PhD Scholarship: Cranial Evolution, Digital Morphology, and Palaeobiology of Fishes (Early Vertebrates)

Description

We are seeking two outstanding candidates for PhD scholarships for an evolutionary biology project entitled: Cranial Evolution, Digital Morphology, and Palaeobiology of Fishes (Early Vertebrates). This exciting Australian Research Council-funded project is led by Dr Alice Clement (https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/alice.clement) and based at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, with links to several other national and international research institutions and collaborators. 

The project has two funded PhD scholarships, proposed to be in the areas of: 1, evolution and palaeobiology of coelacanth fishes; and 2, cranial anatomy, morphology and biomechanics of living sharks (although other relevant projects can be proposed by the applicant). 

Both of these evolutionary biology-based projects will unite ‘digital’ morphology with cranial evolution of fishes (either chondrichthyans or osteichthyans), relying heavily on synchrotron imaging of exceptional and rare specimens. Project 1 will examine coelacanth evolution using fossils from the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic, and scans of the living Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis); while Project 2 uses a synchrotron-imaged ontogenetic sequence of white shark (Carcharodon) specimens, as well as a range of other living sharks from Australia. 

The successful applicants will join a vibrant Early Vertebrates Research Group, led by Dr Alice Clement, within the Palaeontology Lab at Flinders University, Australia. Students will be co-supervised either by researchers in the palaeontology group, and/or the Southern Shark Ecology Group (SSEG) dependent upon project. Students will have the opportunity to conduct field work, museum collection visits, gain experience using the Australian Synchrotron, and share results of their project via national and international conferences. 

Benefits

The scholarship includes:

• a stipend valued at $37,143 AUD per year 
• The scholarship will be awarded for 3.5 years
• Leave provisions may apply in accordance with the [Privately Funded Scholarships Conditions of Award]
• full-time enrolment in a Higher Degree by Research at Flinders University
• a Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship to cover tuition fees for Australian Citizens, NZ Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Overseas students will be fully considered. Outstanding international students may be supported by the supervisor to apply for an internal tuition fee sponsorship. Where a tuition fee sponsorship is not approved an international student will be required to pay international tuition fees.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the award of this scholarship a student must: 

• Be an Australian citizen; or New Zealand citizen; or have been granted permanent resident status; or are international citizens; and
• meet PhD admission requirements including: have an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), including a research component of at least 6 months’ full-time study achieving Distinction (75%) OR including evidence of equivalent research experience, such as a substantial first-author refereed publication or track record as an investigator on a competitive grant; and
• be available to commence as a full-time PhD student at Flinders University in semester 1, 2027;

Selection Criteria

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE 

• A degree in evolutionary biology, palaeontology, vertebrate anatomy, biomechanics, or any related discipline  
• Knowledge of the anatomy and morphology of fishes or early tetrapods (chondrichthyans and/or osteichthyans) 

DESIRABLE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE 

• Experience at handling and managing 3D digital and/or tomographic data, and proficiency in a range of related software
• Histological, biomechanical or morphometric expertise, particularly the application of 3D Geometric Morphometrics (GMM), and/or Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Capability in systematics, phylogenetics, taxonomy and/or macroevolutionary analyses 
• Evolutionary Biological and/or Palaeontological knowledge and experience 
• Prior publication/s of a peer-reviewed article in an academic journal, and/or presentation of research at international conferences