Open positions

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.