We are seeking a Ph.D. student to develop a forest growth and yield model as a function of interactions that may occur between climate change and silvicultural treatments in Eastern Canada. The successful candidates will join a rich and dynamic collaborative environment composed of forest ecologists, modelers, forestry engineers and stakeholders.
# Project The general objective of the project is to develop an ecosystem management decision support tool that will be used by the Forestier en Chef (FEC) du Québec in planning forest harvesting strategies in the context of climate change. The FEC is an independent entity charged with the mandate to provide appropriate advice to the Minister of Natural Resources regarding the Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) and the maintenance of other ecosystem services. The tools that are currently used to predict future forest growth are limited because of important knowledge gaps on the indirect impacts on range shifts, stand structure as well as natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The Ph.D. student will help develop a simulation model spanning several spatial and temporal scales, which will account for realistic climate change scenarios. The models will be parameterized using a combination of extensive forest inventory data as well as site-specific empirical data from ongoing field experiments. Particular attention will be given to quantifying uncertainty at different spatial and temporal scales. # Requirements An MSc degree in forestry, ecology, environmental sciences and/or biostatistics is appropriate, with other competencies such as computer science and mathematics being strong assets. Applicants should have some prior knowledge of ecological modelling, manipulating large databases, computer programming, or at least a strong interest in developing these skills. This position comes with a $20,000 (CAD) per year stipend, for 4 years. # Environment Research activities will be conducted in the Biology Department at Université de Sherbrooke (http://www.usherbrooke.ca/biologie/) under the supervision of Prof. Dominique Gravel. The student will thus join a dynamic and productive laboratory performing research in biogeography, biodiversity science and community ecology (http://ielab.recherche.usherbrooke.ca). The Ph.D. candidate will perform several internships at the offices of the FEC and interact with a team of 9 researchers and 7 students hailing from three universities as well as two public (MFFP and Ouranos) and one private (WSP Inc.) organizations. The student will also benefit from the rich training environment offered by the Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science (http://qcbs.ca) and the Center for Forest Science (http//www.cef-cfr.ca/). # Instructions Applications, including a letter describing research interests, a CV, copies of academic transcripts, contact information for two references, any questions about the project should be directed to [email protected]. Knowledge of French is not required but the student must be open to learn and work in a French environment. Dominique Gravel Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology Département de biologie Faculté des sciences Université de Sherbrooke 2500 Boulevard Université Sherbrooke, Qc., J1K 2R1 1-819-821-8000 # 66589 [email protected]
