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Minutes of 2012 Mid Year meeting

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:56:04 -0600

	Minutes
	Awards
	Editor's report
	Managing Editor's report
	Program report
	Publisher's Report

Frontiers in Phylogenetics Spring Symposium: Sequence Alignment and Tree Estimation

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:34:02 -0600

Baird Auditorium
National Museum of Natural History
Washington, DC
Sunday May 20, 2012, 9 AM to 5 PM

TOPICS and SPEAKERS

Introduction and Welcome to the Smithsonian Jonathan Coddington, Associate Director of Research and Collections, NMNH
An Overview of Multiple Sequence Alignment Methods Kazutaka Katoh, IFReC, Osaka University, Japan; CBRC, AIST, Japan.
Phylogenomics Across the Green Plant Tree of Life Jim Leebens-Mack, University of Georgia
Bayesian Co-estimation of Alignment and Phylogeny Ben Redelings, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCENT)
Phylogeny-aware Progressive Sequence Alignment Ari Löytynoja, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
SATe: Simultaneous Alignment and Tree Estimation for Large Datasets Tandy Warnow, University of Texas at Austin
Fast and Accurate Multiple Sequence/Structure Alignment Using MAFFTash Daron Standley, Systems Immunology Lab, Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), Osaka University
A Simple Insertion-Deletion Mixture Model for Phylogenetic Inference Derrick Zwickl, University of Arizona
Impact of DNA Sequence Alignment on Estimates of the Avian Tree of Life Michael Braun, National Museum of Natural History

Registration is free but required. Please send name, affiliation, e-mail and phone number to Sarah Kingston (kingstons 'at' si.edu).

III Moscow International Conference “Molecular Phylogenetics MolPhy-3”, 31 July – 04 August, 2012

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:03:13 -0600

The organizing committee is pleased to announce the 3rd Moscow international conference on molecular phylogenetics, «Molecular Phylogenetics MolPhy-3», which will take place at the New School Building of Moscow State University, 31 July - 4 August 2012.

The conference mission is to provide a stimulating platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences in contemporary phylogenetics, molecular evolution and bioinformatics, and for developing methodology, algorithms, and applications for state-of-the-art analyses of molecular genetic data. The primary scope is in molecular phylogenetics and systematics, phyloinformatics, evolutionary genomics, reconstructing the Tree of Life, and applied phylogenetics.

Postdoctoral fellowship in population genetics of insular snakes - University Of São Paulo/Fapesp

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:55:46 -0600

The Laboratory of Herpetology of the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo seeks a highly motivated scientist with experience in molecular biology and genetics to receive a 24 month FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellowship (monthly salary: R$ 5,333.40, relocation funding available; for more information visit http://www.fapesp.br/en/5427). The successful applicant will employ next generation sequencing methods to produce large amounts of genomic data to study the colonization processes of snakes species in the insular formations of the Galapagos Archipelago, Brazilian continental islands, Lesser Antilles, and Baja California as part of the project “Origin and evolution of snakes and their diversification in the Neotropics: a multidisciplinary approach,” which aims to investigate the systematics, phylogeny, ecology, and biogeography of Neotropical snakes.

iEvoBio 2012 Challenge: Synthesizing phylogenies

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:50:44 -0600

The iEvoBio 2012 Challenge has been announced, and the topic is synthesizing phylogenies. The task:

Somewhere, buried in large sets of trees, lies a stunning new revelation, a baffling discovery, the answer to a longstanding controversy, or simply something not obvious to the naked eye. The mission of the 2012 iEvoBio challenge is to find those revelations, discoveries and answers within your own data and/or within one of the datasets provided by the challenge. What new scientifically interesting results can you pull from these trees, using any combination of techniques at your disposal?

São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences - Evolution (SPSAS-evo)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:43:19 -0600

We are pleased to announce the São Paulo School of Advanced Sciences - Evolution (SPSAS-evo) to be held in August 19-31, 2012, in Ilhabela, São Paulo, Brazil. This is the 6th edition of an ambitious initiative by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), whose main purpose is to bring together leading experts and outstanding students/post-docs from all over the world in order to advance areas considered strategic for Brazilian science.

