Two postdoc positions in Theoretical Biology
Würzburg University
The Theoretical Biology group at the Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology at the University of Würzburg, Germany, is excited to announce two Postdoc positions. We are looking for independent, communicative postdoctoral researchers to join our dynamic team in theoretical biology. Our Center is committed to fostering interdisciplinary collaborative research, and we are seeking candidates with a strong record of originality and the ability to generate innovative project ideas.
Maximum Duration: Four-year appointment
Link:
https://tecoevo.github.io/positions/
Scientific Employee in the field of Plant Functional Biodiversity Research
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Under current climate change, plant species respond to shifts in temperature via a shift in their phenology such as the timing of flowering or senescence or their distributional range. However, not all
plant species are able to do so and it’s not quite clear, why that is. The general aim of this project, funded by the DFG, is to study the effect of frost resistance on plant species’ phenology and range and to elucidate, whether frost resistance is a key factor in explaining species-specific differences in their shifts due to climate change outside the tropics, where frost is an ecosystem driver. Assessing the contribution of frost resistance to the shifts in phenology and to the spatial extent of a species will help us to forecast species’ behaviour under further changes in climate and to fine-tune the predictions of plant community compositions and therefore biodiversity during further climate change in areas outside the tropics.
As our new doctoral candidate, you will conduct field experiments and data analysis in the DFG funded project “Frost resistance - a neglected driver of plant phenology and distribution?” both, on a local scale and in an international collaboration network monitoring phenology in botanical gardens in the northern hemisphere.
Link:
https://jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/30c72bea7305e7c226b6c1029c0c8984189317d80
PhD position Chemical ecology in agricultural ecosystems
University of Turku
Background:
Our lab at University of Turku is seeking a PhD researcher interested in species interactions in agricultural ecosystems. We are a multidisciplinary group working on smart and sustainable ways of improving productivity and pest control on agricultural land with a focus on insect biodiversity.
The candidate should express interest in investigating the consequences of persistent environmental pollution on species interactions (plant-microbe, plant-herbivore, plant- pollinator, herbivore-predator) in agricultural ecosystems.
Research combines fungal plant symbionts (incl. endophytic fungi, mycorrhizal fungi), their targeted use in agriculture and insect biodiversity friendly farming approaches.
Our research aims to provide a mechanistic understanding of multi-species interactions, how ubiquitous agrochemical residues impact ecosystem services, such as natural pest control and pollination. The goal is to identify measures improving agroecosystems for the transition to a resilient, sustainable and insect biodiversity-friendly agriculture.
We are collaborating with a network of farms across Finland, where we test several alternative approaches to agrochemical use on trial plots. Interest in conducting field work in collaboration with farmers can be part of the PhD work.
More information about our research can be found on our lab webpages https://sites.utu.fi/helandersaikkonenlab/ and https://fuchsben.wixsite.com/agricultural- biodive or via contacting the project PI: benjamin.fuchs@utu.fi
Position:
The position is a full-time up to 4-year PhD position funded by the Research Council of Finland. Trial period of 6 months.
Send application until 30.09.23 containing Motivation Letter (max. 1 page), CV (max. 2 pages), relevant certificates and names and contact information of 2-3 referees to Dr. Benjamin Fuchs by e-mail (benjamin.fuchs@utu.fi). Start date is negotiable
Let’s have a chat during the meeting :)
Link:
https://fuchsben.wixsite.com/agricultural-biodive
2yr Synthesis Postdoc call
sDiv, iDivs Synthesis Centre
sDiv, iDivs synthesis centre just opened a call for 2yr synthesis postdocs.
DEADLINE 8th October (but only 3pages proposal!!!)
Link:
https://www.idiv.de/en/sdiv/calls.html
9 PhD positions - International Research Training Group TreeDì (GRK 2324)
Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
The International Research Training Group "TreeDì - Tree Diversity Interactions: The role of tree-tree interactions in local neighborhoods in Chinese subtropical forests" (GRK 2324) will soon start to invite applications for 9 PhD positions.
The aim of TreeDì - 林地 (lín dì, forest land) is to understand how tree-tree interactions in local neighbourhoods of varying diversity translate into observed tree species richness effects on key ecosystem functions at the community scale. In addition, TreeDì seeks to understand the role of the forest understorey (shrub species composition and diversity) for ecosystem functioning. All research projects are carried out on the BEF-China platform in subtropical China - the largest forest BEF experiment worldwide (https://bef-china.com).
