Postdoc position: Plant phenology change over time across spatial scales

The expected pay for this position is $5,000.00/month.

Job description
There is an urgent need to understand the effects of climate change on tundra ecosystems including shifts in plant phenology – the timing of plant growth and reproduction. The timing of plant life events, phenology, is temperature sensitive in tundra ecosystems. Climate change could alter the timing of spring green up and how long plants grow resulting in changes to wildlife habitats including altered plant composition such as an increase in shrub species and a change in the timing of plant resources for wildlife.

The Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) project in global change ecology of northern ecosystems will investigate how warming temperatures and shifting seasonality affect Arctic tundra, alpine and boreal forest ecosystems, including changes in plant growth, habitat composition, wildlife movement and species ranges. It will also examine the collective impact of these changes on the livelihoods of Indigenous communities in the Yukon Territory, Canada. As a part of this CERC project, we are offering a postdoctoral position in the Faculty of Forestry at University of British Columbia for a self-motivated candidate with a strong scientific background in the fields of ecology, remote sensing or a related field with excellent English language skills.

In this postdoc project, you will study plant phenology change over time across spatial scales. You will work with available datasets including the International Tundra Experiment phenology dataset, cross-site time-lapse photography (phenocams) and remote sensing data to quantify changes in plant phenology over time and with warming across spatial and temporal scales. You will also have the opportunity to explore tundra vegetation changes below-ground including the timing of root growth using available cross site data collected as a part of the TundraTime project. This research will test the hypothesis that although warming is leading to earlier growing seasons, the period of plant growth is not extending longer above ground. This research will increase our understanding of tundra phenology change and will be used to predict rates of landscape and ecological change with global change across the tundra biome. We collaborate with a team of early career researchers, Northern partners and international experts to conduct this research.

Minimum Qualifications
•    A PhD degree in ecology, remote sensing, environmental sciences or a related field
•    Strong quantitative skills including ecological data analysis, statistical analysis and data management
•    Experience in R and/or Python programming
•    An interest in interdisciplinary research spanning the fields of ecology, remote sensing, spatial analysis and mathematical ecology
•    Experience in writing and publishing peer-reviewed articles
•    Fluency in verbal and written English
•    Excellent oral and written communication skills
•    Ability to work independently and lead multi-author collaborative research projects
•    Interest in working in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment as a part of a diverse team
•    Willingness to provide mentorship to early career researchers on the team

Preferred Qualifications
•    Experience using version control software and conducting collaborative science
•    Willingness to lead fieldwork in Arctic locations
•    Knowledge of spatial analysis and Bayesian statistics
•    Experience conducting fieldwork
•    Experience conducting ecological data synthesis
•    Experience in northern ecosystems
•    Experience piloting drone and working with drone imagery    

Offer
You will be offered a full-time two-year position with the potential to extend to a third year. The annual salary will be $60,000 CAD per year. UBC offers postdocs a wide-ranging benefits plan that includes extended health and dental coverage. Postdocs are encouraged to apply for external funding to support their independent research building on this position within the research group.    

About the Organization
This position will be based at the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver campus, which is located on the territory of the Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) People. 

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for teaching, learning and research, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Faculty of Forestry is recognized globally as one of the leading forestry faculties in the world. As the largest Faculty of Forestry in Canada, we welcome almost 1500 undergraduate and graduate students from over 40 countries every year to study forestry at UBC.

We strive to create a respectful, positive and safe working environment for people of all backgrounds. We believe that inclusiveness and diversity are essential to academic excellence. We encourage members of underrepresented groups to apply including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, Black-identified persons, other racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.    

Additional Information
For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Isla Myers-Smith (contact information at https://forestry.ubc.ca/faculty-profile/isla-myers-smith/ ). https://teamshrub.com/team-shrub/opportunities/  

Apply
The application deadline is 20th March 2024 or until the position is filled.

Further Information

Please review this website for additional details.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person.