Postdoc position in Forest Modelling
The National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry (INCDS) “Marin Drăcea” in Romania is hiring a post-doc for two years. The position should start as soon as possible and preferably in June this year. We are looking for somebody with a background in forest ecology and modelling to implement a forest landscape simulation model aimed at forecasting the future of Romanian forests under range of climate and management scenarios.
The National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry (INCDS) “Marin Drăcea” is the largest forest research organization in Romania in charge of both forest research, national forest inventory and the preparation of forest management plans. The Institute is a national Excellence Centre in Forest Biology and Forest Management as well as a member/collaborator of international organizations and monitoring programs such as IUFRO, EFI, ICP-Forests, LTER-Europe and ILTER networks, IPGRI, ISTA, and EARSEL. The Institute manages over 45 thousands hectares of forests with its main objective being developing and testing novel management systems as well and supporting scientific research projects focused on forest management and monitoring.
INCDS is seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Forest Modelling for a 2-year contract within the project Prototyping an Earth-Observation based monitoring and forecasting system for the Romanian forests (EO-ROFORMON).
Job description: The research fellow will work on implementing a landscape simulation model (LANDIS-II) to examine the effects of single and multiple disturbance drivers on forest composition, structure and productivity and to forecast the trajectory of Romanian forest over the next century.
The job will entail
1) the parameterization and validation of the model for Romanian forests and
2) the use of the model to explore the future of Romanian forests under changing climatic conditions and management regimes.
The job will require interactions with other researchers in the project and the Institute who focus on remote sensing and GIS modelling and empirical data analysis, including the forest inventory database and the ICP-Forests Monitoring network. Collaborations with other partners in Romania and worldwide are also possible.
The successful candidate should have a PhD in a suitable field such as forest sciences or ecological modelling, and in-depth experience with forest stand models, knowledge of R or similar data/statistical languages, experience with GIS and statistical analysis. Familiarity with Romanian or European forest ecosystems would be an asset. The candidate will have proven project management skills, with ability to develop, administer and complete robust research with minimal supervision. A demonstrated publication record and excellent English communication and writing skills are expected.
The preferred starting date is June 30th 2018, but can be discussed. The appointment is for two years.
Applications must be submitted before April 30th, 2018, but the positions will stay open until filled. Send your application, including a cover letter outlining relevant background, experience and motivation, your CV and list of publications, contact information of two references as a single pdf document to Dr. Cristina Aponte by email (caponte[at]unimelb.edu.au) or Dr. Ovidiu Badea (obadea[at]icas.ro).
For further information contact Dr. Cristina Aponte by email (caponte[at]unimelb.edu.au) or visit our web site (http://www.icas.ro/Home).
Candidates are encouraged to discuss the positions with the contact person before applying. The positions are open for candidates with working rights within the European Union.
