Research Fellow

University of St Andrews - School of Mathematics and Statistics

Location: St Andrews

Salary: £38,249 to £41,671 per annum

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 16th July 2025

Closes: 29th August 2025

Job Ref: 454526

Start Date: 15 September or as soon as possible thereafter

Fixed Term: 18 months

Applications are sought for a committed Post-doctoral Research Fellow to work with Dr Rui Borges conducting research for the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) funded project P37050 entitled “Inferring gene flow from phylogenies with ubiquitous genomes”. Evolutionary biologists have gathered substantial evidence showing that most species evolve while exchanging genetic material. However, the extent of these gene flow events is not yet fully understood. With new genome sequencing technologies, we now have the data to quantify these events, but we need new mathematical models and statistical methods, especially over longer time scales, where the direction and magnitude of gene flow are challenging to infer. This project aims to develop these tools, advancing our understanding of how species diverge and, ultimately, how biodiversity forms.

The successful applicant will have (or be near to completion of) a PhD and have expertise in any two of the following: (1) evolutionary biology, (2) statistical inference, (3) mathematical modelling and (4) computational biology. We also welcome applications from statisticians and mathematicians or computer scientists, even without prior knowledge from evolutionary biology, that wish to diversify their career.

The post is available for 18 months starting 15 September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Further details of the project can be found at https://mrborges23.github.io/mypage/flowt.html or by contacting Dr Rui Borges (rb251@st-andrews.ac.uk).