PhD student position in Earth Science - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (EMG) opens a 4-year PhD position. The position will start on May 1, 2019 or according to agreement. Application deadline is March 7, 2019.

Project description
Biota living in soils drive many important ecosystem services such as food production and greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, lack of long-term monitoring programs and fossil records makes historical changes in soil macrofauna and their response to perturbations largely unknown, and this knowledge gap makes it difficult to conduct sound predictions about soil functioning in past and future environments. This project will use state-of-the-art paleoecological techniques to reconstruct historical dynamics in soil macrofauna communities in Scandinavia. In addition, the project will use experiments conducted in the contemporary environment to assess the impact of macrofauna on soil processes and freshwater chemistry.

This project is in close collaboration with Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm and Swedish University of Agriculture. The principle supervisor to this project is Docent Jonatan Klaminder from EMG.

Qualifications
The candidate should have an academic background in Earth Science, Ecology, or from similar fields. Practical experience in common methods applied in soil science, measurement of soil carbon fluxes and fieldwork in arctic/alpine environments are considered strong merits. A very good command in both oral and written English is a prerequisite. The candidate should also be highly motivated, independent and collaborative.

Prerequisites for PhD studies include 240 ECTS credits of higher education studies of which 60 should be on an advanced level (Master level), or an equivalent qualification from abroad. This position specifically requires 120 ECTS credits in a subject relevant the project.

Evaluation will be based on the individual letter, quality and relevance of master program, eventual publications and the interview. To be able to separate candidates with comparable merits we may choose to evaluate the candidate’s performance in a literature essay given after the interview.

Terms for the employment
The employment is expected to result in a doctoral degree and the main assignment for the doctoral student is thus to be part of the research education, which includes participation in the described research project but also to take relevant courses. Teaching and other departmental work (up to a maximum of 20%) can be included. The employment is limited to four years at full time or up to five years if teaching and other departmental work is performed. The salary is fixed according to the established salary level for doctoral students.

Application
The application, written in Swedish or English, should include:

• A short letter (max 2 pages) describing your research interests and why you are interested in the position.
• CV, including academic achievements.
• Digital copies of your Master thesis.
• List of publications.
• Certificates from higher education and other documentation that supports your application.
• Contact information to three reference persons.

Your application should be in MS Word or PDF format. 

Contact
For further information, please contact Docent Jonatan Klaminder: jonatan.klaminder@umu.se

The Department of Ecology and Environment Sciences, Umeå University, performs research and research education in ecology, environmental science and physical geography. The department has ~150 co-workers of which ~30 are PhD students. (www.emg.umu.se)