Dear colleagues, within a newly founded project on analyzing ecosystem dynamics within the cultural landscapes of Germany and Japan we are offering a PhD position in Ecological Modeling within an international team at Justus Liebig University Giessen Germany. Cheers, Fred.
### JOB VACANCY We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join an interdisciplinary research group that is quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes in Germany and Japan. The core task for the successful candidate will be to quantify ecosystem functions and services. Therefore, the successful candidate will first focus on analyzing abiotic environmental variables such as water and soil components and processes, which are relevant for provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. Here, different modeling tools will be developed and adapted. The experience with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and with integrating modeling frameworks, such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool SWAT, is wanted. Moreover, soil-related ecosystem functions and service will be modeled. For this purpose, the successful candidate needs a vision of multiple functional soil properties that are relevant for regulating and provisioning services. A first focus will be on the relevant indicators for land use / land cover change. In a second step, a meta-analysis of the yet obtained model outputs will be done. For this purpose, adapted and validated models of ecosystem functions, economics and biodiversity will be integrated into a modeling framework. Input and output parameters will be combined within a common objective function, which then, in turn, will be optimized and maximized. Optimization of land-use types and land-use intensities relating to defined and allocated service providing units (SPU) in the landscape will be depicted in discrete functions. Finally, the workflow of the modeling and the optimization procedures and the obtained results will be adequately documented and communicated to stakeholder communities. As the work includes active collaboration with related working groups, speaking english and (willingness to learn) german is a must for efficiently communicating. We collaborate with partner projects in Japan, and willingness to travel is expected. Requirements: -Master’s degree or equivalent in ecological informatics, geo-ecology, ecology or comparable qualification. -Good work experiences with GIS and integrating tools like SWAT -Excellent statistical skills -Programming skills in R, Java or comparable skills -Strong background in the ecological sciences Salary and conditions: Full-time position, salary is based on 50% TV-H E13 Start date: 1 January 2013 Duration: 30 months. For further information, please contact: Fred Jopp, Department of Animal Ecology, Justus-Liebig University fred.j...@bio.uni-giessen.de Applications: To apply, please send your CV, including a short summary of your motivation, and the names and contact addresses of two references to PD Dr. Fred Jopp, fred.j...@bio.uni-giessen.de ### -- PD Dr. Fred Jopp, Adjunct Professor Justus-Liebig University, IFZ-Animal Ecology, Heinrich Buff Ring 26-32, 35392 Giessen. Fon: +49(0)641-99-35715, FAX -35709, www.mced-ecology.org
