PhD on Human Interventions and the Resilience of an Ecosystem

30 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Utrecht University

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

20 Mar 2024 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

For our ERC-Synergy project Pathways of resilience and evasion of tipping in ecosystems (RESILIENCE ) we offer a PhD position for a self-motivated candidate with a strong scientific background.

Your job
There is an urgent need to understand the effects that global change can have on the Earth, its system components and ecosystems. One area of critical concern is the imminent abrupt and irreversible critical transitions of ecosystems through tipping points. Recent discoveries indicate that such tipping could be evaded and even reversed in ecosystems through spatial pattern formation, thereby creating pathways of resilience.

The aim of RESILIENCE is to fundamentally advance our understanding and predictions of tipping points and critical transitions in ecosystems and reveal how these can be evaded and even reversed through spatial pattern formation. RESILIENCE will develop a new theory for emerging resilience through spatial pattern formation and link this with real tipping-prone biomes undergoing accelerating global change: savanna and tundra. The candidate will benefit from the expertise of the four Principal Investigators (PIs) in the RESILIENCE project: Arjen Doelman, a mathematician at Leiden University, Max Rietkerk , an ecologist at Utrecht University, Ehud Meron, a physicist at Ben-Gurion University, and Isla Meyers-Smith, an ecologist at the University of British Columbia.

In the Human Interventions PhD project at Leiden University, you will study the impact of human activities on the resilience of an ecosystem. Existing theories are developed in the context of idealised domains: sufficiently large regions in which environmental conditions do not change. In a realistic setting, the region may be too small to enable the system to evade tipping. Strong localised effects by human interventions, such as local logging, or ‘slash and burn’ agricultural land use, may also significantly reduce the flexibility and thus resilience of a patterned system. On the other hand, tailored localised perturbations may increase the resilience of the system to droughts by directing it to stable patterns rather than to bare soil. In this project, you will embed the study of spatial patterns in complex systems and ecosystems and their impact on its resilience in an analysis of the impact of spatial restrictions of the domain and the effects of local and global, human induced effects. The approach will be a combination of computational, analytical and modelling studies. The intended goal will include measures directed towards ecosystem restoration, evading and even reversing critical transitions.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

We are looking for a PhD candidate with:

• a relevant Master's degree and a strong scientific background in the field of mathematics, ecology, biology, environmental sciences or physics, preferably bridging two of the disciplines;
• excellent English language skills ;
• programming skills (e.g. Matlab, Python).

The project is interdisciplinary and affinity with or interest in working in an interdisciplinary environment is important.

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a gross monthly salary between €2,770 and €3,539 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

All PhD candidates are embedded in the Leiden University Graduate School of Science. The graduate school offers several PhD training courses at three levels: professional courses, skills training and personal effectiveness. In addition, advanced courses to deepen scientific knowledge are offered by the research school.

You will be employed at Leiden University and carry out the research in close collaboration with other host institutes, especially Utrecht University.

Selection process

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the ‘apply now’ button.

Additional comments

For more information about this position, please contact Professor Arjen Doelman at [email protected] .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/337148/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universiteit Utrecht

Country

Netherlands

City

Utrecht

Postal Code

3584CB

Street

Princetonlaan 8a

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/337148/phd-on-human-interventions-and-the-r…

Contact

City

Utrecht

Website

http://www.uu.nl/

Street

Domplein 29

Postal Code

3512 JE

STATUS: EXPIRED