Ecological and socio-economic impacts of exotic plant invasions in the Dutch Caribbean. Project description: (Sub)tropical archipelagos are global biodiversity hotspots, but susceptible to exotic plant invasions. Such invasions may lead to loss of native endemic species. While invasive species are typically thought of as harmful, their ecological and socio-economic impacts on the Dutch Caribbean BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba) are not strictly negative. For the BES islands, management scenarios aiming solely at maximal eradication of invaders may therefore not be perceived as optimal by local stakeholders.
The Department of Innovation, Environmental and Energy Sciences of Utrecht University is seeking two PhD students to study the ecological and socio-economic impacts of exotic plant invasions on the Dutch Caribbean BES islands. The successful candidates will follow a Social Ecological Systems approach to assess ecological and socio-economic costs and benefits of future nature conservation and management scenarios. Assessments will be performed through the development of a Decision Support System that enables optimization of social and ecological costs and benefits through appropriate management of invasive terrestrial plants. PhD position 1: The ecological impacts of exotic plant invasions in the Dutch Caribbean This project aims to identify the driving mechanisms of exotic plant invasions on the BES islands. The PhD student will combine remote sensing analyses, mathematical modelling and field measurements to achieve this aim. Insights will then be used to develop mechanistic competition models that can project future rates of spread, and can show how these rates can be affected through the implementation of management interventions. We are looking for a highly motivated person with quantitative skills and an academic degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, Physical Geography, (Eco-)Hydrology, Biology or Biomathematics. Experience with remote sensing analyses (using e.g. ArcGis, ERDAS Imagine), mathematical modelling (using e.g. Matlab, Mathematica), and fieldwork is considered an advantage. Furthermore, she/he is expected to be interested in being part of a multi-disciplinary research team and willing to invest in a fruitful collaboration with the socio-economically oriented PhD student within the project. PhD position 2: The socio-economic impacts of exotic plant invasions in the Dutch Caribbean This project aims to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) that can be used to craft appropriate response strategies to disturbances associated with invasive species proliferation and policy changes. This will require an analysis of the governance system and analysis of the interactions within the stakeholder network. The PhD student will combine policy analysis, stakeholder analysis, network techniques and model input from PhD student 1 (see above) to achieve this aim. We are looking for a highly motivated person with an academic degree in Environmental Studies, Social Geography, Political Science or related fields. The successful candidate has a firm understanding of the theoretical literature on Socio-Ecological Systems and Institutionalism. Experience with methods such as network, stakeholder and institutional analysis, is an advantage. The successful candidate has the capacity to work independently, but is also interested in being part of a multi-disciplinary research team and willing to invest in a fruitful collaboration with the ecologically oriented PhD student within the project. What we offer: Both projects are part of the multi-disciplinary Caribbean Research program of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Both PhD positions are fully funded for a period of four years, at the end of which a PhD thesis should be completed. Both PhD students can spend the vast majority of their time on the research project; only 10% of their time will be spent on various other tasks. These tasks include teaching assistantships, supervision of (under)graduate research projects and contributing to capacity building initiatives on the BES islands. As a PhD student you will get a temporary position for four years at Utrecht University. Payment is according to the standard payment of PhD students in the Netherlands: EUR 1,683 per month in the first year, increasing to EUR 2,394 in the fourth year. We provide generous secondary benefits, as specified in the contracts for university staff in the Netherlands. The salary is supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8,3% per year. In addition we offer: a pension scheme, a partially paid parental leave, flexible employment conditions. Conditions are based on the Collective Labor Agreement Dutch Universities. How to apply: Applications should include a motivation letter and a curriculum vitae with a list of grades and contact details of two references. Applying for one of the PhD positions can be done online, using the PeopleXS system of Utrecht University. Follow this link ( http://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/ApplicationForm.cfm?&PortalID=4362&VacatureID=672124 ), to provide personal details and to upload the relevant documents for your application (motivation letter, curriculum vitae, list of grades, contact details of references). Please indicate clearly in your motivation letter whether you are applying for position 1 (ecological impacts) or position 2 (socio-economic impacts). The deadline for applications is September 01, 2014. Additional information about the PhD projects can be obtained by contacting dr. Maarten Eppinga (position 1, [email protected]), dr. Frank van Laerhoven (position 2, [email protected]) or Prof. dr. Martin Wassen (both positions, [email protected]).
