Postdoctoral Fellowship and two PhD scholarships in marine science We are recruiting a postdoctoral fellow and two PhD students to join the coastal seafloor processes and ecology group in the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The core group consists of Dr Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher and Professors Conrad Pilditch, Simon Thrush and Karin Bryan alongside 15 PhD students and four postdoctoral fellows. Current research areas include soft-sediment ecology, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, modelling estuary morphology, remote sensing, blue carbon dynamics and social-ecological interactions related to cumulative effects. The current positions are focused on (1) sandflat flow-biota interactions (post-doctoral fellow + 1 PhD scholarship) and (2) the sublethal effects of heatwaves on estuarine ecosystems (remaining PhD scholarship). The project details and application process are given below.
Flow-biota interactions on sandflats: Consequences for ecosystem stability We are looking for a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher and PhD student to join the seafloor research group at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Anthropogenic stressors such as sedimentation, nutrients and climate change impact ecological interaction networks in coastal soft sediment ecosystems affecting ecosystem stability. We have been interested in understanding how bio-physical feedback loops stabilise ecosystems in a healthy state, or when lost, prevent recovery from degraded states and are looking for two motivated individuals to help extend this work. Although the work programme is flexible and will incorporate the skills and interests of the successful candidates, a starting point is the bio-physical feedback between infaunal shellfish density/patch size and sediment transport. Inspiration for this work comes from our observations of substantial sediment transport on intertidal sandflats where shellfish have been removed. This change in the feedback between shellfish density/spatial extent and sediment stability may have important consequences for ecosystem functioning (e.g. benthic-pelagic coupling, primary production, nutrient processing), population recovery from mass mortality events, and even the evolution of estuary morphology. We would like to explore this further through a combination of empirical research and model development. Postdoctoral Fellowship Our ideal candidate will have recently graduated with a PhD in marine science/oceanography and have demonstrated skills in collecting and integrating empirical ecological research into models that allow the exploration of ecosystem dynamics. The initial appointment is for two years with the possibility of extension dependent on acquiring further funding. The position is open to international candidates and the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to lab research activities, student research supervision and some undergraduate teaching. The position can be based either at the University of Auckland central city campus or at the Leigh Marine Laboratory (about one hours drive north of Auckland on the east coast). The position will remain open until filled. To be considered for the position please send a CV, referee details and a brief statement of research interests (one page maximum) and how they align with the proposed area of research in the first instance to Conrad Pilditch ([email protected]). We will use the information to select applicants for interviews. PhD Scholarship (1) To be considered for the scholarship, the candidate must have an MSc or BSc(Hons) (or equivalent qualification), ideally in marine ecology/science/oceanography or a related discipline. However, background is less important than a strong interest in ecology, ecosystem science and good quantitative skills. A key requirement is a willingness to undertake integrative research across a range of disciplines. The scholarship is open to students of any nationality and includes a competitive stipend plus fees for three years. The candidate must meet all entry requirements for the University of Auckland doctoral programme (see www.auckland.ac.nz/doctoral-entry-requirements). The scholarship will remain open until filled and the start date is negotiable, but we expect the successful candidate to have enrolled by June 2025. To express an interest in this scholarship please send a CV and a brief statement of research interests, referee details and how they align with the proposed areas of research in the first instance to Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher ([email protected]). We will use the information to select applicants for interviews. Sublethal effects of heatwaves on estuarine ecosystems PhD Scholarship (2) We are looking for a highly motivated individual to undertake research leading to a PhD in marine science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The project aims to better understand the effects of climate change on coastal seafloor ecosystems. While marine heatwaves have been linked to mass mortality events in shellfish, sponges and corals with obvious ecosystem wide impacts, the sub-lethal effects of heating events below thermal tolerances are less well understood. Temperature induced alterations to benthic macrofauna behaviour, growth rate and reproductive output can alter ecosystem function, key species population viability, and erode resilience to other stressors making ecosystems more vulnerable to tipping points. Our current work has been investigating how heatwaves impact intertidal sandflat communities and disentangling the relative importance of terrestrial versus marine heatwaves which these habitats experience during low and high tide respectively. We are looking to recruit a PhD to contribute to this research. The exact topic will be developed in conjunction with the successful candidate to best match interests and capabilities but could focus on for example how thermal stress influences bioturbation by intertidal benthic macrofauna and consequences for benthic-pelagic coupling, key species physiology and growth, and how thermal stress interacts with other stressors to impact soft sediment ecosystems. To be considered for the scholarship, the candidate must have an MSc or BSc(Hons) (or equivalent qualification), ideally in marine ecology/science/oceanography or a related discipline. However, background is less important than a strong interest in ecology, ecosystem science and good quantitative skills. The scholarship is open to students of any nationality and includes a competitive stipend plus fees for three years. The candidate must meet all entry requirements for the University of Auckland doctoral programme (see www.auckland.ac.nz/doctoral-entry-requirements). The scholarship will remain open until filled and the start date is negotiable, but we expect the successful candidate to have enrolled by June 2025. To express an interest in this scholarship please send a CV and a brief statement of research interests, referee details and how they align with the proposed areas of research in the first instance to Conrad Pilditch ([email protected]). We will use the information to select applicants for interviews. -- Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, PhD Pouako | Lecturer Te Whare Takiura Mātai Pūtaiao Moana | Institute of Marine Science Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland, New Zealand Address: Science Centre, Building 302, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand To unsubscribe from this list please go to https://community.esa.org/confirm/?u=RhPWqPxFwODKvbkiT32nkIqRrsiSgulp
