research.
• Good written and oral English; very good spoken and written English.

Required skills

• Knowledge of animal vision, sensory biology and visual ecology, and of the project's methods.
• Experience in data processing, statistical computing and scripting in Python, Matlab and R, or equivalent.
• Ability to work independently, cooperate with colleagues and communicate scientifically.

The employment is fixed-term and starts as soon as possible; interviews follow the last application day. Applications are submitted in English with a CV, personal letter, copies of study certificates and other supporting documents.