By bringing together experts and doctoral researchers from leading research institutions located in Germany and China, TreeDì creates a stimulating network of excellence. TreeDì features an international qualification programme involving an intensive Chinese-German cultural exchange during a 6-month research visit in the partners’ countries, a joint PhD advisory committee (PAC) composed of Chinese and German experts, and unique offers to meet, study and discuss with figureheads in biodiversity research.
Subprojects:
Spatial aboveground complementarity (Prof. Goddert von Oheimb)
Complementarity through trait variation (Prof. Sylvia Haider)
Diversity signals in tree interaction (Prof. Christian Wirth)
Bottom-up and top-down drivers of herbivory (Prof. Andreas Schuldt)
Drivers of fungal endophyte richness (Prof. Helge Bruelheide)
Rhizosphere and root microbes (Dr. Tesfaye Wubet)
Functional diversity of soil organisms (Dr. Simone Cesarz)
Modelling generalized diversity interactions (Prof. Uli Brose)
The positions will be announced in November and December 2023 on our website (www.treedi.de) and other platforms. The start of employment will be June 1st, 2024.
Link:
https://www.idiv.de/de/treedi.html
PhD position (100%) in Rewilding of Forest Ecosystems
ETH Zurich
We offer an exciting PhD opportunity in the context of a new EU project. You will analyze the extensive data from a large European network of forest reserves using top-notch statistical methods. You will use these data to evaluate and further develop models of long-term forest dynamics. Ultimately, you will apply these models to inter- and extrapolate the trajectories of forest ecosystems in the absence of management. You will initialize the models with the first inventories from the network, and will run them across time based on reconstructed climate, soil, and disturbance data. Disagreement with subsequent inventories will show you the need for model adaptations. You will quantify the relationship between simulated forest structure and carbon storage, other ecosystem services as well as aspects of biodiversity, thus providing ample scope for cooperation with the biodiversity specialists of the project. Your active involvement in selected inventory campaigns is possible, although the project focuses on the use of existing data. You will be supervised by and collaborate with a postdoc working in the same project, thus providing further opportunities for exchange.
Link:
http://www.fe.ethz.ch
Postdoc position (100%) in Rewilding of Forest Ecosystems
ETH Zurich
We have an exciting postdoc position to offer in a new EU project.
One part of your job will deal with the re-wilding of forests, based on the data from a large network of European forest reserves and in close collaboration with a PhD student working in the same project at ETH Zurich. While the PhD student will likely focus on models of forest dynamics, your emphasis will be on the potential of using Artificial Intelligence for predicting forest dynamics based on the existing inventory data that are covering more than 300 reserves, more than 6000 plots, and more than one million tree measurements dating back to 1936 CE.
Another part of your job will deal with the re-wilding of agricultural land, including the application of the model refined by the PhD student as well as extending the AI methods to the early successional stages, for which less comprehensive data are available. Furthermore, you can profit from an extensive network of project partners to develop ties to biodiversity research (both above- and belowground) as well as carbon-focused research elsewhere in the project.
The supervision of the PhD student is part of your responsibilities. This is a 3-year postdoc position within the context of the EU project. Extension by another year may be possible depending on the availability of additional funding.
Link:
http://www.fe.ethz.ch
Internship on rare plant species conservation related research
Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science
Come to join our group to work on short-term (up to 4 months) internship on rare plant species conservation related research. Specific topic to be determined upon mutual discussion. Students of all levels as well as postdocs welcome.
Link:
https://www.ibot.cas.cz/popekol/?lang=en
Short-term postdoc: Geospatial modeling of biodiversity drivers
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research
Soon to open (not yet official). 9 month postdoc (Jan-Sept 2024). Develop reproducible pipelines (Python, R) for wrangling and structuring geospatial layers for biodiversity change and attribution analyses. Strong geospatial coding skills with data layers, data cubes, remote sensing, etc is essential for this position.
The project will help lay the foundations for analyses that we will do as part of a recently funded ERC Advanced project with Jonathan Chase and team members. Though this is a short-term focussed position, opportunities for longer term and more independent research are possible.
The working location is in the iDiv Core Center in Leipzig, although opportunities for flexible working locations are possible.
