Postdoctor in Botany

Subject area 

Botany (Plant Science)

Subject area description 

The postdoctor will work on a Swedish Science Council-funded project using a comprehensive phylogenetic tree of southern African (SA) Asteraceae to evaluate the roles of long-distance dispersal, biome shifts, and environmental change as stimuli of taxonomic and phenotypic diversification. Having undergone a major evolutionary radiation in SA to yield a regional flora comprising ca. 2500 species which has occupied all available environments, from deserts to the alpine zone, Asteraceae offers an ideal system for studying the dynamics of diversification in a continental context. In addition, the physiographic and vegetation diversity of contemporary SA, and a Miocene-Pliocene history involving tectonism and climate change, provide the opportunity to test the agency of contemporary and historical factors as drivers of evolutionary diversification.

In addition to the above, the postdoctor will be required to develop an independent research project that makes use of GBG’s living collections and/or contributes to GBG’s conservation agenda. This project may be systematic, address questions relating to trait evolution and/or geographical distribution, or have an explicit conservation focus (e.g., relating to threat assessment and ex situ conservation practices).

There is a possibility to participate in international plant collecting trips.

The research will be supervised by Prof G Anthony Verboom (University of Gothenburg and GBG), Dr Nicola Bergh (GBG), and Dr Félix Forest (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). The postdoctor will also work closely with a PhD student whose research examines the diversification consequences of intercontinental long-distance dispersal.

Duties 

• Conduct primary research leading to the publication of at least three papers, two relating to the diversification of SA Asteraceae and one relating to the GBG-based project (see above). Analytical methodologies potentially include bioinformatic processing of sequence data, phylogenomic analysis, GIS-based spatial analysis, and comparative macroevolutionary analysis.
• Attend local and/or international conferences for the purpose of presenting research findings and contribute to fundraising to support such travels.
• Deliver seminars and participate in journal clubs and other academic fora at BioEnv and GBG.
• Potentially contribute to teaching in BioEnv, up to 10% of full-time employment.
• Organize and run a limited number of training events for GBG scientific and curatorial staff, such as a series of short introductory R workshops (including Rstudio, ggplot, and tidyverse).

Eligibility 

The eligibility criteria for employing teaching staff are set out in Chapter 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance and in the Appointment Procedure for Teaching Posts at the University of Gothenburg. 

To be eligible for appointment as a postdoc, the applicant is required to have a doctoral degree, a doctoral degree in art or a foreign degree that is deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree. This eligibility requirement must be met before the employment decision is made. 

In the first instance, those who have completed their degree no more than three years prior to the end of the application period shall be considered. Those who have completed their degree more than three years prior to the end of the application period may also be considered in the first instance if special grounds exist. Special grounds relate to leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, commissions of trust within union organisations, service within the defence services or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical service or service/assignment relevant to the subject area.  

Assessment criteria 

The suitability of applicants will be assessed based on (i) documentary evidence submitted at the time of application, (ii) a short oral presentation given at the time of interview, and (iii) response to interview questions. A subset of applicants will be invited for interview.

Required qualifications for employment:

• PhD in evolutionary biology or systematics.
• Experience of data management and statistical analysis in R.
• Working knowledge of phylogenetic inference and comparative macroevolutionary analysis
• Ability to work well both independently and as part of a group.
• Organizational skills and ability to co-lead and coordinate a large project which involves processing and analysis of large amounts of data.
• Interest in field work.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken.

Desirable qualifications for employment:

• Advanced knowledge of plant taxonomy, systematics, and evolution.
• Experience of processing and analyzing high-throughput genomic data, spatial data (e.g., SDM), and/or big data (i.e., on an HPC cluster).
• Experience of working in a team.
• Willingness to mentor undergraduate students.
• Driver’s license.

Personal qualifications:

Given the expectation of independent research development, we require someone who is independent and self-motivated. Since the postdoctor will be expected to collaborate closely with a PhD student and colleagues at both BioEnv and GBG, we are also looking for someone who is collegial, a good communicator, and capable of working as part of a team.

The most qualified candidates, in relation to the assessment criteria in the advertisement, are invited for an interview.

Regulations for the evaluation of qualifications for academic positions are given in Chapter 4, Section 3 - 4 of the Higher Education Ordinance.

Employment 

The employment is temporary, lasting two years, 100% full-time, placed at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science. Starting date 11 January 2027 or, by agreement, as soon as possible thereafter.

Application 

Read the full ad and submit your application via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.  

Applications must be received by: 2026-09-14