A post-doc position is available in the Mediterranean Institute for Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE) a joint CNRS and University institute with 220 permanent researchers in the field of terrestrial and marine ecology. The position will last two years and is based in IMBE, directed by Thierry Tatoni and Wolfgang Cramer, this program is directed by Agathe Leriche, Cécile Albert and Arne Saatkamp, in Marseille, France - a region noted for its access to outdoor activities.
We target to start this post-doc in October 2013. The post-doc will be part of a larger European neighborhood partnership project with research groups from Rome and Cagliari (Italy), Alexandria (Egypt), Beirut (Lebanon) and Sfax (Tunisia) on vulnerability of coastal ecosystems. This post-doc will be sustained by a technician in SIG and database dedicated to the project and will interact with researchers in our lab working on a broad range of projects in climate/global change impacts, macroecological patterns, phylogeography, functional ecology, landscape ecology and conservation biology. The project aims to model the impacts of fragmentation (spatial organization), habitat degradation (pollution, land use change) on plant biodiversity of coastal ecosystems. In this project we aim to develop plant distribution models accounting for spatial explicit migration, biogeography principles and community assembly rules to simulate local to regional scale impacts of changed spatial configuration of habitats and of habitat quality. This project will profit from a large data base of plant distributions and co-occurrences as well as environmental and phylogenetic data gathered in previous projects and will be in contact with other regional to large scale model project in our institute. We look for a person with a Ph.D. in landscape ecology, plant ecology, biogeography, global change ecology/geography and with strong mathematical/modeling skills willing to work with spatial explicit biodiversity data. We look for a candidate with excellent English language and especially writing skills (publication record), willingness to work in a team and strong experience in modeling techniques in one of the above fields, knowledge of using R. Ideally, the candidate possesses knowledge and interest in ecology, botany, biogeography, and landscape ecology; excellent organization skills; strong quantitative skills and critical thinking; ability to work independently and supervise others, and to handle responsibilities and deadlines. Knowledge of French language or willing to learn basics is a plus, but not required. Salary will be dependent on experience but correspond to French post-doc researcher positions which include social assurance coverage. For more information regarding the position contact Dr. Arne Saatkamp ([email protected]). For application, please supply a single PDF document: a) a one page statement of interest and prospectives concerning the project, b) a 2 page curriculum vitae including publication record and c) two reference contacts that are willing to give information on your previous work (mail & phone). Position Location: IMBE, (www.imbe.fr), University Aix-Marseille, France