SPSAS-evo will be a two-week course centered on a range of topics in Evolutionary Biology taught by a host of world class experts conducting cutting-edge research in Evolution. The main goals are to generate authoritative outreach material focused on Evolution and to showcase ongoing research in São Paulo, aiming at attracting the most promising students, post-docs and young faculty to the state of São Paulo.

Systematics beyond phylogenetics: Annual meeting of the Société Française de Systématique - 2012

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:04:02 -0700

10 October 2012, Amphitheater of the INEE, 3 rue Michel-Ange, 75016 Paris.
The next annual meeting of the Société Française de Systématique (SFS ; http://sfs.snv.jussieu.fr/) will address the issue of "Systematics beyond phylogenetics". The meeting will emphasize the central but often underestimated role that phylogenies (and hence, systematics) play in modern evolutionary and comparative biology, through various techniques and in many fields (conservation biology, nomenclature, evo-devo, molecular evolution, etc.).

University of California, Davis Tenure-track Evolution of Organismal Diversity

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:50:44 -0700

The College of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis invites applications and nominations for a tenure-track position in the Department of Evolution and Ecology at the ASSISTANT level, with the possibility of ASSOCIATE appointment with tenure. Candidates must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in the biological sciences or related fields. They should have a strong record of integrative approaches to the evolution of organismal diversity. We seek candidates with expertise in the organismal biology/natural history of a multicellular group, and whose research uses genomic data in an explicitly phylogenetic context to address questions in macroevolution, ecology, behavior and/or development. The successful candidate will be expected to teach in the department's undergraduate program and in the Population Biology Graduate Group and should be committed to departmental service. Applicants should submit materials online at:

https://recruitments.ucdavis.edu/PositionDetails.aspx?PositionID=85&Title=Asst/Assoc-Professor-%28Tenure-Track%29

which contains additional information about the position. These should include: curriculum vitae, description of current and projected research, summary of teaching interests and experience, and up to five publications. Applicants should also provide the information requested for three referees. Once entered, referees will be prompted by email with upload instructions for their letters. Closing Date: Open until filled, but all application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by February 6, 2012, to assure full consideration. Administrative contact: Carla Munoz (camunoz@ucdavis.edu). Faculty contacts: Peter Wainwright, Michael Turelli, and Rick Grosberg. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the development of a climate that supports equality of opportunity and respect for differences.

Assistant or Associate Curator of Ornithology American Museum of Natural History

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:02:52 -0700

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York is inviting applications for a curatorial position at the Assistant or Associate Curator level in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Ornithology. This is a tenure track position with the salary and duration of review for tenure being negotiable depending on the candidate's degree of professional experience and accomplishment.

We seek candidates whose research addresses fundamental questions involving the systematics and evolutionary biology of living birds. The successful candidate will have an accomplished record of scholarship and publication as well as capabilities for leadership within the Division and Department. Candidates who can contribute to Museum initiatives in genomics, phenomics (large-scale phenotypic analysis), and to the global exploration of avian diversity are especially encouraged to apply. Collection and/or field-based research are highly desirable. The ability to communicate effectively within the scholarly community and to a larger public is important. AMNH curators are expected to maintain a high level of productivity in original research, to provide curatorial oversight of relevant collections, and to seek extramural funding. Other responsibilities may include serving on committees and participating in Museum sponsored exhibits and educational programs, and in the Comparative Biology Ph.D. program at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. Candidates should have postdoctoral or professional employment experience.

Upcoming courses within Distributed European School of Taxonomy

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:43:23 -0700

The Distributed European School of Taxonomy (DEST, http://www.taxonomytraining.eu) provides a high quality training that prepares students for future taxonomic careers. Courses are open to participants from Europe and outside of Europe.

