Postdoctoral fellow position in Environmental Science: Quantifying Pollinator Shifts and Landscape Resilience

Lund University

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Research and education at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (MGeo) addresses fundamental and applied questions on the Earth’s past, present and future climate and environment, including people’s interactions with the natural world and consequences for human wellbeing. MGeo advances and deploys cutting-edge methods, models and technologies in environmental science, quaternary sciences, bedrock geology, paleontology, physical geography, biodiversity and ecosystem science, remote sensing, Geographic Information Science (GIS), and computational science for health and environment, to study processes spanning from the microscopic to the planetary, across all time scales.

Subject description

This postdoc position is part of the Horizon Europe project VALOR (“Values and dependence of society on pollinators”), in which 16 partner institutes collaborate to investigate the impacts of land-use and climate change on pollinator biodiversity, ecosystem services, agricultural systems, and socio-economic resilience across Europe. The successful candidate will integrate outputs from ecological, economic, and scenario modelling to forecast changes in pollinator biodiversity, pollination services, land-use profitability, value chains, and health outcomes.

Work duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral posistion is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but no more than 20% of working hours. The position includes the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

Specifically you will apply and to some extent develop methods to:

• Forecast multivariate pollinator biodiversity under land-use and climate change scenarios.
• Quantify impacts on crop pollination services and wild plant reproduction.
• Assess resilience of pollinators and farming under future pressures.
• Upscale impacts to trade, value chains, and health outcomes.
• Conduct sensitivity and uncertainty analyses to identify critical risks and knowledge gaps.

Within this position, there is significant opportunity to shape specific research questions aligned with the aims outlined above, based on your expertise and interests. You will work closely with ecologists, economists, and social scientists across multiple work packages in VALOR’s broad network of participating researchers and attend annual meetings to present and discuss your work with the members of the VALOR consortium. You will be placed at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Lund University and be a member of the Biodiversity and Conservation research group, which offers a vibrant and multi-disciplinary research environment and opportunities to interact and collaborate with colleagues in a range of disciplines. Additionally, you will have opportunities to further your skills in teaching and supervision, as well as seeking external research funding.

Qualification requirements

The position requires a PhD within the subject area of the position, completed no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Specifically, a PhD in Quantitative Ecology, Environmental Modelling, Ecological Economics, Sustainability Science, Earth System Science, Environmental Systems Engineering, or closely related fields is highly relevant.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated experience in quantitative ecology
• Proficiency in R and/or Python (or similar programming languages)
• Proven track record of producing high quality peer-reviewed publications
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

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.

Additional assessment criteria:

• Experience conducting uncertainty and/or sensitivity analysis
• Experience handling climate and/or land-use datasets
• Demonstrated ability to work with scenario-based projections
• Experience working in interdisciplinary research teams
• Familiarity with ecosystem services and biodiversity dynamics

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 and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications 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.

Welcome with your application!