Complete species-level phylogenetic trees are key for understanding the evolution and distribution of plant diversity, but remain unavailable for larger, ecologically important tropical plant lineages. To remedy this issue, the Palm Phylogeny Working Group (www.palmphylogeny.net) has built a phylogenomic dataset covering nearly all species of the palm family (Arecaceae, ca. 2500 species), a classic model group for studies on tropical plant diversity. The postdoc will get the opportunity to analyse this unprecedented dataset, which has taken more than six years to assemble, and lead on its publication. Analysis should be based on state-of-the-art methods for analysing target sequence capture data. It should also include a thorough investigation of orthology in the data, and potentially the development of new strategies for using multi-copy genes in species tree inference. Once the species tree has been inferred, the postdoc will (time permitting) get the opportunity to use the tree to address biological questions related to the evolution of palms and tropical rainforest plant diversity, and lead on the publication of the outcomes. Other tasks can include contributions to teaching and supervision of graduate students.
The postdoc will be part of the Palm Phylogeny Working Group and collaborate closely with its other members throughout the project. The position is part of the research project “Explaining the hyperdiversity of Tropical rainforests using the Tree of Life (TropiToL)” funded by VILLUM FONDEN.
Deadline: 13 September 2021