There is a post for a biologist interested in doing a PhD in animal ecology, entitled "Colour signalling and adaptive radiation in African weaverbirds", at the University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. The PhD-position starts in June 2010 (or as agreed upon) and the application deadline is 30 April 2010. The main supervisor is Prof. Staffan Andersson who has a spectacular study site at the epicentre of Euplectes diversification in Tanzania. Application details are available here.

Prof. Andersson's long-term project is to study the behavioural ecology, physiological mechanisms and evolutionary diversification of carotenoid pigmentation in African widowbirds and bishops (Euplectes spp.) and other weaverbirds (Ploceinae). To allow phylogenetic comparative studies of social and ecological selection pressures and constraints on colour evolution, a molecular phylogeny of the studied taxa is being estimated from mitochondrial and nuclear genes.