Postdoctoral Fellow in Biogeochemistry
Postdoctoral Fellow in Biogeochemistry
Stockholm University - Department of Environmental Science
Stockholm, Sweden
Project description
Climate warming is rapidly changing Arctic environments. The consequences can already now be observed, and include permafrost thaw, increased microbial degradation of soil organic matter to CO2 and other greenhouse gases, but also wide-spread stimulation of plant primary production and CO2 uptake, deeper plant rooting and shifts in vegetation distribution. In addition, plants can accelerate decomposition of soil organic matter decomposition near their roots to CO2 (“rhizosphere priming effect”), and this effect might substantially enhance Arctic CO2 emissions.
The advertized position will be associated with the ERC Starting Grant project PRIMETIME that aims to quantify total plant impacts on CO2 emissions from a warming Arctic, using a combination of experimental and upscaling approaches
Main responsibilities
The postdoc will, in close collaboration with other postdocs and doctoral students, lead the second part of the Primetime project, which connects experimental data with large-scale databases to provide estimates of how plants affect the soil's CO2 flux over large scales. The work could go in different directions, for instance generating an updated circum-Arctic priming estimate, developing local-scale priming estimates and validating these against observations from monitoring sites, testing the impact of different climate change scenarios, expanding priming estimates to a global scale, etc.
One possibility is to build on the published PrimeSCale model for upscaling, this model requires simple coding skills in R, Matlab or Python. Other approaches are also possible and encouraged, and the post doc is expected to bring in own ideas on the research they want to do. The post doc might also be involved in bachelor and master thesis supervision as well as teaching if interested. Part-time home office work is possible, upon agreement.
Qualification requirements
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country.
Assessment criteria
The degree must have been completed at latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the closing date. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special reasons refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.
In the appointment process, special attention will be given to research skills. Special emphasis is put on the applicant’s knowledge and skills within the subject area, ability to express themselves verbally and in writing, analytical aptitude, creativity in scientific thinking, initiative and independence, and a capacity for working together with others. The evaluation will be based on the quality and ambition of previous work, scientific publications, references, a cover letter motivating the candidate’s interest, and interviews. High value will be placed on the scientific quality and feasibility of the research proposal submitted with the application, and the ability of the candidate to execute the plan.
We are looking for a highly motivated person with a strong interest in how fine-scale, plant-soil-microbial interactions control large-scale greenhouse gas fluxes, and how experimental and field data can be connected with databases and meta-analyses to arrive a large-scale estimates. A background in e.g. Environmental Sciences, Biology, or Geosciences would be highly suitable. Experience with coding (e.g. R, Matlab, Python) is beneficial. Collaborative skills and proficiency in English are required.
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