Dear colleague,
Here at our plant ecology group at SLU Uppsala Sweden we are seeking a
highly motivated postdoc to work on modelling of plant-plant and
plant-environment interactions to establish predictive understanding of
ideal plant mixtures in agriculture for high and stable crop yields,
efficient resource use, reduction of losses due to biotic and abiotic
stresses, and provision of ecosystem service. This position will be
associated with the H2020 project “DIVERSify – Designing InnoVative
plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural Sustainability”
(www.plant-teams.eu <http://www.plant-teams.eu> ).
Deadline for applications: *November 5th, 2017* (Apply by sending an
email to registra...@slu.se <mailto:registra...@slu.se>, referring to
the opening code 3718/2017 and attaching the relevant documents as pdf)
Contact person: Giulia Vico giulia.v...@slu.se <mailto:giulia.v...@slu.se>
More information and application instructions can be found below and at
http://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/jobs-vacancies/read-more/?eng=1&Pid=6473
It would be great if you could share this information among colleagues
and potentially interested candidates.
Best regards,
Giulia Vico
*Full description of the opening*
/Postdoc position in modelling plant-plant and plant-environment
interactions/
Food security and sustainable use of resources are central to the United
Nations Sustainable Developmental Goals by 2030. Improved management of
agroecosystems and available resources will be necessary to meet these
challenging goals. Among management practices, increasing the diversity
of crop systems has been suggested as a way to enhance productivity,
resource use efficiency and resilience to environmental fluctuations,
and decrease the frequency of pests and disease outbreaks. To exploit in
full this possibility, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms
promoting positive plant-plant and plant-environment interactions, as
well as identify the most suitable plant mixtures for specific
pedo-climatic conditions.
We seek a highly motivated postdoc to work with existing mathematical
process-based models and to develop novel ones describing plant-plant
and plant-environment interactions and their impacts on: crop yields and
their stability in the face of biotic and abiotic stressors; efficiency
of resource use; and provision of ecosystem service.
This position will be associated with the project “DIVERSify – Designing
InnoVative plant teams for Ecosystem Resilience and agricultural
Sustainability“, funded within the EU Horizon 2020 framework. DIVERSify
aims at optimizing the performance of crop species mixtures to improving
agricultural productivity and sustainability, combining field
experiments, modelling approaches, and stakeholder involvement
(www.plant-teams.eu/ <http://www.plant-teams.eu/>).
The postdoc will be based at the Department of Crop Production Ecology
in Uppsala. The research conducted within the Department generally aims
at improving crop productivity and sustainability. The Department is
part of the Ecology Center, which offers a stimulating research
environment. The location in Uppsala facilitates further collaborations
with researchers at Uppsala University, Stockholm University and KTH.
Duties:
The project will focus on developing, evaluating, and applying
process-based mathematical models for the assessment of plant-plant and
plant-environment interactions, in arable systems and grasslands. The
work will include the use of existing crop models and the development of
novel process-based mathematical models, as well as analyses of
eco-physiological, environmental and climatic datasets, both existing
ones and those collected as part of DIVERSify.
Qualifications:
Applicants shall hold a PhD in ecology, earth and environmental
sciences, agronomy, biology, mathematics, or related fields. Applicants
shall also have research experience and interest in eco-hydrological or
crop models (coupling plants, ecosystems, and environmental conditions).
A working knowledge of MatLab, R, or other computational environments
and/or previous experience with crop models like APSIM and Daisy are
merits. The applicant should have a demonstrated ability to
independently initiate, conduct, and complete research projects and to
generate and publish the findings in international peer-reviewed
journals. The candidate must have strong written and oral communication
skills in English, as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and
presentations at professional meetings.
As postdoctoral appointments are career-developing positions for junior
researchers, we are primarily looking for candidates with a doctoral
degree that is three years old at most.
Place of work: Uppsala
Form of employment: 100% fixed-term employment as postdoc for two years.
Starting date: By agreement
Application: We welcome your application marked with Ref no. SLU ua
3718/2017.
Please submit your application to the Registrar of SLU,
registra...@slu.se <mailto:registra...@slu.se>, no later than November
5, 2017.
Specific documents attached:
The application package shall include i) a short letter of motivation,
highlighting current research interests and other activities of
relevance for the position; ii) curriculum vitae; iii) publication list;
iv) a two-page research statement and vision; v) the names and contact
information of at least two professional references familiar with the
applicant's qualifications; and vi) copies of degrees and transcripts of
academic records. It is preferable that the documents i)-iv) are
submitted in English.
SLU is an equal opportunity employer.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Giulia Vico
Associate Professor
Department of Crop Production Ecology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
Email: giulia.v...@slu.se <mailto:giulia.v...@slu.se>
Webpage: http://www.slu.se/vico;
Researcher ID: A-6296-2010
<http://www.researcherid.com/ProfileView.action?SID=X2gl1za4xVjpxifya7W&returnCode=ROUTER.Success&queryString=KG0UuZjN5WlbNDYeE9y49Ny%252B3jojMHOhm5YsQrd0eEg%253D&SrcApp=CR&Init=Yes>;
ORCID: 0000-0002-7849-2653 <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7849-2653>