Postdoctoral position (2 years) in Climate Change Ecology – Syntheses of decomposition responses across time and space - 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 (Umeå University, Sweden) invites applicants for a postdoctoral position (2 years) in “Climate Change Ecology – Syntheses of decomposition responses across time and space”, at the Climate Impacts Research Centre, Umeå University. We are looking for a driven ecologist who is familiar with working with large datasets, to synthesize decomposition and soil carbon respiration data across global/arctic climate-warming experiments and link these responses to changes in plant and microbial communities.

The employment is full time and will begin according to agreement. Application deadline is November 15th, 2019.

Project description and working tasks
Changes in climate may alter the delicate balance between carbon uptake and release, with potentially strong negative effects on the global climate. Organic carbon decay starts with the decomposition of fresh, relatively labile material, which is partly stabilized into more recalcitrant compounds. In the third stage of decomposition, soil organic material is respired at much slower intrinsic rates. Across the world, standardized methods are used in climate change experiments (e.g. ITEX open-top chambers, snow fences). Besides vegetation changes, decomposition (e.g. Tea Bag Index) and soil carbon respiration are increasingly measured in these experiments. Such standardized, global/arctic approaches provide unique opportunities for meta-analyses. This postdoc project therefore aims to investigate how climate warming affects the three sequential phases of organic carbon decomposition on a regional (arctic) to global scale, and compare the importance of direct and indirect (vegetation, microbial) mechanisms.

The employment is limited to two years at full time. The position will be based in Abisko, with parts of the time spent in Umeå. The main advisors will be Dr. Ellen Dorrepaal and Dr. J.M. Sarneel. 

Qualifications
We are looking for a driven ecologist who is familiar with working with large datasets, to synthesize decomposition and soil carbon respiration data across global/arctic climate-warming experiments and link these responses to changes in plant and microbial communities. The successful candidate has strong quantitative skills and interest in plant-soil-microbe interactions in (arctic) terrestrial ecosystems. To be eligible for this position you should have a PhD degree, or a foreign degree that is deemed equivalent, in plant or soil ecology, biogeochemistry, physical geography or a similar field. You should have completed your doctoral degree a maximum of three (3) years before the end of the application period, unless special circumstances exist. The successful applicant should further have documented good abilities to communicate scientifically in English, both orally and written, as well as creativity, power of initiative, independence, interpersonal skills and good ability to collaborate. Strong merits are demonstrated experience with climate-change experiments, plant-soil-microbe interactions, decomposition or respiration measurements, meta-analyses or similar large data-base analyses, or microbial bioinformatics. 

We offer

• A supportive workplace with great employee benefits; https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/benefits

• An international staff support that can help you relocate; https://www.aurora.umu.se/en/new-staff/international-staff-support/

Application
The full application should include:

• A personal letter including a short summary of previous research achievements (max 2 pages)
• Short description of your research ideas as they relate to this project (max 2 pages)
• CV including list of publications
• Copy of PhD degree certificate and other relevant certificates
• Copies of PhD thesis and relevant publications (max 5)
• Names and contact information of three reference persons
• Other documents wished to be claimed

You apply through our recruitment system on November 15th, 2019 at the latest. The application should be written in English or Swedish. The documents should be in MS Word or PDF-format.

Contact
If you have questions regarding the employment, please contact Ellen Dorrepaal, ellen.dorrepaal@umu.se

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (www.emg.umu.se) carries out research and postgraduate education in ecology, environmental science and physical geography. The department has about 150 employees, about 15 of whom are Postdocs. The Climate Impacts Research Centre (CIRC) is part of the Department and undertakes research in how climate and environmental changes affect the ecosystems of the north. CIRC is stationed year-round in Abisko, Kiruna municipality. For further information, see www.arcticcirc.net.