PhD scholarships in cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis (Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand)
Two PhD scholarships are available to study potential mechanisms of symbiont loss in the coral bleaching process, and the adaptive capacity of reef corals to climate change. The student's projects will contribute to a larger three-year project, funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund. Study organisms will include the model sea anemone ('Aiptasia'), and various tropical/subtropical reef coral species, including Indo-Pacific species from the Red Sea as well as some that occur locally in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The students will be supervised by Prof. Simon Davy at Victoria University of Wellington, with support from collaborators Prof. Virginia Weis (Oregon State University), Prof. Arthur Grossman (Carnegie Institution), Prof. David Suggett (King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, KAUST) and Dr. Clint Oakley (Victoria University of Wellington).
Eligibility and skills:
A postgraduate degree in a relevant biological discipline. A sound knowledge of marine biology is desirable, but not essential, while a good understanding of cell biology and physiology will be viewed very favourably. Possible methods to be used during the PhD project include omics (transcriptomics, proteomics and/or metabolomics), immunohistochemistry, photo-physiology, and imaging mass spectrometry.
There is a minimum requirement of First Class Honours (or equivalent) or a GPA of 3.8/4.0 from the most recent university degree qualification.
While much of the research will be conducted in Wellington, applicants must have a willingness to travel for overseas field work and/or laboratory visits. There is no diving qualification requirement.
Applicants must display excellent written and verbal science communication skills.
Tenure: 36 months
Start date: From 1st March 2026 (no later than 1st July 2026)
Amount of award: NZ$35,000 stipend plus university fees per year, for a total of three years
Closing date for applications is 5th January 2026 or until position is filled.
To Apply:
To apply for the PhD position, please send the following documentation to Prof. Simon Davy at simon.davy@vuw.ac.nz
* Cover Letter
* CV
* Copies of academic transcripts
* Writing sample (e.g., a first-author publication, or MSc thesis chapter)
* Names of two academic referees (including a thesis supervisor)
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