Opportunities

I am looking for enthusiastic postdocs to join our group and develop new lines of basic or applied research on various consequences of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater biota.

Our group's expertise includes laboratory experiments on individual behaviour (using Noldus Ethovision), physiology (with a focus on respirometry) and trophic interactions. We also conduct outdoor experiments in heated mesocosms to study the responses of whole communities to anthropogenic stressors such as climate change, various pollutants and invasive species. We also use mathematical models to study various dynamic phenomena, from predator-prey interactions to community assembly. This means you can expand your toolkit (depending on your previous background) and develop a more holistic approach to your future research.

Our lab is multinational and regularly publishes in leading journals (e.g. Ecology Letters, Global Change Biology, Journal of Animal Ecology). The campus provides access to many other research groups and facilities, and we actively collaborate with a number of research groups in the Czech Republic and across Europe. The group is hosted by the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia and the Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, Czech Republic. The joint campus of both institutions is located in Ceske Budejovice, a laid-back town of about 100,000 people within easy reach of Prague and Vienna. Overall, the cost of living here is much lower than in many Western European countries and also significantly (P<0.001) lower than in Prague. 

Possible sources of funding are the various grant schemes of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (next deadline on 3 April 2024), Marie Curie Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships (next deadline on 11 September 2024) and a postdoc position funded by the University of South Bohemia (next deadline expected at end of August/beginning of September 2024). All these calls are open to applicants from all countries. GACR grants are usually for 3 years, while the latter two provide fully funded positions for 12-24 months. Marie Curie Fellowships offer an unprecedented combination of absolute freedom in the research agenda and extremely good financial conditions - the scholarship is higher than the salary of a full professorship and would allow you to live very comfortably in Czechia.

Informal enquiries are welcome - please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Would you like to do an internship with us? We welcome highly motivated students with good organizational skills and strong interests in quantitative ecology, behavioural ecology or evolutionary ecology. Master students in biology, ecology, entomology, limnology and related fields to join us for their intership. Students interested in experimental work are particularly encouraged to apply. Previous experience with aquatic invertebrates, lab experiments, data curation and statistical analyses (e.g. in R) is a plus.

Stipend: Successful candidates will need to secure most or all of their funds. ERASMUS SPM (Student Mobility for Placement) or another similar European scholarship or a 'bourse de mobilité internationale sur critères sociaux' is enough to cover basic living costs and shared accommodation in student dormitories or in private for the entire duration of the stay. Very good performance may be supported with an additional Czech stipend. For more information about major French scholarships see here, here, here and here. Some information can also be found here for European applicants. 

To apply, please send your CV, motivation letter (1 page maximum), and names and contact information for two references to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Claire Duchet (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Informal enquiries are welcome - please contact us by email.

Contact information:

Department of Ecosystem Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia &
Biology Centre AS CR, Institute of Entomology, Laboratory of Aquatic Insects and Relict Ecosystems
Branisovska 31, CZ-37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
tel: +420 387 772 327
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (in English) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (in French or English)