PhD Position in Family Life in the Wild: Linking Genes, Social Behaviour, and Population Dynamics - University of Tasmania, Australia
The Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group at the University of Tasmania is seeking a second motivated PhD student to join an Australian Research Council Discovery Award funded project investigating how does family life evolve?
This project will investigate the ecological and genetic mechanisms that shape family living using White's skink (Liopholis whitii), a family-living Australian lizard that has been the focus of more than 20 years of ecological and behavioural research. The successful candidate will combine behavioural ecology, genomics, and long-term field data to understand how genes, social behaviour, and environmental change interact to shape family living and population dynamics. The project will utilise one of the world's longest-running studies of a family-living reptile, integrating long-term ecological data, behavioural observations, pedigree reconstruction, and genome-wide analyses to investigate the genetic basis of social behaviour and its consequences for survival, reproduction, dispersal, and population persistence.
The project forms part of a larger research program investigating the ecological and molecular origins of family life. The successful applicant will join an internationally collaborative research team, working with researchers at the University of Tasmania, Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, Lund University (Sweden), and the Max Planck Institute (Germany).
Applicants should possess:
- A First Class Honours or research Master's degree in ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, genetics, genomics, conservation biology, or a related discipline.
- Strong quantitative skills, including experience using R.
- Experience analysing ecological, genetic, spatial or other complex biological datasets.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- An interest in behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology, population biology, or genomics.
- Field or laboratory experience with vertebrate systems.
The successful applicant will receive a competitive PhD scholarship, opportunities for conference travel and international collaboration, and interdisciplinary training spanning behavioural ecology, population biology, genomics, quantitative ecology, and evolutionary biology.
To apply, please send:
- A  brief expression of interest outlining your research experience and motivation,
- Your curriculum vitae, and
- The contact details of two academic referees

To: Associate Professor Geoff While, Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Tasmania, Email: gwhile@utas.edu.au
Expressions of interest should be received by the 1st of September 2026. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to discuss the project before being supported through the formal University of Tasmania PhD application process. Please see the UTAS PhD Project page (https://www.utas.edu.au/research/degrees/available-projects) or the Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group page (https://beergrouputas.wordpress.com/2026/06/27/two-phd-opportunities-exploring-the-evolution-of-family-life/) for more information.

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