POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

We invite applications for a two year post-doctoral position in Ecosystem Ecology, on the topic of Responses of Ecosystem Properties to Elevation in Contrasting Mountain Systems (Ref. Nr. 1938/2012) at the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, at Umeå, Sweden. The position is fully financed, including salary and benefits. The intended start date is March 1 2013, although there is some flexibility around this.

The postdoctoral researcher will be actively involved in a project on comparison of elevational gradients that transcend treelines in mountain systems in Europe, New Zealand, the USA and South America. Specifically, this project will explore how key ecosystem properties (particularly those related to nutrient availability) vary in response to elevation, and whether there are consistent or recurrent patterns across mountain systems in different regions. There is the expectation that the researcher will be actively involved in the design, fieldwork, data analysis, and write-up of this work. The project is collaborative, and has active involvement of researchers in the USA, UK and France as well as in Umeå. This position would be particularly ideal for researchers that have an interest in the community and ecosystem ecology of mountain ecosystems.

The required qualification for this position is a PhD in Ecology or a related subject, preferably with experience in field-based ecology, and preferably completed in the previous three years. We would also expect the researcher to have a reasonable level of physical fitness for fieldwork in mountains, and to have the capacity to travel for fieldwork.

Applications for this position should include a curriculum vitae including a full list of publications, a brief description of research interests, and a list of at least two references familiar with the applicant's qualifications and experience.

Further information is available from Professor David Wardle SLU Umeå, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, e-mail: David.Wardle@.slu.se

Applications, marked with Ref No SLU # 1938/2012, must arrive at the Registrar of SLU, P.O. Box 7070, S- 750 07 Uppsala or registrator@slu.se no later than 20 August 2012.