PhD position: Using agent-based models to develop spatial theory for
community ecology
University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Main supervisor: Otso Ovaskainen
Application deadline: January 14, 2022
Are you interested in both mathematics and ecology? If yes, you may
become the PhD student who will develop the much-needed spatial theory
for community ecology. To do so, you will apply recently developed
mathematical and simulation methods (see Cornell et al. 2019) to build
agent-based models, where the agents represent interacting organisms.
These interactions can relate e.g., to resource competition, predator-
prey dynamics, or host-parasite dynamics, including ecological and
evolutionary perspectives. Current spatial theories in community
ecology are mainly based on the so called Metacommunity Theory. This
theory assumes that local communities inhabit discrete habitat patches.
In some systems, such as networks of islands or ponds, the discrete
delineation of habitat patches is a very natural one. But if you walk
e.g., in the boreal forest, you will realize that it is very difficult
to say where one patch ends and another one starts. For such very
common continuous habitats, theories of community ecology are still
largely lacking. In this PhD project, you will fill this important gap
by developing new theories! To reach this, you will be supported by a
multidisciplinary research group with expertise in theoretical,
mathematical, statistical and empirical community ecology.
Reference
Cornell, S. J., Suprunenko, Y. F., Finkelshtein, D., Somervuo, P. and
Ovaskainen, O. 2019. A unified framework for analysis of individual-
based models in ecology and beyond. Nature Communications 10, 4716.
For further details, please contact: Academy Professor Otso Ovaskainen
(otso.t.ovaskainen@jyu.fi)
See job announcement for more details (this is project #5):
https://www.jyu.fi/science/en/bioenv/research/doctoral-programme/phd-posts/2022/open-doctoral-student-positions?_ga=2.195127340.168143020.1638219743-113830343.1638219743
