Postdoctoral researcher in Department of Biology, University of Turku (position # 6662)
Details and the electronic application is found from
https://www.utu.fi/en/university/come-work-with-us/open-vacancies
Postdoctoral researcher fixed-term employment for the period 1.2.2019 - 31.8.2020
The applicant will work as part of the international project "Future Bird Scenarios" scheduled to begin in 2019 with funding from the BiodivERsA-Belmont Forum. The project aims to understand how future environmental change will affect avian distributions and the important ecosystem services that birds provide to human society. We will combine information on bird numbers from national survey programs and citizen science projects along with geographic data on land use, climatic conditions, and networks of conservation reserves. The project contains four integrated work packages of which the post-doctoral researcher in Turku will participate primarily in work package 1: Identifying the functional traits that best predict the effects of environmental change on bird distributions with emphasis on waterbirds (Jon Brommer, Univ. of Turku, Finland). Other workpackages are 2) assessing the risks for mountain birds where changes in land use and climate change are impacting alpine habitats (Brett Sandercock, NINA, Norway, and Åke Lindström, Lund Univ., Sweden); 3) determining if current networks of protected areas are sufficient for future conservation needs (Aleksi Lehikoinen, Univ. Helsinki, Finland), and 4) identifying whether cross-seasonal interactions between breeding and nonbreeding seasons will affect avian responses to global change (Tomas Pärt, SLU, Sweden). The postdocs will work in collaborative teams across the consortium partners and with collaborators at Cornell University (Wesley Hochachka, Cornell, USA).
Qualifications: Essential qualifications for all applicants will include: 1) a PhD degree in quantitative ecology, statistics, or a related discipline; 2) evidence of research productivity, with publications in the peer-reviewed literature; and 3) good communication skills, with fluency in English. Desired qualifications will include technical skills in one or more of the following areas: 1) ornithology, with a foundation of knowledge in the ecology of birds; 2) quantitative ecology, with experience in computer programming, hierarchical models in a Bayesian framework, and testing for ecological predictors of organismal responses; 3) data science, with experience in working with large complex datasets or with species distribution modeling; and 4) geographic sciences, with experience at acquiring and compiling geographic data and GIS layers from different sources.
The salary for the post is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel. The task specific salary component for the postdoctoral researcher is 2507,62 - 3386,00 euro per month (according to level 4-6 of the job demands chart). In addition, a personal work performance component will be paid. The personal work performance component is a maximum of 50 % of the task specific salary component. The salary will be specified and negotiated when preparing the employment contract.
The post is subject to a six month trial period.
Applications must be submitted 11th January 2019 at the latest via the electronic application form of the University of Turku. The link to the electronic application system is found at the beginning of this announcement (Apply for the job). The application must include a letter of motivation, CV, a list of publications, contact details to one or two persons who can provide a reference, and may in addition include other documents that may affect the fulfillment of the assignment. All documents are to be in English.
Enquiries concerning the appointment procedure may be directed to Associate Professor Jon Brommer jon.brommer(at)utu.fi
