The Cadotte lab at the University of Toronto-Scarborough is looking for a Postdoctoral research associate in ‘plant community ecology and ecosystem function’ or ‘ecological dynamics in urban ecosystems’.
The background: This is a unique opportunity for an experienced postdoc to focus their leadership skills, to supervise graduate and undergraduate research, and to pursue new research initiatives. I am looking for a postdoctoral research associate to help lead our team while I focus on several new priorities. The candidate should have a track record of research and publishing on questions broadly related to terrestrial diversity, ecosystem function, invasion ecology, or urban ecology. Examples of the types of research questions of interest include: 1) how do plant invasions influence (disrupt or enhance) the ecosystem functions provided by urban green areas? 2) How are plant-soil feedbacks affected by plant invasion? 3) How does plant diversity (taxonomic, functional, or phylogenetic) influence pollinators (diversity or service provisioning) across land use gradients. Or any other related question. The person: I am looking for a terrestrial community or ecosystem ecologist with broad ecological interests and a proven track record of publishing in top international journals, and experience supervising trainees. A major component of this position will be to oversee ongoing projects and help mentor graduate and undergraduate students. Desirable skills/interests include spatial analyses, quantitative modelling, plant-insect interactions, soil biodiversity, functional or phylogenetic diversity, and R programming. Candidates should have strong: conceptual/theoretical understanding of ecological processes; oral and written communication skills; publication record; and an interest in outreach. The candidate should have completed, or nearly completed, a PhD in ecology or related disciplines. The successful candidate will be expected to provide leadership in the lab, and interact with graduate and undergraduate students. The Cadotte lab also has a strong commitment to outreach, running programs with local elementary schools, and the candidate is expected to participate. The place: The University of Toronto-Scarborough (UTSC) is located on the eastern edge of Toronto, and makes up one of the three campuses of the University of Toronto. The tri-campus Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program, which also includes the Royal Ontario Museum (http://www.eeb.utoronto.ca/), is an excellent department with more than 50 faculty members (http://www.eeb.utoronto.ca/people/G-faculty.htm). The candidate will be housed at UTSC, in the Biological Sciences department (http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/biosci/), which sits on a forested ravine, and is a relatively short commute to the Toronto city centre. UTSC is an exciting place to do research, with a relatively young and active research community, and excellent students. Toronto is Canada’s largest city and is extremely culturally diverse, full of parks and green areas, and hosts numerous cultural, culinary, and music events. The position: The candidate would need to start July 1st, 2017, or shortly thereafter, and the position would be for one year with a second year contingent on performance and the availability of funds. The salary is $45,000/year, and comes with a benefits package. Postdocs are unionized at the University of Toronto. The application: Applicants are required to send an updated CV, two representative reprints or preprints, a cover letter and/or statement describing the candidate’s past experience and accomplishments, interests (generally and with respect to the specifics of this position), and the names and e-mails of at least two references. These materials should be combined into a single pdf document and sent to [email protected]. I will begin to review applications on May 29th, 2017. ####################################### Marc W Cadotte Executive Editor, Journal of Applied Ecology TD Professor of Urban Forest Conservation and Biology Associate Chair of Research and Graduate Affairs Department of Biological Sciences University of Toronto -Scarborough and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Office: 416-208-5105 e-mail: [email protected] Web: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~mcadotte ########################################
