Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Science - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Eco-evolutionary models of plant-pollinator communities – community response to landscape structure

The postdoctoral position is funded by BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate), an interdisciplinary strategic research area based on collaboration between more than 250 researchers at the universities of Lund and Gothenburg. BECC develops research that contributes to the visualization and generation of knowledge to predict and manage the combined effect of climate change and land use on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. BECC's strength is its existing and successful research leaders from many different disciplines such as biology, political science, geology, mathematics, physical geography and economics that together develop BECC. The Center for Environmental and Climate Research, CEC, hosts BECC. CEC is both a physical and a virtual center at Lund University. CEC conducts research, education and communication about environmental science and climate research.

Sustainable agriculture is promoted by mutualistic plant-pollinator interactions, services that may increase economic and societal value. The aim is to study such services by formalizing plant-pollinator community response to landscape structure and agricultural intensity using trait-based and eco-evolutionary models. The applicant should have experience in modelling and knowledge of ecological interactions, evolution, and dispersal processes in the context of population and community dynamics. An important component is to test models against data on bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. The aim is to study how the insects may respond to agricultural intensification and landscape simplification, considering both short and long-term effects by focusing on a historical and contemporary adaptation of functional. By fitting models to data, we aim to quantify active processes in the study system and to communicate ways of optimizing ecosystem services to stakeholders and policymakers.

Duties include:

• Formalization of the complexity in which ecological interactions, evolution, and dispersal of organisms affect mutualistic interactions, and population and community dynamics.
• Design and implementation of spatial, trait-based and eco-evolutionary models of mutualistic interactions.
• Model validation given available data, using computational and statistical approaches.

Requirements

• The candidate should have a Ph.D. in Environmental science/Ecology/Evolution/Physics/Mathematics or Computer science.
• Knowledge of ecological, evolutionary and spatial processes is required.
• Candidates should be proficient in modeling dynamic systems (e.g. ODE-models or IBM’s) with experience in programming (e.g. Matlab, Python, C++, etc).

It is a merit to have

• Experience in numerical methods, model validation and Bayesian statistics are desirable.
• Important qualities are outgoing, problem-solving, independent and persistent.

Eligibility

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject. 

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Instructions on how to apply

The application, which should be submitted electronically, shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

• résumé/CV, including a list of publications,
• a general description of past research and future research interests (no more than three pages),
• contact information of at least two references,
• copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.