Post-doctoral fellow in palynology M/F

- Pollen and NPPs analyses of continental and marine sedimentary records.
- Microcharcoal analysis of the records, including high-temporal fire reconstructions in the continental records.
- Compilation and interpretation of palaeoecological data and crosschecking with available archaeological and palaeoclimatic datasets in the study locations.
- Participating in the construction of age-models for the studied records.
- Participation in coring campaigns and other fieldwork activities in southern California.
- Publication of results in scientific journals and participation in conferences.
- Participation to MeSCAL discussions and meetings

The post-doc position is part of the ANR-funded MeSCAL project, led by Dr Ana Ejarque at the Institute for Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier, CNRS (https://anr.fr/Project-ANR-20-CE03-0010 ). MeSCAL aims at examining the role that past cultural interactions and human mobility played in the configuration of Southern California landscapes during the last 4000 years. Main goals are to analyse the spatial distribution of land-uses and plants following migratory and colonial processes, and to assess their impact into native landscapes and wetlands. The multidisciplinary approach combines multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental analyses in wetlands and archaeo-ethnographical datasets in selected locations of Southern California. The postdoc will focus on the high-temporal resolution pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) and microcharcoal study of two selected continental and marine records in the Santa Barbara region. The goal is to reconstruct and assess the regional and/or local extent of vegetation and land-use changes related to coastal prehistoric and colonial peopling. The postdoc will work in close collaboration with other MeSCAL team members including palynologists, diatomists, sedimentologists, and archaeologists.

The postdoctoral fellow will join the Institute of Evolutionary Science of Montpellier (ISEM UMR 5554, CNRS). She/he will integrate the Dynamics of biodiversity and Anthropoecology (DBA) research team (Paleo-ecosystems, Climate and Societies Department). The researcher will join the Work Package of MeSCAL focused on palaeoecological analyses in wetlands and will be co-supervised by Dr. Ana Ejarque (ISEM), Dr. Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout (HNHP UMR 7194), and R. Scott Anderson (Northern Arizona University). The researcher will be employed by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique via an 18-month contract. The position will involve fieldtrips to Southern California.
Selection procedure: Applicants should submit via the CNRS Emploi portal a CV including research/education appointments, publications list, two recommendation letters, and a letter of interest detailing their research interests and expertise relevant to the position. After evaluation and pre-selection of applications based on the candidate's eligibility and expertise relevant to the project, successful candidates will be invited for a videoconference interview with supervisors and other researchers from the MeSCAL project. Interviews will take place by November-December 2021. Candidates will be informed of the final decision within one week after the interviews.