PhD scholarship within Forest Ecology

3rd April 2024
Languages
English

• English

English
Are you interested in learning about the importance of dead wood for soil invertebrate food webs?
PhD scholarship within Forest Ecology
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About the position

Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) has a vacant 3-year PhD position in forest ecology.

Forestry has made long-term impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of boreal forests. Among the most important differences between managed and near-natural forests are the amount and diversity of dead wood. The successful candidate for the announced position will focus on how communities and food webs of soil invertebrates are affected by the availability of dead wood. To reach this aim, we will apply novel fingerprinting methods in biochemistry together with competent collaborators.

The position is funded by MINA and will be linked to the ongoing EcoForest project (“Forestry effects on biodiversity, carbon stocks and ecological processes in mature boreal forests”, 2021-26) funded by the Research Council of Norway.

EcoForest is a unique collaboration between several research institutions (NMBU, UiO, NINA, NIBIO), industry (Norges skogeierforbund, Norskog, Oslo kommunes skoger, and NGOs (Sabima, WWF). This collaboration will provide much needed knowledge for guiding future management of boreal forests, as well as ecological insight at the research front.

The starting date for the position will ideally be June 2024, but for the right candidate, both earlier and later starts may be negotiable.

The applicant is made aware that an application for a PhD position at NMBU is at the same time an application for admission to a PhD programme at the institution. The documentation that is necessary to ensure that the admission requirements are met must be uploaded as an attachment.

Main tasks

The main activities will be:

• Field work
• Lab work, such as sorting and identification of invertebrates.
• Identify food sources and trophic levels of invertebrates by analysis of stable isotopes and other analytical techniques.
• Organize and analyze data, write scientific papers and disseminate results.

There will be a possibility to do other types of analyses, such as DNA metabarcoding, respiration or elemental analysis according to the candidate’s qualification and interest.

The successful candidate is expected to enter a plan for the progress of the work towards a PhD degree during the first months of the appointment, with a view to completing a doctorate within the PhD scholarship period.

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
via Unsplash


Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson

Competence

The successful applicant must meet the conditions defined for admission to a PhD programme at NMBU. The applicant must have an academically relevant education corresponding to a five-year master’s degree or a cand.med.vet. degree, with a learning outcome corresponding to the descriptions in the Norwegian Qualification Framework, second cycle. The applicant must have a documented strong academic back-ground from previous studies and be able to document proficiency in both written and oral English. For more detailed information on the admission criteria please see the PhD Regulations and the relevant PhD programme description .

The applicant must document expertise and interest in the research subject.
 

Required academic qualifications:

• A relevant master’s degree in ecology, biology or similar
• Fundamental knowledge within the field of ecology

The following experiences and skills will be emphasized:

• Motivation for the outlined research project
• Knowledge of invertebrate, community or food web ecology
• Experience with stable isotope analysis for identification of nutrient chains
• Experience with field and laboratory work
• Experience with DNA metabarcoding, soil/dead wood respiration or elemental analysis
• Experience with identification of soil invertebrates (nematodes, collembolans, annelids, mites)
• Competence in statistics and bioinformatics

Personal characteristics important for the positions are:

• Strong scientific capacity and analytical skills
• Good social and collaboration skills
• Ability to work independently
• Driver’s license

Remuneration and further information

The position is placed in government pay scale position code 1017 PhD research fellow. PhD research fellows are normally placed in pay grade 54 (NOK 532 200) on the Norwegian Government salary scale upon employment and follow ordinary meriting regulations.

Employment is conducted according to national guidelines for University and Technical College PhD scholars.

For further information, please contact Professor Tone Birkemoe

E-mail: [email protected] ; phone +47 92049331

Information for PhD applicants and Information to applicants

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Application

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the ‘Apply for this job’ button above. This will route you to the University’s Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Application deadline: 03.04.2024

Your CV must be entered in JobbNorge’s CV form and not just included as an attachment. This is to be able to comply with the regulations of §15 of the Public Administration Act.

In the application, the candidate must confirm that information and documentation (in the form of attachments) submitted via the job application can also be used by NMBU in a possible admission process.

Applicants invited for an interview are expected to present original diplomas and certificates.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
• Complete CV
• Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates. (i.e. Diploma, transcript. Diploma supplement for both bachelor and master). Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in Norwegian or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Applicants from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a diploma supplement, or a similar document, which describes in detail the study program and grading system.
• Documentation of proficiency in written and oral English in accordance with NMBU PhD regulation section 5-2 (3) .
• Names and contact details for two references
• Additional relevant documentation of professional knowledge (for example, list of scientific works). If it is difficult to judge the applicant’s contribution for publications with multiple authors, a short description of the applicant’s contribution must be included.

About The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management

The Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA) works with nature and the environment, sustainable use of natural resources, biological and geological processes.

MINA’s employees undertake teaching, research and dissemination within the fields of geology, hydrology and limnology, soil science, environmental chemistry, forestry, ecology, natural resource management, renewable energy, and nature-based tourism.

Our vision is to be a key actor in knowledge production and dissemination, and our goal is to deliver research of high, international quality, and varied and excellent teaching. The faculty’s employees are significant participants within their respective fields of expertise, both nationally and internationally. The faculty is dominated by a vital research culture and high levels of scientific production.

The faculty has about 200 employees, 90 PhD students and 650 students.

Read more about MINA here .

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The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

NMBU will contribute to securing the future of life through outstanding research, education, communication and innovation. We have the country’s most satisfied university students, who receive research-based education in a unique student environment. Our graduates gain a high level of competence in interdisciplinary collaboration and are popular in the labor market. NMBU has internationally leading research environments in several subjects. Together with our partners in society and business, we contribute to solving some of the biggest societal challenges of our time.

We focus on innovation, communication and entrepreneurship because we believe these challenges are best solved with joint efforts. We believe that a good working environment is characterized by diversity.If necessary, workplace adaptations will be made for persons with disabilities. More information about NMBU is available at www.nmbu.no/en

Apply for this job
Deadline

3rd April 2024

Employer

Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)

Municipality

Ås

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions)
Fulltime
(%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service

Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås

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