Postdocs on Buzz Pollination

Two postdocs available for studying buzz pollination

  1. Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the on the vibrational properties of buzz-pollinated flowers (Job ID: FAC00953)
  2. Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the behaviour and cognition of buzz-pollinating bees (Job ID: FAC00954)

Applications for these posts are now closed. However, if you are interested in joining the lab, I will be happy to discuss other potential funding sources for Research fellowships. Please get in touch at mario.vallejo@stir.ac.uk

 

Job starts: 1 January 2019

Salary: Grade 7 (£32,548 – £38,833 per year). Fixed Term Contract for 12 months, full-time, with the possibility to be extended to 36 months, pending a first-year progress review of the appointee.

Two postdoctoral positions are available as part of a 3-year project funded by the Leverhulme Trust, entitled “Buzz pollination: Integrating bee behaviour and floral evolution”, at the Vallejo-Marin Lab, University of Stirling, UK.

The project is a collaboration between Dr. Mario Vallejo-Marin (Plant Evolution and Pollination, Stirling), Prof. Fernando Montealegre-Zapata (Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology, U. Lincoln) and Dr. Gema Martin-Ordas (Psychology, Stirling).

Buzz pollination, in which bees use high frequency vibrations to extract pollen from flowers with specialised morphologies, occurs in more than 22,000 species of flowering plants, including some crops. Despite being known for more than 100 years, many fundamental questions in buzz pollination remain unanswered. The two postdocs will join an ambitious project to link floral morphology and the vibrational characteristics of flowers with bee behaviour and cognition to determine how floral and bee characteristics affect buzz pollination. Each postdoc will specialise on either flower or bee perspectives of buzz pollination, but both will work collaboratively using functional analyses of the vibrational properties of flowers, bee behavioural experiments, and field surveys in the tropics.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: The appointees will be expected to contribute to the intellectual development of the project, including participating in analyses and write-up of papers describing the work. In addition, the appointed researchers will participate in project meetings, and help supervise undergraduate and MSc students working on related research. Specific duties for each post are describe below:

Postdoctoral researcher on the vibration properties of buzz-pollinated flowers: The appointed postdoc will estimate vibrational properties of flowers using a variety of tools including laser scanners and micro CT scanning. The postdoc will relate empirical measurements of flowers and vibrations to test hypotheses of the function of floral structures, oversee the growth and maintenance of plants to ensure sufficient availability of flower material at Stirling, and conduct field work in Mexico/Brazil.

Postdoctoral researcher on the behaviour and cognition of buzz-pollinating bees: The appointed postdoc will analyse the relationship between bee morphology, behaviour and cognition, and the characteristics of vibrations produced by bees. The postdoc will carry out extensive experiments of bee behaviour under controlled laboratory conditions to test hypotheses on bee cognition, learning and vibrations produced by bees. Vibrational properties will be measured with a variety of tools including acoustic analysis, laser vibrometry and direct-contact motion sensors. The postdoc will need to provide support for plant growth to generate experimental flowers, as well as to create artificial models using, among other tools, 3D printing. The postdoc will oversee the maintenance of bumblebee colonies and work with bees daily, and conduct field work in Mexico/Brazil.

The appointees will be part of a thriving research environment within Biological and Environmental Sciences (BES) with more than 40 principal investigators, alongside postdoctoral researchers and 60 PhD students. The post is based in Stirling, but postdocs will conduct short research visits to the Bioacoustics and Sensory Biology lab of Prof. Montealegre-Zapata for data collection, project planning and paper writing.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS: PhD in a relevant discipline (see full job description). The appointed candidate must be creative, organised and independent, self-motivated, able to communicate well, work collaboratively in a team, and able to conduct repetitive tasks precisely and carefully. Knowledge of floral morphology and evolution, pollination, strong numerical skills, and a background in biophysics (Postodc 1) or knowledge of insect behaviour, experience at working with bees, pollination, and strong numerical skills (Postdoc 2), are an asset.

SALARY: These are Grade 7 positions, with an annual salary of £32,548 – £38,833, and annual increments as per University regulations. Fixed Term Contract for 12 months, full-time, with the possibility to be extended to 36 months, pending a first-year progress review of the appointee.

KEY DATES: We will begin reviewing applications on 15 August 2018, and continue until the position is filled. Interviews will be held on 18-19 September. The date for the start of both posts is 1 January 2019.

TO APPLY:  For more information, including instructions on how to apply for the post, a full job description will be posted at:  https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/work-at-stirling/list/ (applications now open)

Informal enquiries can be directed to Mario Vallejo-Marin (mario.vallejo@stir.ac.uk). Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA United Kingdom. Phone: +44 (0) 1786 467822.