Postdoc positions available, Fall 2026
Postdoc positions are available in the Dijkstra lab at Central Michigan University. The lab studies social stress, competition, and evolutionary diversifications, and has active NSF- and NIH-funded collaborative projects with Hans Hofmann (UT Austin), Ryan Wong (University of Nebraska at Omaha), and Ole Seehausen (University of Bern). If you're passionate about animal behavior, stress biology, and evolution, we welcome your inquiry.
Interested candidates are welcome to contact Dr. Peter Dijkstra (dijks1p@cmich.edu). To apply, please go the the CMU website here. Review of applications will start March 15.
We expect to hire one to two postdocs at a salary of ~$50- 60,000 per year depending on experience (there is funding for at least 4 years). This position is initially for a one-year appointment, with the potential for reappointment. Start date is slated for summer or fall 2026.
Lab technician position available
A lab technician position is available in our lab to study behavioral decision making, the brain, and stress resilience in fish models (cichlid fish, zebrafish). Responsibilities include:
Conducting physiological assays, including redox/oxidative stress measurements and hormone analyses, ensuring high data quality and reproducibility.
Managing daily laboratory operations, including scheduling, workflow coordination, ordering reagents and consumables, and maintaining a safe, efficient research environment.
Maintaining and troubleshooting laboratory equipment, coordinating calibrations and service contracts, and ensuring proper instrument performance; Developing and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and ensure compliance with institutional safety, biosafety, and regulatory guidelines.
Trains and supervises students and staff in laboratory techniques, safety practices, and proper data collection and documentation.
This position is for one year with the opportunity for renewal. To apply, click here. Please contact Dr. Peter Dijkstra (dijks1p@cmich.edu) if you have any questions about the position.
Undergraduate students:
We welcome motivated undergraduate students who want to volunteer in our lab and gain valuable research experience. Undergraduate students perform various tasks, including fish maintenance, behavioral analysis, data analysis, and lab work (microscopy, hormone measurements, etc.). Don't hesitate to drop me an email or come see me in my office to discuss research opportunities in our lab (Biosciences Building 4105). Students with strong coding (R, Python) and writing skills are especially encouraged to reach out.
Undergraduate students are actively involved in our research and often contribute to scientific papers as co-author! Below are some examples of this. Undergraduate students are indicated in bold.
Funnell, T., Fialkowski, R. & Dijkstra, P.D. Social dominance does not increase oxidative stress in a female dominance hierarchy of an African cichlid fish. Ethology 128: 15-22 link
Piefke, T., Bonnell, T.R., DeOliveira, G., Border, S.E. & Dijkstra, P.D. 2021. Social network stability is impacted by removing a dominant male in replicate dominance hierarchies of a cichlid fish. Animal Behaviour 175: 7-20 link
Fialkowski, R., Aufdemberge, P, Wright, V.D. & Dijkstra, P.D. Radical change: 2021. Radical change: temporal patterns of oxidative stress during social ascent in a dominance hierarchy. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75, Article number: 43 link
Sawecki, J., Miros, E., Border, S.E. & Dijkstra, P.D. 2019. Reproduction and maternal care increase oxidative stress in a mouthbrooding cichlid. Behavioral Ecology 30: 1662-1671 link
Border, S.E., Piefke, T., Fialkowski, R., Tryc, M., Funnell, T., DeOliveira, G. & Dijkstra, P.D. 2019. Color change and pigmentation in a color polymorphic cichlid fish. Hydrobiologia 832:175-191 link