Overview
A fully funded 4-year PhD position, supervised by Dr. Suman Das and Prof. Dr. Claudia Bank, is available in the Division of Theoretical Ecology and Evolution (banklab.github.io) at the University of Bern, Switzerland. The position is part of the SNSF project “Navigability of rugged fitness landscapes: determinants, consequences, and evolutionary feedback”, in which we study adaptation from a fitness-landscape point of view. See this paper from the lab for an introduction to the general topic.
Responsibilities
* The PhD project is theoretical in nature and will involve mathematical modelling, computer simulations, and/or data analysis. The project should address some of the following questions:
* Navigating Fitness Landscapes: How do interactions between the effects of mutations at different genetic loci shape the adaptive paths in a fitness landscape? Which features of a complex fitness landscape facilitate the movement of a population toward better-adapted genotypes?
* Stochastic Evolutionary Forces: What are the roles of random processes such as stochastic tunnelling and drift in the traversal of fitness landscapes? How do stochastic effects interact with selection to influence evolutionary trajectories?
* Evolution of Landscape Structure: How does the structure of a fitness landscape itself evolve (e.g., via changes in genome size) over long timescales? What are the consequences of landscape evolution for adaptation, robustness, and evolvability?
Your profile
Candidates should be highly motivated, creative, and keen to work both independently and collaboratively. We welcome applications from diverse scientific backgrounds (e.g., from physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science, biology). We are particularly interested in candidates who are fascinated by evolutionary biology, have a strong background in mathematical modelling and enjoy programming. In their motivation letter, applicants from outside biology should explain why they are interested in studying evolution, and applicants from biology should describe why they wish to join a theoretical research group. Candidates must have good communication skills in English, which is the working language at our institute. A Master\'s degree is required, and the position is open to applicants worldwide. We are committed to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in ecology and evolution, and we especially encourage applications from members of underrepresented groups.
Work environment
Contact and Application
Please submit your application via the application portal by 9 January 2026. Please reach out to Dr. Suman Das (suman.das@unibe.ch) in case of questions. Applicants must submit one merged PDF application file that includes a letter of motivation mentioning the desired starting date (<500 words), a CV, names and contact details of two referees, and copies of relevant publications and/or the Master thesis.
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