The Forest Nature and Landscape Department, Earth and Environmental Sciences Department within the Science and Technology Group at KU Leuven has a Postdoctoral position vacant in Climate-Smart Ecosystem Management.
About the position:
- The selected candidate will work under the supervision of Prof. Karen Vancampenhout, an expert in the field of soil biogeochemistry, carbon cycles and management of natural resources.
- The selected candidate will design solutions for climate change and sustainability from a system approach with the emphasis on interactions between environment, soil, plant and animal.
- Working at different scales and exploring spatial relationships between systems and their ecosystem services form an integral part of that approach.
- The selected candidate will be committed to converting fundamental technologies and concepts for climate adaptation and mitigation into applied management solutions for forests and nature reserves.
- Interest in sustainable management of natural resources in the tropics is a plus.
Current research topics:
- Climate smart and spatially explicit management of ecosystems, in particular forests and peat areas;
- regime shifts in carbon cycles in the soil with changes in acidity, temperature and availability of water;
- Non-linear effects of tree species on forest soils and carbon capture;
- Sustainable alternatives to peat in aggregates and plant substrates in agriculture and horticulture;
- Projects for sustainable land use in Ethiopia and Tanzania;
- Stress detection and limitation in plants;
- Multi-year plant productivity and vitality;
- Effects of digital, sensor-controlled grazing in protected areas on vegetation composition and soil quality – Increased sustainability of livestock farming through improved production efficiency.
Requirements:
- Applicant must hold PhD in the field of Life Sciences, Bio-Engineering, Ecology, Plant Biology or related.
- A proven and successful international publication process;
- Didactic skills and enthusiastic to give different courses to BSc and MSc students;
- High intrinsic motivation and a strong scientific curiosity;
- Team player who can work independently in a multidisciplinary team;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills;
- Proactive, flexible and problem-solving attitude.
How to apply:
Apply online
—————–Quick Overview————- | |
Organization | KU LEUVEN |
Country | Belgium |
Fellowship Level | Postdoctoral |
Subject areas | Life Sciences, Bio-Engineering, Ecology, Plant Biology |
Fellowship amount | Varies |
Eligibility | Open to all nationalities |
Deadline | 29 March 2020 |
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