Postdoctoral Position in Tropical Tree Ecology and Ecophysiology

Gothenburg University meets societal challenges with diverse knowledge. 56,000 students and 6,600 employees make the university a large and inspiring workplace. Strong research and attractive education attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, Gothenburg University contributes to a better future.

At the Department of Biology and Environmental Science (BioEnv), there is educational and research activity that spans from the ecosystems of the mountain world, through forests, soils, and waterways, all the way out to the sea. In these environments, we work with various biological organizational levels from genes, through individuals and populations to communities and ecosystems. We work within ecology, evolution, physiology, systematics, and combinations of these fields to understand the significance of natural and human-induced environmental changes.

The department's activities are conducted at two different locations, GU's premises in Natrium at Medicinaregatan 7B in Gothenburg, and at the Kristineberg Marine Research Station operated by the Marine Infrastructure at Gothenburg University. The current position is located at Natrium.

We offer

Gothenburg University is a government authority, which means special benefits, more vacation, and good pensions. You can read more about our employment benefits here.

Subject

Tropical tree ecology and ecophysiology

Subject Description

There is great uncertainty about how tropical forests respond to ongoing changes in climate and disturbance regimes. One of the largest sources of this uncertainty is the limited understanding of the mechanisms that drive variation in tree mortality over time and space. This postdoctoral position is part of a larger project aimed at investigating how environmental changes affect tree mortality and forest function and biodiversity in tropical ecosystems. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with leading experts in tropical tree ecology and ecophysiology.

Responsibilities

The overall goal of this position is to develop our understanding of the relationships between environmental factors (e.g., VPD, drought, storms), individual tree conditions (e.g., tree damage, light limitation), and the physiological processes that lead to tree mortality. The research may include both experimental and observational studies, as well as fieldwork in the tropics (e.g., mortality surveys, physiological measurements, isotopic labeling, etc.). Although data collection will primarily take place in the tropics, additional experiments may be conducted in the laboratory in Gothenburg or in surrounding forests. Specific research questions and focus areas will be developed by the postdoctoral researcher in collaboration with their supervisors/advisors.

The project is primarily based on ongoing research studies led by the main supervisors. The position is therefore intended to build on collaborations with international researchers from the Smithsonian's Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO, https://forestgeo.si.edu/ (https://forestgeo.si.edu/)), Tropical Forest Mortality Working Group (ATFS-MWG, https://www.alliancetropicalforestscience.net/working-groups.html (https://www.alliancetropicalforestscience.net/working-groups.html)), Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments – Tropics (NGEE-Tropics, https://ngee-tropics.lbl.gov/ (https://ngee-tropics.lbl.gov/)), and/or the Rwanda-TREE project (https://www.rwandatree.com/ (https://www.rwandatree.com/)). The employee will also participate in international meetings and analytical workshops.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to co-supervise PhD, master's, and undergraduate students. A teaching agreement with the department can be negotiated based on teaching needs and suitability, for up to 20% of a full-time position, which may extend the employment period.

The postdoctoral researcher will be employed at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences under the main supervision of Dr. Daniel Zuleta, with co-supervision from Prof. Johan Uddling. The project is linked to the strategic research area BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate; http://www.becc.lu.se/ (http://www.becc.lu.se/)) and Gothenburg's Global Biodiversity Centre (GGBC) (https://www.gu.se/en/ggbc-global-biodiversity (https://www.gu.se/en/ggbc-global-biodiversity)).

Application

Read more about the position and apply via Gothenburg University's recruitment portal.

Publications that cannot be attached to the application digitally should be sent in one copy to:

Department of Biology and Environmental Science
Att: Daniel Zuleta
Gothenburg University
Box 463
405 30 Gothenburg

Mark the envelope “Postdoctoral Position in Tropical tree ecology/ecophysiology, PAR 2024/XX”. The publications must be received by the application deadline.

The application must be submitted by: April 17, 2025

The university actively works for a work environment with equal conditions and values the qualities that diversity brings to the organization.

The university applies individual salary setting.

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