Open positions

PhD position at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology of the University of Vienna

The position: A 3-year PhD position (under University of Vienna salary conditions) is available at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, focusing on archeofaunal analyses. The successful candidate will join the BEAM Lab (Bioarchaeology of Extinct Animals and Metagenomics), led by Pere Gelabert, and contribute to the ERC-StG-funded project “Unveiling the Shadows: Illuminating Late Pleistocene Human-Carnivore Interaction (SHADOWS).” The position includes co-supervision by Ana B. Marín-Arroyo from the University of Cantabria, Spain. 

Planned Analyses for the PhD Candidate: 

• Study of faunal assemblages from Pleistocene cave sites in Spain. 
• Collaboration in proteomic analyses of Pleistocene collections.
• Identification of patterns of human and animal subsistence through archeofaunal and taphonomic analyses. 

The successful candidate will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to investigate Pleistocene fauna diversity and patterns of competition between humans and carnivores.
Key responsibilities include: 

• Characterizing Pleistocene faunal assemblages using archeofaunal methods. 
• Conducting ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) analyses. 
• Performing taphonomic analyses on Late Pleistocene collections from the Cantabrian region. 

This research will explore the final stages of large carnivore populations during a critical period in Earth's history. The role offers an excellent opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research at the interface of bioarchaeology, paleoecology, and evolutionary anthropology.

The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of archaeology, palaeontology, genomics and evolutionary biology. 

Candidate requirements: 

Requirements for this post are a Master’s Degree in Archeology Anthropology, or similar and an interest in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of evolutionary biology, and archaeology. Experience in archeofaunal analyses is a requirement. The candidate must have a good level of both English and Spanish. Experience in proteomics is not required but is appreciated. 

The position will be based in Vienna but with substantial time spent in Santander. 

Starting Date and documents: 

The candidate should start as soon as possible from April the 1st 2025. For the application, it is necessary to send a curriculum vitae (4 pages maximum), Motivation letter (one-page maximum), and Recommendation letter to: pere.gelabert@univie.ac.at (deadline March 20th)

PhD Position on urban mosquito ecology at the Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology

We offer a 3-years, research assistant position for a PhD-student at the University of Vienna in the framework of the project ‘City invading mosquitoes of medical importance: habitat preferences and molecular detection’. This project is funded by a WWTF – Urban Environments grant and is a collaborative effort of the University of Vienna, the University of Veterinary Medicine and the WasserCluster Lunz. 

Aim of the project 

The aim of the project is to improve the knowledge of distribution, habitat preferences and habitat use of mosquitoes in urban space (e.g. role of artificial habitats, accompanying fauna, potential competition between native and non-native urban mosquitoes) and to provide a means to rapid molecular identification and detection of mosquito species of particular medical interest. To this end, we will combine standard mosquito ecology methods and molecular techniques, including targeted qPCR/digital-droplet PCR as well as metabarcoding approaches. These data will be used to assess the urban niches of a range of mosquito species and their future distribution explored through a modelling approach. 

Requirements 

Interested candidates (f/m/d) must have a MSc degree in a relevant field. Students with a background in benthic invertebrate biodiversity and ecology (focus on Diptera would be highly beneficial) and experience with molecular techniques such as DNA extraction and barcoding are particularly encouraged to apply. 

We further expect the candidates to have an open-minded personality and the motivation to work in an inter-institutional team in addition to solid biological knowledge. The candidate is expected to contribute to planning of and conduct fieldwork, analyze physical mosquito samples, complete molecular analyses, implement statistical approaches, contribute to scientific outreach of the project—this will include drafting and submitting three first-author manuscripts. Good verbal and written language skills in English are necessary, being fluent in German is advantageous. 

Willingness to conduct fieldwork, travel within Vienna and Austria (Lunz am See) is required. We strive to be an inclusive, welcoming and safe environment for people of all backgrounds, ethnic and gender identities. 

How to apply 

For your application, submit a letter of interest, CV including publications, and names of two references to Carina Zittra (carina.zittra@univie.ac.at) Deadline for applications is the 31st of March 2025. The preferred starting date is May 2025, latest.