If you are interested, contact jonathan.chase@idiv.de. I will be at the meeting most of the week, and feel free to just chat.
Link:
None
Postdoc in Plant-soil interactions or Plant-climate adaptations
Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Science
Apply for a postdoc in Plant-soil interactions or Plant-climate adaptations with our team in the Czech Academy of Science in Prague. High chance to succeed on a Czech specific extension of a Marie-Curie funding as well as other options. Check our Department and email me or meet in person to discuss in detail. https://www.ibot.cas.cz/popekol/?lang=en. We offer wide variety of ideas as well as very good administrative support.
Link:
https://www.ibot.cas.cz/popekol/?lang=en
PhD/Postdoc position
University of Copenhagen
I am searching for fellow ecologists to join my brand-new research group at the University of Copenhagen.
We deal with a broad range of topics from plant regeneration to ecology of plant extinctions.
We offer a supportive and healthy working environment in one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
Open positions are available from time to time and there is a large number of (inter) national funding instruments we could apply together for.
Interested? Reach me out at the conference (I have a talk and a poster) for further details.
Link:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3IrxZm0AAAAJ&hl=en
(Macro-)ecological statistician / data scientist
Univ. Potsdam
We are offering a permanent support scientist position in (macro-)ecological statistics and data science to start in Feb 2024 in our Macroecology group in Potsdam, Germany.
The person will mainly be supporting our activities in species distribution modelling and automated image and audio recognition.
Link:
https://www.uni-potsdam.de/fileadmin/projects/verwaltung/docs/Dezernat3/Ausschreibungen/3_MTV/91_2023_TA_MNF_en_LH_v2.pdf
PhD Position
University of Würzburg
Endophytes received little attention in agroecological studies. Endophytic fungi of the genus
Epichloë occur in many grass species and can protect their host plant by the production of
alkaloids. These alkaloids can be toxic for insect pests but also for livestock and
enhance the hosts fitness. Such Epichloë – grass associations occur frequently in native
grass species. However, it is unknown, if endophyte infection rates and alkaloid profiles differ
between near-natural grasslands and sown pastures. It is also unknown, how frequently
Epichloë infected seeds occur on the seed market and if the infected plants produce
alkaloids above the toxicity levels for insects and livestock, including horses.
your tasks: recording and sampling of grass on meadows, fallows and calcareous grasslands
throughout Germany
• Sowing experiment of seed mixtures
• Analyses of grass samples with GC-MS, HPLC-MS and multiplex PCR in cooperation
with partners
• Communication with horse breeders, farmers, seed companies
• Statistical analyses and scientific writing
Link:
https://www.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/zoo3/team/krauss
Coming soon: Postdoc position (3+3yrs) in global change ecology of insects
Global Change Ecology Group, University of Würzburg
We, the new global change ecology group at Würzburg University, will soon open a long term postdoc position on global change ecology of insects.
We have some ideas for the position, e.g. to combine experimental approaches on insect physiology and dispersal with data from biogeography and ecology, e.g. for grasshoppers and dragonflies, but there is ample room to come with new ideas and to develop your own research profile and research group.
So if you are enthusiastic for
- global change ecology research
- teaching and supervising undergraduate and graduate students (the position comes with a teaching obligation)
- contributing to building up a new group and vibrant research and teaching environment,
please contact me via christian.hof@uni-wuerzburg.de or find me at the conference.
Link:
None
Coming soon: Data and IT manager position (80%, potentially permanent)
Global Change Ecology group, University of Würzburg
We, the new global change ecology group at Würzburg University, will soon open a position for data and IT management. It will be an 80% position which will, after a fixed-term/probation period, become permanent. Tasks will include data management, curation and processing, including contributions to projects, publications, proposals, presentations, and teaching, help with programming as well as maintenance and management of the IT environment of the group. If you are interested in these tasks and would enjoy contributing to building a new team and vibrant work environment, please contact me via christian.hof@uni-wuerzburg.de or find me at the conference!
Link:
None
Scientific Researcher, full time “Archives4BioDiv – computer-based methods for digitizing historic vegetation data and maps”
Institute of Ecology /FSU Jena, iDiv
The working groups “Data-intensive Systems and Visualization” (Patrick Mäder) and “Vegetation Ecology” (Markus Bernhardt-Römermann) at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Jena University are searching for a Scientific Researcher for the iDiv flexpool Project: “Archives4BioDiv – computer-based methods for digitizing historic vegetation data and maps”.
