2-Year NSF-Funded Postdoc Position Open: Fall 2018

The Turner Lab at Stony Brook University seeks a motivated vertebrate paleontologist or evolutionary morphologist to study neurosensory anatomy and evolution in fossil and living crocodylomorphs.
 
Position Summary
A NSF-funded postdoctoral position focusing on ecomorphological diversification and phenotypic disparity in Crocodylomorpha is available in the lab of Dr. Alan H. Turner in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University. The Turner Lab seeks to understand terrestrial vertebrate evolution in deep time with a focus on archosaur phylogenetics and how and why specific phenotypes evolve. The successful candidate for this position will be expected to carry out independent research relating to quantifying and analyzing neurosensory evolution in crocodylomorphs through braincase/endocast anatomy. This is a two-year position, contingent on satisfactory progress in year one. Ideal start is September 2018 but start date is negotiable. 
 
Responsibilities
The postdoctoral scholar will oversee the compilation of a comprehensive database of crocodylomorph neurocranial phenotypes using CT, μCT, and diceCT techniques. In addition to the Stony Brook community, the postdoctoral scholar will have opportunity to work with collaborators in the Gignac Lab at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and the newly created Watanabe Lab at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. The position will involve active research, publication, and outreach activities associated with the NSF-funded project. Depending on interest and abilities the postdoc will have the opportunity to work on descriptive anatomy, disparity and phenotypic integration analysis, and/or application of model-based phylogenetic methods. The position will also involve mentoring undergraduate researchers in the lab.

Required Qualifications
PhD, or foreign equivalent, by start date.
Preferred Qualifications
PhD, or foreign equivalent, in vertebrate paleontology, evolutionary biology, or related field. Experience in any of the following: CT scanning and post-processing (Avizo and/or VGStudio), phylogenetic comparative methods and R, or 3D geometric morphometrics.
How to Apply
Interested individuals should prepare application materials that includes a CV, a brief description of research accomplishments and future goals, and the names and contact information for 3 references. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Questions about the position should be directed to Alan by email ([email protected]). Official Ad and application submission is here.

We've been funded by NSF BIO to study the complexities of ecomorphological changes across major evolutionary transitions. The study will examine how novel environments put new, often extreme demands on historical phenotypes by addressing how large-scale habitat and ecological transitions drive evolution across multiple integrated anatomical systems. The research will test hypotheses about phenotypic integration on an evolutionary scale to determine whether developmental rates, sequence heterochrony, and/or patterns of modularity determine if consistently applied rules of ecomorphological diversification underlie adaptive radiations. The outcome will be an unprecedented database of crocodylomorph cranial and post-cranial diversity that includes contrast-enhanced neural and skeletal tissues, raw and partitioned CT stacks, and 3D digital models as well as comparative, intra-clade conceptual models for how predatory vertebrates shift to lives on the shoreline, within the sea, and toward herbivory. We are collaborating with Paul Gignac (OSU Center for Health Sciences), Eric Wilberg and Jeroen Smears (Stony Brook University), and Aki Watanabe (NYIT COM).