The Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN) is a member of the Leibniz Association and is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. SGN conducts natural history research with almost 800 employees and research institutions in six federal states. Within SGN, the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) explores the interactions between biodiversity and climate.
Senckenberg BiK-F invites applications for a Postdoctoral position in the research project “Predicting ecosystem functions from functional diversity and plant-animal interaction networks” (third-party funding). The project is part of the DFG Research Unit Kilimanjaro (KiLi). Postdoc position in "Functional diversity and plant-animal interaction networks on Mt. Kilimanjaro" (full time) The final phase of the Kilimanjaro Research Unit is devoted to data synthesis across taxa, processes and disciplines. In this project, the successful applicant will investigate how the functional diversity of plant and animal communities is associated with interaction diversity and ecological functions of mutualistic plant-animal networks. In particular, you will model the robustness of these networks and their derived functions to species extinction in response to climate and land-use change. The project builds on previous empirical work on the communities and interaction networks of plants and animals on Mt. Kilimanjaro and aims at the integration and synthesis of data for high-impact publications. The work will be conducted in close cooperation with the other members of the KiLi Research Unit. Position requirements · You hold a PhD in Ecology or a related field and have experience to conduct independent ecological research · You stand out due to a strong conceptual background in community ecology, particularly in functional diversity, plant-animal interaction networks and ecosystem functions · You have excellent knowledge of R and advanced statistical techniques, such as structural equation models, functional diversity and interaction network analyses · You have the ability to communicate well in English (strong written and oral language skills in English are necessary, the knowledge of German is not mandatory) and the commitment to actively interact and collaborate with other researchers · It would be an asset if you were experienced in conducting ecological field work and/or in tropical ecology · You have an excellent publication record and the ambition to publish in high-impact journals Salary and benefits are according to a full-time public service position in Germany (TV-H E 13). The position is a 2-year fixed-term post, starting as soon as possible, preferably in January 2017. The Senckenberg Research Institute supports equal opportunity of men and women and therefore strongly invites women to apply. Equally qualified handicapped applicants will be given preference. The place of employment will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The employer is the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung. Please include the reference to this position (Ref.# 7.6.16) in the subject line and include a cover letter describing your motivation to apply, a CV including a full publication list and relevant certificates, a copy of your most important publication and contact details of 2 academic referees. Please submit your application before 31 October 2016 via e-mail as a single PDF file to: Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung Senckenberganlage 25 60325 Frankfurt E-Mail: [email protected] For scientific enquiries please contact PD Dr. Matthias Schleuning ([email protected])or Prof. Dr. Katrin Böhning-Gaese ([email protected]).
