Postdoc project: Quantifying seabirds’ prey requirements

Do you want to work in an inspiring environment and contribute to the sustainable use of our oceans, lakes and watercourses? We at the Department of Aquatic resources (SLU Aqua) are passionate about our vision "Viable fish stocks in healthy waters ". We´re expanding, searching for employees who want to develop themselves and make a difference together with us.

The Department of Aquatic Resources conducts environmental monitoring and assessment, consulting, research and education in aquatic ecology with focus on fish and shellfish. The department is SLU's largest and has more than 180 employees at three main locations: Lysekil, Öregrund and Stockholm (Drottningholm), as well as four field stations.

The department is highly focused on data collection and analysis of fish, fisheries and ecosystems, and is characterized by intensive collaborations with industry, public agencies and NGO:s. This creates a vital research environment and gives us unique opportunities to develop knowledge with high societal impact.

We look forward to receiving your application

For more information about the department: https://www.slu.se/en/departments/aquatic-resources1/

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds. While fisheries targeting their prey is one of their main threats, scientific knowledge on seabirds' prey requirements is generally lacking. The 358 seabird species on earth have developed contrasting strategies to cope with limited prey. The bird with the largest wingspan, the wandering albatross, can forage up to 1200 km from the colony. The emperor penguin cannot travel far due to its flightlessness but can dive to 565 m depth. Globally, most seabird taxa decline in numbers, but a few diving specialists actually increase – which suggests that locomotion styles may inform conservation priorities. This postdoc project is part of a larger research project funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR) on combining functional morphology and movement ecology to investigate the species-specific prey requirements of the world’s seabirds. The postdoc project consists of two parts:

            1. To quantify the three-dimensional foraging space – i.e. home range and foraging efficiency – for a                  number of species with available tracking data

            2. to estimate the prey requirements of the global seabird population using bio-energetic modelling.

The successful candidate will work in a research group led by Associate professor Jonas Hentati-Sundberg (https://www.slu.se/cv/jonas-hentati-sundberg/ ). The group also includes a PhD student, a research engineer (AI developer) and BSc and MSc students. Related projects within the group include detailed tracking of seabirds and their prey using a combination of telemetry and a sailing drone and novel technologies for automated seabird monitoring using including video surveillance and Artificial Intelligence.

Required and preferred qualifications:

• A doctoral degree in ecology or other discipline relevant for the project.
• Expertise in ecological modelling, preferably bio-energetic modelling 
• Experience in analyzing animal movements from data loggers, such as GPS, accelerometers, and time depth recorders.
• Good communication skills in English.

Uppsala

Temporary employment, 24 months

100%

1 October 2022 or according to agreement. 

We welcome your application no later than 2022-08-15, use the button below.

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is a world-class international university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses.

www.slu.se

Contact person

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