Upcoming courses within the Modern Taxonomy programme:

Upcoming courses within the Expert-in-training programme:

Have a look now as registration deadlines are getting near!

Mathematical and Computational Evolutionary Biology June 18-22, 2012, Hameau de l'Etoile (France)

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:16:48 -0700

Olivier Gascuel and Jean-Michel Marin are co-=chairing a meeting on Mathematical and Computational Evolutionary Biology to be held June 18-22 at Hameau de l'Etoile in France. See website (http://www.lirmm.fr/mceb2012/) for details.

The subject is evolution, which is considered at different scales, from genes to populations. The focus is on the mathematical and computational tools and concepts, which form an essential basis of evolutionary studies. The rise of sound statistical and combinatorial approaches in evolutionary biology has seen considerable improvements of the original ad hoc methods and the ability of the new methods and algorithms to handle ever-larger data sets. Such advances involve increasingly sophisticated mathematical treatment of the problems at hand and the reliance on faster algorithms and powerful computers to answer important biological questions. To present these advances and to discuss open questions and problems, the meeting will bring together researchers originating from various disciplines: mathematics, computer science, phylogenetics and population genetics. Ten keynote speakers, two each morning, will introduce a field of research and discuss their own work in this field. Afternoon will be for short presentations and posters, with plenty of time for discussions. We will stop early every day, thus leaving time for hiking and visits. The number of attendees will be limited to favor exchanges (~60).

University of Sao Paulo - Brazil: Faculty Positions â�?�" Developmental Biology and Zoology

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:32:36 -0700

The Department of Zoology of the Institute of Biosciences of the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) (http://www.ib.usp.br/) is seeking applications for two tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty positions: Developmental Biology (all fields) and Zoology (systematics, natural history and evolution of any group of metazoans or non-parasitic protists). Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree in a field related to the position of interest and a demonstrated record of research productivity. The successful candidates will be expected to maintain a rigorous research program and contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching. Applications should be submitted by January 7th, 2012.
Further information (including information for foreign applicants and/or holders of a foreign Ph.D.) can be obtained from: Dr. Pedro Gnaspini, Chair of the Department of Zoology, zoochefe@ib.usp.br.

Tenure-track position in Herpetology at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:42:50 -0700

The Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has a tenure-track, nine-month faculty position in Herpetology-(Assistant Professor), beginning August 2012. Teaching assignment includes courses in Herpetology, Evolution, Introductory Biology, and Senior Seminar. Research with undergraduates, department service, and student advising are expected. PhD with emphasis in appropriate area required for tenure. Teaching and research experience are required. Experience may include grants, publications, evidence of teaching excellence, and postdoctoral work. We seek applicants from underrepresented groups.

Terrestrial Vertebrate Biologist at California State University, Long Beach

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:39:09 -0700

The Department of Biological Sciences at California State University, Long Beach invites applications for a terrestrial vertebrate biologist at the Assistant Professor level. We seek broadly trained individuals who address fundamental research questions in these areas and have a strong interest in teaching at a research-oriented, comprehensive university. Review of applications will commence December 12, 2011. Position open until filled. For further information please see the position description at http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/personnel/jobs/posting/921/index.html

Postdoctoral Position at the University of S�?£o Paulo (USP)

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 05:34:44 -0600

A 2-year post-doctoral fellowship is available starting in November, 2011 as part of a FAPESP (FAPESP :: Funda�?§�?£o de Amparo �? Pesquisa do Estado de S�?£o Paulo) (http://www.fapesp.br) grant to study micro and macroevolutionary processes underlying diversification in cnidarians. The specific post-doctoral project focuses on the development of novel analytical approaches to incorporate rRNA secondary structures into phylogenetic analysis. The candidate is expected to help mentor and manage an active team of graduate and undergraduate students working on a variety of grant-supported projects. The candidate will also have the opportunity to develop and lead collaborative research project(s) if directly related to cnidarian phylogenetics and/or biodiversity.