PH.D. POSITION - GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS, Dalhousie

PH.D. POSITION - GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF PHYLOGENETIC TREES AND NETWORKS

A Bioinformatics Ph.D. position is available in the research group of Dr.
Robert Beiko and Dr. Christian Blouin in the Faculty of Computer Science,
Dalhousie University. Very large sets of genetic data are being collected
from a diverse range of sites around the world; phylogenetic analyses of
these data sets will give us a deeper understanding of the evolutionary
processes that shape the biosphere. The mission of the Ph.D. student will
first be to reconstruct phylogenetic trees and networks and bind them to
appropriate map coordinates. The student will then develop algorithms to
reconcile the evolutionary relationships among sequences with the spatial
and temporal relationships among sample sites.

The ideal candidate will have an undergraduate Honours or a Master's
degree in Computer Science, with experience in algorithm development and
analysis and some familiarity with graphics. Experience with phylogenetic
trees and networks is not necessary, and can be learned early in the
project. Applicants with a relevant background in the biosciences or
statistics could also undertake this project via the Dalhousie
Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.

This position is funded by the Tula Foundation as part of the Dalhousie
Centre for Comparative Genomics and Evolutionary Bioinformatics (CGEB).
The student stipend will be C$25,000 per year, with opportunities for
conference travel. This project is part of a larger geospatial initiative
that will involve several other students and technical personnel. The
student will also interact with other members of the CGEB, which spans
four departments (Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Biology,
and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology).

We would like to fill this position as soon as possible, with a start date
of either January or May 2008 and the opportunity for a bridging position
before the formal start of the Ph.D. There is no formal application
deadline, but the first evaluations of applicants will be carried out by
mid-September. Interested applicants should contact Robert Beiko directly
(email: beiko [at] cs.dal.ca) with a curriculum vitae showing relevant
experience, an academic transcript (unofficial is sufficient at this
stage) and a statement of research interests (maximum 1 page).

Rules for Ph.D. applicants to Computer Science:
http://www.cs.dal.ca/graduate/index.shtml

Dalhousie Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program:
http://www.dalgrad.dal.ca/interdisciplinary/