Postdoctoral Researcher in Ecology Focused on Bumblebee Communities and Climate Change

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked among the world's top universities. It has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our effort to understand, explain, and improve our world and the conditions of people.

Lund University welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Gender equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Special Subject Description

Over the past century, climate change and altered land use have significantly impacted ecosystems, shifting species distributions towards higher latitudes and altitudes, and affecting species phenology and morphology.

This project investigates how bumblebee communities respond to climate warming and altered land use, focusing on changes in body size and their significance for pollination services.

We aim to:

• (i) analyze temporal and spatial changes in body size among bumblebee species in Sweden and assess whether these changes are linked to species resilience in changing landscapes and climates,
• (ii) determine the underlying mechanisms for changes in body size – whether they are driven by genetic adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, and
• (iii) evaluate landscape management strategies in agriculture to preserve pollination services considering changes in bumblebee community composition and body size.

The project will integrate data from historical bumblebee specimens in Swedish natural history museums with contemporary field collections and advanced genomic techniques.

The research is funded by BECC's (Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Changing Climate) Incubator Grant “The role of bumblebee body size variation in resilience of populations and crop pollination to global changes,” awarded to Prof. Bengt Hansson, Dr. Anna Persson, Dr. Romain Carrié, and Dr. William Sidemo Holm at Lund University (LU), as well as Dr. Christine Bacon at the University of Gothenburg (UGOT).

The postdoctoral researcher will be placed with Prof. Bengt Hansson at the Department of Biology (LU), in close collaboration with Dr. Anna Persson at the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC, LU).

Job Responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the postdoctoral researcher include conducting research. The primary responsibility in this position is to conduct research, including collecting bumblebees from museum collections and fieldwork in central and northern Sweden, genomic sequencing, data analysis, and scientific writing. The position also includes spatial analyses related to changes in habitat density and their impact on crop yields.

The postdoctoral researcher is expected to actively contribute to the development of BECC as a research environment, for example, by participating in annual meetings and workshops. Involvement in student supervision is desirable. Teaching may be included in the job responsibilities, but no more than one-fifth of the working time.

The position also offers opportunities to participate in international conferences and meetings, as well as visits to partners. Within the framework of the employment, there will be an opportunity for three weeks of higher education pedagogical training.

Detailed Description of Job Responsibilities:

• Conduct field collection of bumblebees in central and northern Sweden.
• Morphological quantification of bumblebees from museum collections and field samples.
• DNA extraction and sequencing.
• Analysis of ecological and genetic data using advanced methods.
• Scientific writing.

Eligibility

Eligible for appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is someone who has obtained a doctoral degree, or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree, in the subject area of the employment and who has obtained it no more than three years before the date of the employment decision. If there are special reasons, the doctoral degree may have been obtained earlier.

Other Requirements:

• Documented ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.
• Good understanding of ecological and evolutionary theory.
• Experience in fieldwork and basic molecular biology laboratory work.
• Proven experience in handling large-scale DNA sequencing data and conducting bioinformatics analyses.
• Curious, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approach.
• Interest in biodiversity conservation.
• Excellent oral and written skills in English.

Assessment Criteria

This is a qualification appointment primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in the career, and the assessment of applicants will primarily be based on their scientific merits and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on scientific ability within the subject area.

When appointing a postdoctoral researcher, the following will form the basis for assessment:

• Good ability to develop and conduct high-quality research.
• Pedagogical ability.

Other Merits:

• Extensive knowledge in conservation biology and evolutionary biology.

In the assessment, consideration will also be given to:

1. good collaborative ability, drive, and independence,
2. how the applicant's experience and competence are assessed to complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and
3. the applicant's potential to contribute to the future development of the research environment.

All qualified applicants will be considered. Candidates who contribute to diversity and competence in our institution through their research, teaching, etc., are encouraged to apply.

Conditions

The employment is limited to a maximum of 2 years and is full-time. The employment is limited according to the agreement, “Agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral researcher,” between the labor market parties dated 2022-02-01 (The Swedish Agency for Government Employers, OFR, and Saco-S).

Contact

Further information about the position can be obtained from Prof. Bengt Hansson ([email protected]) and Dr. Anna Persson ([email protected]).

Application Instructions

For application instructions, please see the full advertisement text on LU's website (link to the right on this page).

At the Faculty of Science, research and education are conducted in biology, astronomy, physics, geoscience, chemistry, mathematics, and environmental science. The activities are conducted at eight departments located within the northern university area. The faculty has about 1,500 students, 360 doctoral students, and 700 employees.

We kindly decline all contacts from advertisement sellers, recruitment, and staffing companies due to government procurement regulations.