Postdoc: Swedish LifeWatch and the SEAD database, 2 years - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

The Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work across disciplinary boundaries in Digital Environmental Archaeology/Palaeoecology/Quaternary Science and Contemporary Biodiversity/Ecology Studies. The employment period is two years full-time (100%). 

Description of the project
Swedish LifeWatch (SLW) is an e-infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystems research providing open access to data from >15 biodiversity databases in Sweden. The Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (SEAD) is an e-infrastructure for archaeological science data. It includes finds of Quaternary fossil organisms (plants and pollen, insects) and chemical/physical property measurements from sites in Sweden, and for fossil insects, throughout Europe. SEAD is an online research tool for studying these proxies with respect to past changes in environments, climates and human activities.

This position, funded through The Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences (RJ) and Umeå University, is designed to integrate these two infrastructures by developing the connections, tools and research for studying long-term changes in biodiversity as expressed by the union of the two databases. 

You will be part of the Environmental Archaeology Lab (MAL) at the Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and affiliation and collaboration with Humlab is of central importance for the position. 

Job description
The postdoc position contains two main components, running in parallel:

1. Systems development: establishing the links between SEAD and SLW. This will require an understanding of environmental archaeology/palaeoecology as well as biological taxonomy (especially insects and/or plants). The bulk of this work will be undertaken early on in the project, in collaboration with developers at Humlab, followed by a maintenance and support phase.
2. Palaeo-ecoinformatics research: using the connections established in 1, conduct research on long-term trends in biodiversity for elements of the Swedish insect fauna (and potentially flora). The specific focus is flexible and ideas are welcome. Research relating to Holocene environmental change, human impact, species extinctions, and climate change is of particular interest. 

Minor administrative tasks may occur during the duration of employment. This is an interdisciplinary project, and applicants with any empirically orientated background will be considered as long as they can demonstrate sufficient knowledge or experience of ecology and the handling of empirical data. The place of work will be Umeå, but national and international travel will occur. 

Qualifications and assessments
A person who has been awarded a doctorate or a foreign qualification deemed to be the equivalent of a doctorate will be considered as qualified for employment as a postdoctoral researcher. For this position a doctoral degree in a subject relevant to the job description is required. A precondition is that the applicant has not previously been employed as a Postdoc at Umeå University for more than a year within the same or equivalent discipline. Priority will be given to candidates who have completed their doctoral degree no more than three years before the closing date of the application. A candidate who has completed their degree prior to this time period may be taken into consideration if special circumstances exist. Special circumstances include absence due to illness, parental leave or clinical practice, appointments of trust in trade union organizations or similar circumstances.

Both good writing and oral communication skills in English, as well as a good ability to work with others, are requirements for this position.

Experience of ”R” or Python as well as Open Data, databases and/or taxonomic issues will be considered a significant merit, but experience of any programming or statistical tools will also be favourably evaluated.

The scientific merits of candidates will be considered of primary importance in the evaluation, followed by the quality and feasibility of research plans.

Application
The application must include the following documents in English: 

• (1) A letter of interest that states the candidate’s motivation for applying for the position and how his/her qualifications are relevant to the project (1-2 pp)
• (2) Curriculum Vitae and validated copies of degree certificates (date of thesis defense and its title, current and previous positions, grants, awards, research collaborations)
• (3) A full publication list with electronic copies of 3-5 of the most relevant works, including the PhD thesis
• (4) A research plan outlining the research which will be undertaken in relation to component 2, as described in the job description above (2-3 pp)
• (5) A list of 2-3 reference persons including their contact details 

The application is to be submitted through the electronic recruiting system Varbi, no later than 28th of September 2018. 

Further information
The postdoc is a two year full-time position (100%) starting on the 1st of November 2018 unless otherwise agreed. The selected candidate will be required to be present on-site in Umeå to a high degree. 

There are currently fewer female than male lecturers and researchers at The Environmental Archaeology Lab (MAL), and we therefore especially encourage applications from female candidates. 

For more information about the position, contact the Director of the Lab, Dr. Philip Buckland (+46-90-786 5292, philip.buckland@umu.se) or Head of Department, Jonas Nilsson (+46-90-786 9990, jonas.nilsson@umu.se). 
For information on the department, see Department of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

We look forward to receiving your application!