I offer a 1 year, renewable for a 2nd year, Postdoctoral fellowship ($47,000-$55,000 + research stipend) for an excellent candidate to lead the design and building of a simulation model describing the easterly and northerly spread of the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) in Canada. Because of the aggregative nature of MPB colonization on trees, the anticipated approach would be to build a large scale Individual-based Model (IBM) that would capture the essential spatial structures of the spread dynamics, including movement, habitat selection, climate sensitivity, reproduction, mortality as well as potential management actions to be taken on the ground and an assessment of management consequences. This project fits into a high priority project area within the Canadian Forest Service. As a result, there are many other ongoing projects that can be connected to this MPB project, such as effects on carbon dynamics and carbon accounting, remote sensing detection of MPB impacts, climate change effects on forests, etc. The Postdoctoral Fellow will have the opportunity to link to these other projects to allow a potentially large influence in regional, national and international policies. Likewise, scientific understanding gained with this model could be large because of potential emergent phenomena.
Partial Requirements: Knowledge of the biological processes of movement/spread, reproduction, mortality, habitat selection of insects or animals in general Proven skills with Individual Based Models and IBM software (e.g., NetLogo, SELES, Mason, R or other) with interest in learning these and others more deeply Track record of peer reviewed publication Start Date and Location: The position can start as early as the candidate is available and will be located in Pacific Forestry Center, Victoria, BC, Canada. For more details and full list of requirements, please see full announcement here: http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=Membres.EliotMcintire?userlang=en Applicants should submit by email a short statement of interest, a current CV, and the names of three references. For further information, please contact me at: Eliot McIntire, Research Scientist, Canadian Forest Service and Adjunct Professor, Laval University [email protected] or +1-250-298-2374
