5 Feb 2024
Job Information
- Organisation/Company
Université Savoie Mont Blanc- Research Field
Environmental science
Biological sciences
Geosciences- Researcher Profile
First Stage Researcher (R1)
Recognised Researcher (R2)- Country
France- Application Deadline
1 Mar 2024 - 12:00 (Europe/Paris)- Type of Contract
Temporary- Job Status
Full-time- Hours Per Week
35- Offer Starting Date
2 Apr 2024- 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
The Edytem laboratory is interdisciplinary, combining disciplines such as geology, geomorphology, chemistry,
archaeology, palaeoenvironmental sciences, pedology and human geography. It looks at environmental issues
from different points of view, integrating the spatial, temporal and social dimensions and investigating the physical,
biological and social processes that shape our environment and transform materials. The spatial dimension is
addressed through the study of territories, geological structures, interlocking forms and the notions of scale, while
the temporal dimension is explored by reconstructing past trajectories through the study of forms, sedimentary
fillings, natural and historical archives, and archaeological sites. The social dimension examines the links between
culture and nature, particularly regarding our relationship with natural heritage and its enhancement or
preservation. The members of the laboratory work on a wide range of objects, such as karst, lakes, soils, rock
paintings/gravings, pigments, sediments, stalagmites, organic and inorganic pollutants, glaciers, rock faces, etc.
The laboratory has about sixty permanent members and non-permanent members.
Missions and position activities :
The post-doctoral researcher recruited for 3 years will be in charge of the lake sediment DNA analyses
required to complete the project.
Activities:
- Lab work:
- to sub-sample sediment cores
- to extract and quantify DNA
- to apply DNA metabarcoding targeting Viridiplantae, fungi and mammals and Poaceae) to trace
landscape changes, agro-pastoral activities and plant pathogens (Lievens and Thomma 2005)
- to perform real-time PCR to quantify faecal bacteria (Bacteroidales) and trace manuring practices
(Etienne et al. 2015)
- to process and interpret DNA data (bioinformatics, statistics, etc.)
- to integrate the other indicators measured on the cores and discuss with historians and archaeologists in
order to help synthesise all the data and better understand the complex interactions between agriculture
(activities and practices), environment (biotic and abiotic), societies and climate
- to promote the results at conferences and in scientific publications.
Project description and associated
research activities :
MAGIC2: Mountain AGro-ecosystems past trajectories developed by different soCieties under different bioClimatic
conditions (PI Charline Giguet-Covex)
One of the challenges facing societies in the 21st century is how to feed a growing population in a context of
resource depletion and climate change. To do this, we need to rethink the way we produce food and use the
environment more sustainably. Going back in time and studying the interactions between societies, climate and the
environment since the emergence of agriculture can provide some food for thought, firstly by showing how humans
have profoundly altered ecosystems over the millennia, and secondly by showing how they have sometimes had to
change the way they farmed the land in response to natural environmental changes or changes caused by their
previous use.
In this general context, our project aims at documenting as detailed and holistically as possible the complex
interactions between agro-sylvo-pastoralism (activities and practices), environment (biotic and abiotic), societies
and climate in the Western Alps. To achieve this, we propose to combine data from natural (lake sediments from
six sites), historical and archaeological archives. The project is focused on three temporal windows in which
previous studies shown bifurcations in the socio-ecosystem trajectories. The aim will be to shed light on the origins
of these bifurcations by integrating the knowledge contributed by the various disciplines on the social and natural
spheres and their interrelationships. The three time-windows are: 1) from the 4th century BC to the 7th century AD,
2) from the 11th to the 15th century and 3) from the 18th to the 20th century.
The study of lake sediment archives will use a multi-proxy approach to document landscape changes (pollen and
lake sediment DNA) at different spatial scales (local to regional), soil erosion dynamics (sedimentology,
geochemistry), crop pest dynamics (lake sediment DNA), fertilisation practices (lake sediment DNA) and changes
in the intensity and nature of agro-pastoral activities (lake sediment DNA, pollen, spores of coprophilous fungi)
(Giguet-Covex et al. 2023). Reconstruction of landscape evolution will also be based on a modelling approach
using pollen data (Marquer et al. 2020). At some sites other environmental/climatic reconstructions are being
carried out, e.g. flood dynamics (sedimentology), avalanche dynamics (sedimentology) or July temperatures
(chironomid analysis)
Working conditions :
Possible participations or organization of fieldwork in mountains.
Travel to project meetings and conferences.
Requirements
- Research Field
- Environmental science
- Education Level
- PhD or equivalent
- Research Field
- Biological sciences
- Education Level
- PhD or equivalent
- Research Field
- Geosciences
- Education Level
- PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Background/Training
- molecular biology
- knowledge of palaeoenvironmental approaches
- knowledge of sedimentology valued
Expertise
- skills in DNA metabarcoding approach
- skills in bioinformatic analysis
- skills in statistics (use of R or equivalent)
- skills in real-time PCR appreciated
Ability to
- manage a project from laboratory to scientific publication
- chair and report on meetings
- adapt/develop molecular biology protocols
- adapt/develop pipelines to process the DNA data
- manage data according to quality principles (FAIR)
Personal skills
- work independently and in a team
- work in an interdisciplinary context (adapt your discourse according to the interlocutor and be a good listener)
Recruitment open to holders of a doctorate awarded by a French university, or a degree recognised as equivalent by the
university, in particular a doctorate or PhD awarded by a foreign university.
Internal Application form(s) needed
Offre emploi POST DOC 2024 100__EDYTEM_MAGIC2 OK.pdf
English
(230.68 KB - PDF)
Download
Additional Information
- Website for additional job details
https://www.univ-smb.fr/universite/travailler-a-lusmb/offres-emplois-vacataire-…
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available
- 1
- Company/Institute
- USMB - Laboratoire EDYTEM (Composante de rattachement UFR SceM)
- Country
- France
- Geofield
Where to apply
[email protected]
Contact
- City
Bourget du Lac- Website
https://www.univ-smb.fr
https://edytem.osug.fr- Postal Code
73370
[email protected]
STATUS: EXPIRED