Doctoral student in environmental science - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Introduction text:

Dynamic ecosystem models are im­portant tools for predicting the combined effects of climate change, forest management and atmospheric deposition on forest soils and runoff water. With dynamic models a holistic approach can be used, where the effects of different drivers on different environmental indicators are analyzed simultaneously.

The national agencies, for example the Environmental Protection Agency, use research results from several sources, including dynamic models, as a basis for evaluation of the national environmental objectives and for management recommendations. However, the full potential of the dynamic models is often not used.

Work description:

The successful applicant for this position will setup and run the forest ecosystem model ForSAFE in different climate regions in Sweden. The effects on processes and indicators of different scenarios in different climate regions will be analyzed and discussed. Stakeholders from four national agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Agency, the Energy Agency and the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, will be involved throughout the project, and will contribute to the choice of scenarios as well as to the analysis and discussion of the results. Barriers to utilization of modelling results will be identified and procedures for improved stakeholder interaction will be developed, tested and evaluated.

The project will contribute to the utilization of the full potential of dynamic ecosystem models in general, and ForSAFE in particular, in the national policy-making on sustainable forestry related to soil and surface water effects. This can provide decision support, both in managing the national environmental objectives, and in the design of new recommendations in forestry.

The project is truly interdisciplinary, bringing science and social science together. The PhD student will have two supervisors from science, Cecilia Akselsson, Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science at Lund university (main supervisor) and Salim Belyazid, Department of Physical Geography at Stockholm university, and one supervisor representing social science, Åsa Knaggård, Department of Political Science, Lund university.

The project will contribute to, and be carried out within the framework of Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate (BECC – www.becc.lu.se), a Strategic Research Area (SRA) at Lund University and University of Gothenburg. The work will be performed in close collaboration with the research groups in Lund and Stockholm, and will contribute to the last phase of the strong research environment QWARTS (Quantifying weathering rates for Sustainable Forestry). Interactions with stakeholders from national agencies will be important throughout the project. The PhD students in Environmental Science are located at the different departments at the faculty of Science. The PhD education will thus include interactions with other PhD students across subjects and departments.

Qualifications:

Candidates must have an advanced university degree (M.Sc. or equivalent experience/competence) in physical geography, environmental science, soil science, forest science, ecology, environmental engineering or similar. Since the research is interdisciplinary, a genuine interest in linking science and social science is required, and documented training and experience in the social sciences is considered a merit.

Proficiency in written and spoken English is a requirement. Communication with Swedish stakeholders, especially national authorities, will be important, and therefore also proficiency in Swedish is required. Experience in ecosystem modelling or other types of computer modelling is considered important merits.

The application should include a letter that describes your academic career so far, as well as your motivation in applying for this particular PhD studentship. It should also include a curriculum vitae (CV), copies of degrees and transcripts of academic records, copies of theses, and the complete contact information for two academic references.

Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.