Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany, supervised by Dr. Martin Gossner and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang W. Weisser.
We offer two Ph.D.-positions subject to the final funding decision by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, within the interdisciplinary project “Future-oriented risk management for biotic pest events in forests to ensure sustainable forest management”. The project aims at quantifying long-term ecosystem effects (diversity of organisms, trophic interactions, ecosystem functions) of insecticide applications in forests and at identifying factors that predispose forest stands for insect outbreaks. In collaboration with other subproject opportunities and risks of insecticide applications will be evaluated and practical recommendations will be elaborated. One PhD-thesis will focus on the aboveground insects (i.e. Lepidoptera) and their antagonists. The second PhD-thesis will focus on the edaphic soil-fauna. The research group of Wolfgang W. Weisser is interested in investigating mechanistical-ly the links between land use, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. With our research we would like to contribute to basis of efficient nature conservation. We are an inter-national research group with current members from Brazil, India, U.K. and Germany, and projects in Brazil, Cameroon, Kenya and Germany. Information about current research projects and group members can be found under www.toek.wzw.tum.de . The TUM offers attractive packages for Ph.D.-students through its graduate school including soft skill courses, Ph.D.-student retreats and paid oversees visits. Requirements: Candidates interested in a position should have a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in a relevant field or a related area. A strong interest in plant – insect interactions and/or insect ecology is necessary. Experience in data handling and statistic methodology is also necessary as a major part of the work will be the evaluation of existing data. We expect the candidate to have good communication skills, also in English and the ability to work in a team. Starting date will be probably 1st of October 2015. Application: Via email only including a cover letter with a short statement of past and future research interests, a Curriculum Vitae including a list of publications, and names and email-addresses of two references, in a single pdf document. Review of applications will start 15.8.2015. Salaries will be paid in accordance with German regulations for public sector employees salary level TVL E13.TUM is an equal opportunity employer and encourages minorities to apply for this position. For questions please do not hesitate to contact Wolfgang W. Weisser or Martin M. Gossner by Email ([email protected]; [email protected]).
