Lund University, Universitetets särskilda verksamheter, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS)

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

We invite applications for a bright, creative, energetic researcher based at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies in Lund, Sweden. The applicant will be part of the European farming systems project (http://www.kimnicholas.com/european-farming-systems.html), funded by the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsrådet. The project goal is to map and model tradeoffs between environmental, economic, and social aspects of agriculture in Europe, with a goal to informing more sustainable agricultural policy.

 

In particular, the researcher will lead the statistical and spatial analysis of data on the management, drivers, and outcomes of European farming systems to examine the social, environmental, and economic tradeoffs they represent. This information will then be used to evaluate interactions between EU agricultural policy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The position is within the interdisciplinary environment of LUCSUS, the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (https://www.lucsus.lu.se/). LUCSUS includes about 30 staff (faculty, postdocs, and PhD students), who study a range of issues from global environmental governance to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. LUCSUS also runs an international master’s programme in sustainability science (LUMES, http://www.lumes.lu.se/), with about 50 students each year from 20+ countries.

 

The positions will be supervised by Principal Investigator Kimberly Nicholas, Senior Lecturer at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS). She focuses on quantifying and visualizing natural resource use to inform more sustainable management. There are good links with the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate (BECC) (http://www.becc.lu.se/) research area, encompassing over 200 researchers at Lund and Gothenburg Universities. See more information on Kim’s current research and teaching activities at www.kimnicholas.com.

 

Position Instructions

Research Focus (80% time)

Conduct meta-analysis of the literature to compare existing approaches to quantifying tradeoffs in agriculture. Conduct meta-analysis of EU agricultural policy and its links to the Sustainable Development Goals. Conduct multivariate statistical analysis of European agricultural systems data from policy indicators to identify patterns and explore relationships. Identify “bright spots”- best practices in European food systems, where there is a good balance between social, environmental, and economic inputs and outputs in the food system. Maintain excellent data and analysis records following open data practices. Lead analysis and writing of peer-reviewed publications. Contribute to stakeholder engagement and outreach at the Swedish and European level to involve government, non-government, and private interests in the research design through dissemination.

Administrative and Service Focus- (20% time)

Contribute to project management and reporting, including contributing to reports to funders, outreach materials for stakeholders, and regular website and social media updates. Co-supervise MSc student theses, especially those working on ecosystem services and food systems.

Required Qualifications:

Completed PhD degree in related field (geography, sustainability, ecology, environmental science, mathematics, natural science, computer science, etc.). Demonstrated research record, including record of successful collaboration and co-operation with others, particularly interdisciplinary collaboration. Excellent quantitative skills, including strong proficiency in spatial and multivariate statistical analyses and familiarity with working with large datasets. Please address these skills directly in your research proposal. Experience in a statistical programming language (R is preferred). Please address this directly in your research proposal. Experience with Geographic Information Systems. Please address this directly in your research proposal. Experience in curation of large datasets and open data practices. Please address this directly in your research proposal. Ability to work creatively and independently in designing and leading research, while also taking direction as part of a team. Management experience of research teams (e.g., supervision of students or research assistants). Excellent academic writing skills, including leading the development of well-argued and clearly written scientific manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication. Strong scientific integrity and ethics. Fluent in written and spoken academic English.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in agricultural systems and/or ecosystem services. Experience working with stakeholders in research. Experience in popular science writing and communication (blog posts, social media). Website management and design.

Application instructions

The application should include a cogent research plan describing an area of research interest in the context of sustainable agricultural systems in Europe. In particular, the plan should propose linkages between different kinds of data including agricultural management (irrigation, crop choice); social, economic, and environmental drivers (e.g., subsidies, climate); and outcomes (e.g., calories produced, greenhouse gas emissions) to arrive at new insights for land management and/or food policy. Links with the Sustainable Development Goals are particularly welcome. For more information on the project, please see http://www.kimnicholas.com/european-farming-systems.html

 

The successful application will demonstrate feasibility by asking a clear and focused research question and contain a research design of sufficient detail to answer the question. (The actual research carried out over the course of the postdoc may change from the proposed plan.)

 

A complete application consists of:

 

Cover page: Short motivation of the applicant and connection with the position, including how this position serves future career goals. Include name and contact information of applicant (1 page max) CV: Academic and professional background, detailing relevant experience, particularly research. Any publications (separate peer-reviewed, technical reports, and popular science or outreach). Any teaching experience. Include names and contact information for three academic or professional references who can speak to your professional and teamwork abilities. At least one should be a former or current research supervisor. Research Proposal: Project title (max. 20 words) Project abstract (max. 200 words) Main research proposal text (max.1200 words) Research question(s) or hypotheses, in the context of their relevance to Agromes goals Research plan, including methods and feasibility Expected outcomes and significance Include at least one figure showing a conceptual overview of your proposal, and any expected results. For inspiration, please see proposal writing tips here: http://www.kimnicholas.com/blog/turning-words-into-money-tips-for-making-research-grantwriting-less-painful Applications must be submitted in Times New Roman (12 pt), 1.5 line spacing, and margins 2.5 cm.

 

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Part-time
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 80
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2018/3039
Contact
  • Emily Boyd, prefekt, 0462220000
  • Annika Söderström, personaladministratör, +46462224214
Union representative
  • OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-222 93 62
  • SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-222 93 64
  • SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-222 93 66
Published 25.Sep.2018
Last application date 16.Oct.2018 11:59 PM CEST

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