Repeated observations are key to describe trends of biodiversity change. As most monitoring programs started only recently, they miss retro-perspective long-term developments. Archive data are an option to extend time series to the past. This project (“A Window to the Past – The Use of Archive Data for Collecting Baseline Information on Biodiversity (Archives4BioDiv)”) contributes to the emerging field of bioinformatics and investigates the chances and limitations of modern computer-based techniques for making historic archive data available for biodiversity research.
Link:
https://cloud.uni-jena.de/s/Ec9z7ANNsRr8PGF
PhD position in plant ecology
Department of Community Ecology, UFZ
The Department of Community Ecology of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) offers a PhD position within the DFG project “Climate niches and species immigration in grasslands under global change”. The potential PhD candidate will experimentally investigate the effects of plant species immigration and climate niches on grassland communities under global change by setting up a seed addition experiment in the Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF). The GCEF is an experimental platform of the UFZ where future climate is simulated in different agro-ecosystems, including grasslands.
Link:
https://recruitingapp-5128.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/2819/Description/2
PhD Position on the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes (AES) for farmland moths (Lepidoptera)
Department of Conservation Biology, University of Göttingen
The Department of Conservation Biology at the University of Göttingen (Germany) seeks highly qualified and motivated candidates for a
PhD Position (all genders welcome)
on the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes (AES) for farmland moths (Lepidoptera)
with 65 % of a full position. Regular working hours are 25.87 hours per week on a contract initially limited to 3 years. Salary: Pay grade E13-TV-L. Preferred starting date: 1st January 2024.
The successful applicant will contribute to a large, interdisciplinary project aiming at the development of stakeholder-driven, integrated agri-environment measures on farmland across Germany, funded by the initiative “Bundesprogramm Biologische Vielfalt”. The focus of the PhD project are moths, as these have important ecological functions (e.g. pollination), are good ecological indicators and a species-rich, but under-researched group.
Details:
https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.html?details=2630
Link:
https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/644546.html?details=2630
Scientist in bumble bee monitoring
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ
Within the EU-project PHENET, we are looking for a highly motivated scientist to test, improve and implement automated monitoring devices for commercially available bumble bee colonies. These devices are set up in bumble bee colonies in landscape test sites under field conditions and will collect information about e.g. weather, weight and sound in test colonies and visual detection of individual workers. The project environment offers high level cooperation with, e.g. remote sensing and AI specialists.
The goal of this study is to test whether bumble bee colonies are suitable to serve as bioindicators for assessing the quality and value of a landscape for pollinators.
A further synthesis of multi-source data from automated systems will improve our ability to reliably identify the main drivers of spatio-temporal change, their interrelations and context dependencies to better understand and counteract pollinator declines.
Link:
https://recruitingapp-5128.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/2821/Description/2
PhD soil biodiversity and ecosystem services in EU project SOB4ES
University of Cologne
The project „Integrating Soil Biodiversity for Ecosystem Functioning“ analyzes the provision of soil biodiversity based ecosystem services to build better land management solutions for implementing the EU soil strategy in an international consortium of 19 universities, institutes and agencies. Experience in molecular methods or calculation of ecosystem services is required. You will acquire a thorough education in soil metatranscriptomics, Illumina Sequencing and bioinformatics.
Link:
https://www.researchgate.net/institution/University-of-Cologne?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InByb2ZpbGUiLCJwYWdlIjoicHJvZmlsZSJ9fQ
PhD on the role of volatiles and their consequences for soil biodiversity functioning in desert soils under global warming
University of Cologne, Institute of Zoology, Terrestrial Ecology
In desert ecosystems, temporal dynamics are separated by wet-dry cycles, which are increasingly disturbed by climate change. When it rains in a desert, the water droplets in contact with dry soils cause the release of previously sorbed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and induce bacteria and fungi to produce new VOCs. The desert soils start to emit a characteristic strong ‘smell of rain‘, called ‘Petrichor‘. Despite VOCs play important roles as bioactive microbial signal molecules, their ecological roles and consequences for microbial functioning in biological soil crusts of deserts are largely unexplored. In a close interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and colleagues running the VOC-SCREEN Ecotron platform at Helmholz Center Munich, the project manipulates specific microbial VOC emission pathways and investigates the roles of VOCs on microbial community composition and function after rain in microbial biocrusts of the Negev desert, Israel.
https://jobportal.uni-koeln.de
Link:
https://zoologie.uni-koeln.de/arbeitsgruppen/ag-bonkowski
Postdoc position in coexistence and biodiversity synthesis at the University of Bern
University of Bern
Applications are invited for a three-year postdoc position, ideally starting in December 2023 or January 2024, to work with Prof. Eric Allan, at the University of Bern in Switzerland. The position is at 80-100% employment.
