PhD Position in Eco-Evolutionary Feedback Modeling

This PhD position focuses on the theoretical and methodological investigation of eco-evolutionary feedback loops between body size and population density using abundance-phenotype time series. Funded by the ANR BackOut project and hosted at the Evolution, Genomes, Behaviour and Ecology (EGCE) laboratory of CNRS in Gif-sur-Yvette, France, the candidate will build, analyze, and apply mathematical and numerical models. The work combines ecological theory with advanced statistical and machine learning methods to understand how organisms and their environments reciprocally shape each other in natural settings. The successful applicant will collaborate closely with an international consortium spanning multiple research units.

• Develop and extend eco-evolutionary baseline models to account for biological complexities such as population dispersion and overlapping generations.
• Perform mathematical and numerical analyses to examine model behavior and dynamics.
• Apply advanced statistical frameworks to fit models to observed abundance-size time series from natural populations.
• Evaluate and compare eco-evolutionary model performance against alternative mechanistic and machine learning approaches.
• Collaborate with project partners across national and international institutions within the ANR BackOut consortium.