瑞典博士后研究生（2年）生态学：Umeå

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science carries out research and postgraduate education in ecology, environmental science and physical geography. The department has about 150 employees, about 20 of whom are post-docs. For more information, visit: www.emg.umu.se.

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher in ecology within the project “Herbivore driven plant cycles: using drones to study plant communities and carbon fluxes” funded by Carl Tryggers Stiftelse. The stipend is for two years and is placed in Umeå. The deadline for applications is 2017-03-01 and the project is expected to start in May 2017. The start date can be negotiated.

Project description
Arctic ecosystems are currently changing. These changes are typically recorded with coarse resolution at large spatial scales from satellite images, or very high resolution at small spatial scales by field surveys of permanent plots. It is difficult to use the data from the field plots to identify the causes for the vegetation changes observed from satellites due to an enormous spatial mismatch. Drones are now providing a new tool to access high resolution data at intermediate scales. The objective of this post-doc is to use RGB and multispectral data from drones combined with ground truth data to study changes in phenology and composition of arctic vegetation, with a special focus on the dramatic vegetation changes caused by voles and lemming peaks. The project intends to study 1) arctic vegetation changes and phenology using multispectral data and RGB pictures from drones, and 2) develop methods to study the effects of voles and lemmings on vegetation using ground truth data and multispectral data from drones. You will collaborate within an international research team lead by Johan Olofsson (Umeå University). The project will include field work in challenging environments, and it includes a possibility to collaborate within a newly established international high-latitude drone ecology network (https://droneecology.wordpress.com/)

Qualifications
Successful candidates will have a PhD, or a foreign degree that is deemed equivalent, in ecology or equivalent subject. Priority is given to applicants that have completed their PhD degree a maximum of three years before the end of the application period, unless special circumstances exist. Prior experience of vegetation analyses with multispectral data, image analyses, handling drones, analyzing data from drones, working with plant-herbivore interactions, or censusing of plant communities are viewed as merits. We’re also interested if you have prior experience of field work in arctic environments. We seek a creative and highly motivated person, with high proficiency in spoken and written English.

Terms
You should preferably be available from May 2017 but an earlier or later start can be considered. The project is funded for two years. The stipend is 276.000 SEK per year.

How to apply
The application should include:
• A personal cover letter including why you are interested in this position and how you can contribute to the research group (max two pages)
• CV including list of publications
• Copy of your exam certificate or graduate transcripts if available
• Copy of your PhD if available
• Names and contact details of three references