griculture needs to provide enough food while minimizing negative environmental effects. A promising approach is enhancing cultivated and wild biodiversity in the field and landscape, to reduce reliance on external inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides and vulnerability to climate change.
The postdocs will explore advantages and disadvantages of a range of farming practices and landscape composition and configuration for primary production, climate change adaptation, and environmental impacts. In this broad context, the postdocs are encouraged to work in one of three areas (see also qualifications in “Your profile” below):
Area 1 How extreme climatic conditions affect farm economic outcomes and crop yields, across farming practices, farm types and geographical contexts with assembly and analysis of data.
Area 2 Role of biodiversity in the landscape for crop yield and its reliability under disturbance with assembly and analysis of data.
Area 3 Field-scale plant-environment and plant-plant interactions, or landscape-scale ecological processes with process-based modelling.
Your profile
We are looking for highly motivated candidates who are actively pursuing an academic career. You should have documented research experience and an interest in one of the 3 areas identified above. The position requires a PhD in quantitative disciplines, such as ecology, agronomy, biology, ecohydrology, earth and environmental sciences, applied mathematics or physics, or related fields. You should have a documented ability to independently initiate, conduct, and complete research projects and to generate and publish the findings in international peer-reviewed journals. It is necessary that you have written and oral communication skills in English at an academic level. Documented programming skills in MatLab, R, Python, or other programming languages for data analysis and/or model implementation, are required.
For area 1 and 2, documented expertise in statistical analyses is required; experience in collating and analyzing large datasets is meriting. For area 2, experience in analyzing spatial data and exploring spatial patterns of vegetation response to pedoclimatic conditions at the landscape scale is a merit.
Area 3 requires experience in developing process-based models (i.e., beyond use of existing models) at the field or landscape scale.
Selection is made based on the written application and interviews. The application should be written in English and contain:
1. A statement of your scientific interests and motivation for applying for this position, specifying your interests and experience at least with one of the areas (max 5000 characters).
2. Your CV should include a complete publication list, separating peer-reviewed from other publications.
3. Contact information of two professional references.
4. Copies of previous university degrees and transcripts of academic records.
Particular emphasis is placed on your written motivation describing your research interests and indicating interest and expertise in one or more of the three areas of research suggested above. We consider also personal characteristics, including collaborative skills.
