University of Zurich | Open PhD position in Evolutionary Biology

About

The goal is for the PhD candidate to forge their own research program. I am looking for candidates that have a genuine motivation and curiosity for topics related to human life history evolution. I am not expecting the candidate to carry out a research project designed by me: the position advertised offers plenty of freedom, and a corresponding amount of responsibility.

Personally, I have addressed these evolutionary questions via the analysis of hard tissue remains, which act as recording structures of an individual’s life. Hence, my lab is equipped to analyze such recording structures (teeth and bones) via a variety of analytical techniques. The candidate will have access to all the lab facilities and to skeletal collections and will be supported in pursuing their own research agenda – which may or may not entail the collaboration with other labs / the use of other equipment. I expect the ideal PhD candidate to take ownership of their project from conception to publication of the results and gladly support them along the way.

Requirements

I believe that a PhD student of Life or Biomedical Sciences with a background in paleoanthropology and/or hard tissue biology / histology should be bring a solid foundation to join the lab – but other backgrounds will be considered as well. Proficient English writing skills are essential. Due to the current focus of my lab, to leverage the available infrastructure, knowledge in one or more of the following fields is highly desirable: scanning electron microscopy, Micro-CT, synchrotron Micro-CT, optical microscopy, wet-lab histological section preparation, dental anthropology, dental histology, bone biology and histology, Avizo/Dragonfly, R (or other programming languages). The prospective team member is expected to have received a master’s degree or equivalent by the start of the PhD and will hopefully have published or is preparing to publish on their Master thesis. The student is to enroll in the evolutionary biology graduate program of the University of Zurich (www.evobio.uzh.ch/en.html).

Our offer

The University of Zurich is one of the top research institutions in Europe and offers an exceptional academic environment for research and study. The Department of Evolutionary Anthropology has state-of-the-art research facilities in an international and stimulating academic environment. My lab’s ongoing collaborations with other research groups in the department, the nation-wide research consortium NCCR Evolving Language (https://evolvinglanguage.ch/), and the Department of Neonatology (Children’s University Hospital) will provide a unique opportunity for knowledge exchange and development. Additionally, the large collection of the department (which includes the original Schultz collection) and an in-house Micro-CT scanner are also available.

Located close to the Alps, the city of Zurich, with a lake and two rivers in which to swim in the summer, offers conditions for an excellent quality of life. We offer a vibrant, collaborative work environment and high-quality supervision with the establishment of a supervisory committee comprised of three professors. The research group is brand new, with state-of-the-art lab equipment and plenty of academic freedom to direct the PhD project in promising directions.

Application

To apply, please send a single PDF comprising:

• a letter of motivation including information on previous scientific work and publications if available (maximum of 2 pages)
• a CV and contact details of two referees.

Together with an electronic copy of the Masters-thesis, please send your application to paola.cerrito@uzh.ch. The deadline for applications is May 15th, 2025. Applications received after the deadline may be considered if the position is not yet filled. Applicants should be prepared to be interviewed in the second half of May 2025 and ideally start on September 1st of 2025. The planned duration for the PhD project is four years and compensation follows the standards set by the University of Zurich’s salary guidelines: https://www.lifescience-graduateschool.uzh.ch/en/application/faq.html#c5. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact me at: paola.cerrito@uzh.ch.

Source and application form: https://www.lifescience-graduateschool.uzh.ch/en/application/faq.html#c5