Understanding plant species coexistence and effects of biodiversity on functioning are key goals of community ecology. However, although related, the two fields have rarely been integrated. We are looking for a postdoc to address this by doing synthesis analysis in the PaNDiv biodiversity experiment.
The postdoc will work on analysing the large datasets collected in the experiment. For instance, they could examine links between coexistence and biodiversity mechanisms, community reassembly and ecosystem functioning, the stability of ecosystem functioning over time and ecosystem multifunctionality.
We are seeking highly motivated applicants interested in plant community ecology, coexistence theory and biodiversity-functioning research. Applicants must hold a PhD degree in ecology. Strong analytical and data handling skills are required, together with excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
The postdoc will join the community ecology group (https://allanecology.com/) at the Institute of Plant Sciences in Bern, which offers a stimulating, international research environment and excellent facilities (http://www.ips.unibe.ch/). They will work closely with a PhD student on the PaNDiv experiment and will collaborate with Oscar Godoy (CSIC Seville) on the coexistence analyses.
Please send your application by email (as a single PDF) to eric.allan@ips.unibe.ch. Applications should include a CV, names and addresses of two references and a one-page cover letter outlining your motivation for the position and research interests. Applications will be reviewed from 9th October 2023 until the position is filled.
Link:
https://allanecology.com/
Postdoc, Ecologist/microbiologist. Plant-soil interactions in forests
Leiden university
You will participate in “Silva Nova – Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests”, a project with University of Copenhagen Denmark and University of Tartu, Estonia.
Your tasks are:
• To carry out experiments with microbial communities and saplings
• To analyze data of field and mesocosm experiments in climate chambers
• To analyse amplicon sequence data sets of soil and root communities
• To collaborate with local team members and with project members in Denmark and Estonia.
• To participate in joint Silva Nova activities
Selection Criteria
• PhD degree in Ecology, plant-microbe interactions, or microbiome analysis
• Experience with field work and/or plant growth experiments
• Experience with analysis of molecular data (e.g. NG sequencing) and bioinformatics
• Experience with microbiological techniques
• Proven knowledge about soil (micro)organisms
• Interpersonal skills are important, you participate in a small research team and collaborate with European partners
• Willingness to travel abroad for team meetings and collaborative activities
• Willingness to participate in Silva Nova activities such as co-organizing workshops, joint experiments
• Fluency in English language
We offer a full-time, fixed-term post from January 2024 until April 2027 Salary range from € 3.877,- to € 5.090,
Enquiries about the content of the position (not about the procedure) can be made to prof dr Martijn Bezemer. If you have any questions about the procedure, please contact Christina Kamerman (jobs@biology.leidenuniv.nl).
Applications for this vacancy can be submitted via our online system. Please ensure that you include the following documents quoting the vacancy number 14115:
• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Names and details of at least 2 references (can be included in the CV). No reference letters are needed.
Only applications received before 15 October 2023 can be considered.
Link:
https://www.above-belowgroundinteractions.com/silva-nova
Two PhD positions in ecotoxicology
KU Leuven
The team of Prof. Robby Stoks has two related open PhD positions on evolutionary multi-stressor ecology focusing on the water flea Daphnia magna and its microbiome.
PhD1 will focus on the single and combined effects of pollution and warming, and includes gut microbiota transplant experiments between control and stressor-adapted D. magna clones, gene expression analyses (RNAseq) and experimental evolution of gut bacteria.
PhD2 will focus on the single and combined effects of pollution and fish predation risk (both related to changes in land use in a natural landscape), and includes targeted field sampling, controlled laboratory exposure experiments, physiological assays, and gut microbiota transplant experiments between control and stressor-adapted D. magna clones.
Please contact Robby Stoks for more information.
Link:
https://bio.kuleuven.be/eeb/rs/job-opportunities
