Limited contract until: 05/31/2029 (or 4 years after start date)

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team!

Your personal sphere of influence:

Your future position is at the Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research in the Plant Phylogenomics Group within the Division of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany. Research in our group focuses on how genome-level processes (e.g. gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, introgression) and natural selection have shaped the morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic diversity of plants. Ongoing projects inlcude the evolution of floral scent in Onagraceae and the role of hybridization in the evolution of sexual systems in Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae), but all projects generally address two common questions: What are the genomic signatures that coincide with the origin fundamental life history traits, and what is the relationship between these processes/traits and diversification? To address these questions, we use a diversity of approaches, from field work to high-throughput DNA sequencing methods (long-read genome sequencing, target-enrichment, transcriptomics), all with a heavy emphasis on using both gene and species phylogenies.

We are currently offering a praedoc (PhD) position for up to four years. This position is not funded by a third-party project and therefore allows the successful candidate to develop their own projects within the scientific framework of the Plant Phylogenomics Group or related areas. We are particularly interested in students whose work combines speciation in seed-free plants (e.g., ferns), phylogenetic comparative methods, and the inference of polyploidy. The Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research is part of the faculty of Life Sciences with 10,000 students and a highly international team of > 1000 employees.

Your future tasks:

Develop and carry out a project in a field consistent with the Plant Phylogenomics group, and participate in other activities associated with the group and being a PhD student at the University of Vienna, which means:

• You will develop a multi-part project with clear goals and defined manuscripts
• You will lead all aspects of your project from the development of hypothesis to the collection of data and publishing of results
• You will contribute to teaching as circumscribed by the guidelines for praedoc positions at the University of Vienna
• You will contribute, if needed, to the mentoring of master and bachelor students in the group, with an emphasis on training students in skills related to your area of specialization
• You will present your research at international conferences

This is part of your personality:

• Completed master studies in plant systematics, comparative phylogenetic methods, or a related field. Candidates who have not yet completed their master's degree but can demonstrate a date of completion prior to the start of this position will also be considered
• Experience with bioinformatics and high-performance computing in a Linux environment
• A strong background in plant systematics and a familiarity with seed-free plants, preferably ferns
• Experience in writing research proposals for small external awards (for example scientific society awards that support student research) would be favorably considered
• A record of presenting your research at scientific conferences
• Experience in teaching plant systematics at the bachelor's level
• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (C1)
• A commitment to collaboration and communication within a team

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours, remote/hybrid and/or part-time work (upon agreement).

Inspiring working atmosphere: Your are part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from - free of charge.

Fixed-term contract and fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 2,786,10 (on a 30 hours/week basis,14 times a year) increases if we can credit professional experience.

The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.

Equal opportunities everyone: We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!

It is that easy to apply:

• Your full scientific curriculum vitae
• A letter of intent explaining why you are interested in the position, including a short summary of research interests and past experience (two pages maximum)
• Master's degree or intended date of completion
• Contact details of three persons who could provide reference letters
• Via our job portal / Apply now -  button