MNF/Open PhD position in Branching Spirals in Deep Time: Ammonoid Phylogeny and Macroecology (Male/Female)

Universität Zürich - May 1, 2026

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Your Responsibilities

The offered PhD project will focus on building an ammonoid phylogeny within a Bayesian framework, in collaboration with two Postdocs, the project leader, and a large group of international collaborators. The PhD candidate will:

  • Help define morphological characters for character matrices to study ammonoid evolution.
  • Select a broad group of ammonoids for which representative taxa will be scored.
  • Conduct Bayesian and parsimony analyses.
  • Integrate the analyses into an ammonoid supertree.
  • Investigate additional significant aspects of ammonoids, such as dimorphism or variability.

Your Profile

The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated student of Life or Earth Sciences, possessing a biological, geological, or paleontological background. Excellent writing skills in English are required. Experience with methods for reconstructing phylogenies like Bayesian and parsimony is advantageous; alternatively, candidates should be willing to acquire this knowledge early in the project. Some computational skills or statistical experience are expected. Familiarity with ammonoid paleobiology would also be beneficial. While German language skills are an asset for daily life in and around the university, they are not mandatory for this position.

Application Process

To express your interest in this exciting opportunity, please apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

Contact:

Christian Klug
Prof.
chklug@pim.uzh.ch

Location : Zürich
Country : Switzerland

Application Form

Please enter your information in the following form and attach your resume (CV)

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