​NEW: ​MSc on investigating plant-insect community dynamics across deep time and environmental changes

Work: Intellectually demanding, but fun and rewarding, and suitable for someone who is seeking consistent personal and professional growth
Salary: $ minimum guaranteed salary of ~$27,894/year for 2.3 years (top-up awards can be applied later)
Place: The sunniest and coldest big Canadian city, (Edmonton, Alberta) which is also very affordable to live in and is close to some of the most beautiful mountains and wild areas in the world.
Period: 2.3 year MSc (starting Jan 2026)
Promise: It’s likely be the most intellectually challenging but fulfilling and productive period of your life
Personal goal: Becoming a well-rounded, critical thinking, and collaborative researcher at the cutting edge of modern science
Team vision: To change the way we do science, especially in ecology and evolution
Qualities sought: We are seeking collaborative, diligent, inclusive, honest, responsible, and open-minded people who are humble about their ability and place in science. We believe that self-motivation, eagerness to learn new skills, and curiosity are the most important attributes of a successful PhD student.
Deadline: 31 May 2025 (earlier the better)

Note: We warmly welcome diverse and minority applicants – we believe that talent can come from anywhere

MSc Project Description:
Plant-insect communities are a fundamental aspect of all terrestrial ecosystems, underpinning food webs, community structure, and agricultural systems. However, our current understanding of how plant-insect communities respond to environmental upheaval is incomplete; especially in our understanding of community recovery and restructuring after such events. Climate projections indicate that with increasing temperatures, our planet is likely to experience dramatic restructuring of terrestrial ecosystems, making a better understanding of potential plant-insect community responses critical to conservation and agricultural planning. Recent advancements in the synthesis of paleontology and neontology enable us to assess such community processes through multiple approaches. This M.Sc. opportunity will focus on the synthesis of approaches in community ecology, paleontology, evolutionary ecology, and other fields of ecology and evolution to investigate plant-insect community structure and response to environmental change.
Potential research questions include but are not limited to:

1. Simulating plant-insect community network responses to various types of environmental upheaval, including agricultural plant-insect communities.
2. New methods for extracting, analyzing, and storing information from plant and insect fossils (i.e. imaging techniques, database curation, etc.)
3. Comparisons of fossil plant-insect communities to communities undergoing environmental change today.

We additionally anticipate a portion of this project to be focused on community outreach and engagement, considering the interest potential of fossils to the public. Prospective students who are also interested in new methods and approaches for scientific outreach are especially encouraged to apply. This master’s project will be supervised by Professor Shinichi Nakagawa and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Christine Sosiak. Elements of this project will be conducted in collaboration with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta; students who are interested in the fossil aspects of this research will be encouraged to conduct research there with collaborator Dr. Christopher West.

Position, salary, and location:

• The appointment will be for 2.3 years (starting Jan 2026: winter semester)
  
• The salary starts at ~$27,894/year for 2.3 years (guaranteed with teaching assistantships ) 
• Lab members will be expected to work at a newly refurbished lab space at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, one of Canada's most affordable places to live [link].

 
Work descriptions and duties:

• Leading research synthesis or methodological projects in consultation with the PI and other collaborators (on research topics that align with the applicant’s interest and skills within the PI’s CERC program remit)
  
• Completing research projects, publishing them, and collaborating with other researchers at the Centre
• Disseminating research concepts and results to the public with a particular focus on groups underrepresented in science

 
Eligibility, necessary qualifications, and qualities:

• Bachelor’s degree in biology (ecology, evolution, environmental sciences), statistics, computer science, natural resources, or related fields
• Self-motivated and eager to learn new skills. While quantitative methods can be intimidating, if you are self-driven and open-minded, we assure you that you can learn these skills and become a world-class researcher
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• We are open to applications from any country
• For students who are interested and make good progress in their research, transferring to a later PhD position is possible; this will be evaluated in discussion with the PI at a later date

 
Preferred experiences and skills:

• Coding experience is preferred but not required (i.e. R, Python, Julia, MATLAB)
• Interest in and willingness to think critically with a synthesis-centered mindset about current topics in ecology and evolution
• Prior research experience is recommended but not required

 
How to apply:
Please send the PI (Shinichi Nakagawa: [email protected]) an email with the following attachments (or a link from which the documents can be downloaded)

1. A cover letter describing experiences and research interests
2. Scientific CV
3. Transcripts
4. Contact details of three referees (two are fine too)
5. A one-page (max) statement of research interests (please read the CERC application and discuss the link between your research interest and the CERC program).
6. A one-page (max) diversity and social impact statement (describing strengths and experiences in equity, diversity, and inclusion, and/or social activities such as volunteering at learned societies and outreach activities, and/or other extra-curricular activities, and/or supervisory/teaching experiences)
7. Please send the application by 31 May 2025 (earlier the better)

 
Important note:
The PI and the lab are committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce and warmly welcome diverse and minority applicants, especially from historically marginalized and under-represented groups. Depending on their circumstances, part-time work arrangements will be considered.
Prospective applicants are also encouraged to contact the lab's former and current members (see here) to learn how to work in the lab and with the PI.

