Dear Professor.........

I write to apply for the PhD position in Evolutionary Ecology of fishes at Nord University. I
recently received a Master’s degree in Zoology with great distinction at KUST Kohat, Pakistan. I am
currently working as a college Lecturer in Higher Education Department KP, Pakistan, where I am
responsible for reaching Zoology to BS students and also superving their research projects on in
Fisheries. During my education, I have developed a strong interest in aquatic, especially marine
Biology and Biodegradation of organic pollutants. I aspire towards a career in academia that allows
me to contribute to the comprehension of these ecosystems. Ideally, I want my research to help
conserve their diversity and functioning in the face of global change. I believe this position will
help me to achieve both my immediate and ultimate goals.

My Master’s thesis focused on fish and associated oil utilizing bacteria of Indian Ocean . Using a
mesocosm setup, I investigated how future changes in temperature and salinity would affect the
physiology of the Baltic keystone species Fucus vesiculosus and F. radicans and its relationship
with their grazer Idotea balthica. The laboratory work of my thesis provided me with a basic
skillset for genomic analyses (including DNA extractions and 2bRAD), as well as phenolics and
spectrophotometry. Due to a large setback, I learned to adapt my research to unforeseen
circumstances and have become a particularly fast and eager learner.
My current placement focuses on behavioral ecology, more specifically the interaction between
brown trout, invasive brook trout and the freshwater pearl mussel in Swedish streams. I am
gaining experience in fish husbandry, habitat monitoring and assessment, electrofishing, Passive
Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagging and tracking of fish, behavioural observation and video
analysis. I am responsible for the planning and execution of this study, I independently lead a
small team of students, organize, lead and teach on field excursions, and will be main author of
the publication. Furthermore, I recently gained some teaching experience assisting on a field trip
for a Bachelor’s course in nature conservation.
I have extensively used R for statistical analyses on different projects, including my Bachelor’s
and Master’s theses and my internship. Consequently, I consider myself a proficient user of R
language. Through course work during my Master’s, I acquired both theoretical and practical
skills in Evolutionary Ecology (theory and experiments) and Evolutionary and Quantitative
Genetics (software including Arlequin, Structure and specialized packages of R). I enjoyed
becoming familiar with this field and I am eager to master new approaches to Evolutionary
Ecology.
I am very enthusiastic about field work and being at sea. Additionally, I am experienced and
comfortable working in inhospitable conditions. During field courses at the coasts of Bruges,
Belgium and Dale, UK, I became familiar with various land and ship based sampling methods
(such as trajectory sampling, bottom trawls and plankton nets) as well as measurements of
water parameters. The field work of my current placement mainly involves electrofishing and
PIT-tag based tracking of Salmonid fish in coastal streams.
Finally, due to my temporary employment as an assistant librarian/archivist at the Royal
Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, I have professional expertise in managing scientific
publications, references and the institute’s database.
I am convinced that the combination of my practical experience and academic knowledge, along
with drive to contribute to this exciting field, will prove to be a valuable asset to your team. You
can find more details about my record in the enclosed CV and transcripts. Thank you for your
time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Leona Milec