Postdoc in forest modeling – from ecology to improved silviculture
The job:
Forest management is currently under pressure to adapt to a changing climate at the same time as demands for both wood production and other ecosystem services are increasing. To face these challenges we need science and tools to understand and quantify future risks and opportunities –we need predictive models. Data will be available from experiments, field measurements, remote sensing, and laser scans but they can only help us predict the future if they are combined with the right type of model. To address future novel conditions the model must be based on universal ecological mechanisms rather than extrapolation of historical data. This will help us not only to make robust predictions but also to understand the underlying reasons of forests changes.
This modeling work is a central component of the project “Science for enhanced forest productivity” funded by the K. and A. Wallenberg Foundation. A large team of researchers with support from the forest industry are addressing key questions for the future: How should tree species combinations and forest structure be adapted under future climate? How can precision management maximize tree survival and growth? What are the consequences of alternative management strategies for carbon sequestration and biodiversity?
The position will be based in SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Science) in Umeå, which is a large forest research center in Sweden and also has close connections to Umeå University. In addition, you will have the opportunity to spend part of the time with the main supervisor Oskar Franklin at IIASA in Austria, which is a leading institute for global change research and systems modeling.
Duties and Qualifications:
You will become part of a cross-disciplinary team with both modelers and experimentalists, which requires good communications skills in English. There is some flexibility in the research tasks and approaches, but it is advantageous to have experience in model development and data analysis. Knowledge and interest in forest ecology and forestry science is also useful. You need to have received your PhD not more than 5 years ago. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Place of work:
Umeå, with possibility for visiting periods in Laxenburg near Vienna in Austria
Form of employment:
Temporary employment, 2 years
Starting date:
According to agreement
Application:
We welcome your application no later than September 15, 2019. Applicants should also submit the following three documents: 1) Cover letter demonstrating the applicant’s motivation and interest in the topic, and optionally, preliminary ideas for the research to be carried out (max 2 pages). 2) C.V. including the list of your published work, and names and contact information for two references. 3) Copies of transcripts of academic records, or a link to/copy of doctoral thesis.
Contacts and information:
Main contact person and supervisor: Oskar Franklin, franklin@iiasa.ac.at
Co-PIs of the modeling work Torgny Näsholm, torgny.nashom@slu.se and Michael Gundale, michael.gundale@slu.se, project leader Tomas Lundmark, tomas.lundmark@slu.se
Working place information, union representatives etc: https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/new-at-slu/
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Oskar Franklin
Ecosystems Services and Management Program (ESM)
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
E-Mail: franklin@iiasa.ac.at
Phone: +43 2236 807251
Mobile: +43 6507019490
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