Work: Intellectually demanding, but fun and rewarding, and suitable for someone who is seeking consistent personal and professional growth
Salary: $60K including benefits with annual increment
Place: The sunniest and coldest big Canadian city, (Edmonton, Alberta) which is also very affordable to live in
Period: 1-year probation + 2 years after the probation (start any time - i.e. flexible, but paperwork and permit could take up to 6 months)
Promise: It’s likely be most intellectually challenging but fulfilling and productive period of your life
Personal goal: Your best and most impactful academic work(s) but also becoming a well-rounded collaborative researcher at the cutting edge of modern science
Team vision: To change the way we do science, especially in ecology and evolution
Qualities sought: We are seeking collaborative, diligent, inclusive, honest, responsible and open-minded people with humility in their ability and place in science.
Deadline: (it is closed but we could consider an exceptional candidate anytime)
Note: We warmly welcome diverse and minority applicants – we believe that talent can come from anywhere

Context:
Prof Shinichi Nakagawa (Principal Investigator, PI) is a newly appointed Canada Excellence Research Chair in Open Science and Synthesis in Ecology and Evolution (CERC) at the University of Alberta UoA, Edmonton [news].

The PI will build an international hub or Centre for Open Science and Research Synthesis to revolutionize and improve scientific practises in ecology, evolution, and related fields, such as conservation and environmental sciences, by forming a large international collaborative network. The core interdisciplinary team will include biologists and computer and social scientists from UoA. This new lab (Centre) will conduct meta-analyses and other quantitative syntheses using all data types (e.g., citizen science data, climate data) and develop new methodologies. Therefore, we intend to lead and direct future research across many topics in ecology and evolution.

Over the next few years, the PI aims to build up a lab of ~20-25 people: postdocs, graduate students, research assistants, and a lab manager. This lab will be a place where people work together towards the ambitious vision and to reach their highest academic and personal potential. All lab members will have opportunities to participate in and help run collaborative workshops where participants learn synthesis methods and generate the latest evidence for various topics in ecology and evolution.

For more information about the PI and his past work, visit his Australian lab webpage [link] and also read his interview at Current Biology [link].
 
Position, salary, and location:

• The appointment will be for three years, including a one-year probation period.
• The salary starts at $53,762 ($60,000, including benefits) with an annual increase, and we also provide some help with one-off moving costs.
• Successful applicants are expected to apply for external funding with the help of the PI (such as Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship: $70,000 per year).
• Lab members will be expected to work at a newly refurbished lab space at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, one of Canada's most affordable places to live [link].

 
Work descriptions and duties:

• Leading research synthesis, methodological, or meta-science projects in consultation with the PI and other collaborators (on research topics that align with the applicant’s interest and skills within PI’s CERC program remit.
• Leading or co-leading a large project that involves a wider group of collaborators and participants (research topics for these large projects will be aligned with PI’s CERC program – PI has a wealth of experience running such collaborations and will support postdocs; see the CERC application)
• Collaborating with other members, mentoring graduate students, and supervising graduate students with the PI
• Completing research projects, publishing them, assisting others in publishing, and assisting the PI with publication and grant preparation
• Engaging in public outreach and other activities for the general public, learned societies, and the University of Alberta, in consultation with the PI

 
Eligibility, necessary qualifications, and qualities:

• PhD in biology (ecology, evolution, and environmental sciences), psychology, statistics, mathematics, computer sciences, or related fields
• Applicants must have completed their PhD within the past five years (these time limits may be extended to accommodate interruptions in the applicant’s research career)
• Good record of publications, conference presentations, and other research outputs (compared with your peers and given opportunities)
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• We are open to applications from any countries

 
Preferred experiences and skills:

• Experience in conducting meta-analyses, advanced statistical analyses, methodological projects, or meta-scientific projects
• Coding skills in R or other languages (e.g., Python, Julia, MATLAB; the use of the GitHub platform for collaboration will be mandated in the lab)
• Leading methodological publications or creating own R packages or software packages in other programming languages
• Leading a large collaborative project
• Ability to conduct simulation studies
• Experiences in and commitment to open science practices (e.g., publishing code, data)

 
How to apply:
Please send the PI (Shinichi Nakagawa: [email protected]) an email with the following attachments (or a link from which the documents can be downloaded)

1. A cover letter
2. Scientific CV
3. Contact details of three referees
4. Three PDFs of representative publications
5. A two-page (max) statement of research interests (please make sure to read the CERC application and discuss the link between your research interest and the CERC program).
6. A one-page (max) diversity and social impact statement (describing strengths and experiences in equity, diversity, and inclusion, and/or social activities such as volunteering at learned societies and outreach activities, and/or other extra-curricular activities, and/or supervisory/teaching experiences)
7. Please send the application by (closed but an exceptional candidate be considered anytime)
   

 
Important note:
The PI and the lab are committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce and warmly welcome diverse and minority applicants, especially from historically marginalized and under-represented groups. Depending on their circumstances, part-time work arrangements will be considered.
Prospective applicants are also encouraged to contact the lab's former and current members (see here) to learn how to work in the lab and with the PI.