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Research Group in Evolution & Biogeography led by Dr. Antonin Machac. Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.  

Research topic Why are some regions and climates megadiverse (e.g. tropical rainforests) while others are species-poor (e.g. deserts)? This classic question has fascinated biologists for decades, yet it remains largely unresolved. The Fellow will investigate biodiversity patterns in tetrapod vertebrates (~35,000 species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles). A fully assembled, analysis-ready dataset of phylogenies, geographic distributions and functional traits is already available, so the Fellow can start testing hypotheses from day one. The research will examine diversity within geographic and climatic space and compare three leading explanations: the time available for species to accumulate, differences in diversification rates, and energy limits on species numbers. The aim is to reveal how diversity patterns and their drivers change across regions, clades and scales. This knowledge is central to evolutionary theory and for predicting and conserving biodiversity.   What the position offers scientifically A vertebrate dataset that is ready to use. The candidate can start analyzing from the first month. Freedom to shape the project. The position is funded by a research grant that defines several themes, and the candidate can tailor them to their own interests. Room for both safe and ambitious work. The pre-defined themes give secure outputs. The independent part allows a high-risk, high-reward project. International collaboration. The candidate will work with our partners at ETH Zurich, SBiK-F Frankfurt, UBC Vancouver and CMEC Copenhagen, and locally with David Storch,  Petr Kohout and Petr Baldrian.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• PhD in Ecology, Evolution, Zoology or a related field, completed by the start date

• Experience with statistics and R programming

• Good publication record, good spoken and written English

• Motivation for research at the interface of ecology, evolution and statistics

• Desirable, not required:

• Experience with phylogeny-based research (phylogenetic comparative methods, diversification analyses), with spatial analysis, geographic information systems (GIS)

What we offer:

• An international team and a workplace near the historical center of Prague

• Salary that supports a comfortable life in Prague (twice the standard postdoc base pay at the Academy of Sciences)

• Fully covered health insurance and six weeks of paid holiday

• Social fund benefits: meal allowance, Cafeterie, MultiSport

• Pension contribution, childcare and recreation support

• Courses for professional development, free language courses

• Relocation support for international researchers through the Institute’s Welcome Office

• The position is for 12 months

Additional information

Starting date: January 2027

Applications must be submitted as a single PDF (in English) and include:

Please submit your CV, one-page motivation letter, and two contacts of reference to recruitment@mbu.cas.cz and make sure to include this identification code: Postdoc.14.2026.MBU, as it is essential for processing your application.

Please, apply before November 09th, 2026. Review of the submitted applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position has been filled.

So we encourage you not to wait until the deadline to apply. We can hire up to two postdocs, if strong candidates emerge. Once the position has been filled, the postdoc advertisement will be taken off the lab website (https://machac.weebly.com), where you can also find more information.

Application deadline: 09/11/2026 or until the position is filled

RNDr. Antonín Macháč, Ph.D.

Vědecký asistent

Laboratoř environmentální mikrobiologie

+420296442396

antonin.machac@mbu.cas.cz