Opportunities

Information related to assistantships, fellowships, scholarships and other opportunities.

Doctoral Researcher -- EU Horizon project Plus-Change at Leuphana University of Lüneburg

PLUS-Change is a collaborative research project funded by the European Union, involving 23 partner organizations. Led by the research institute CzechGlobe, we are working with 11 planning authorities and regional development agencies to provide robust evidence on and improve land-use decision-making for addressing climate change and biodiversity conservation. To do so, the project will (1) bridge across biodiversity and climate, recognising them as problems that share many of the same underlying drivers, and must be solved together; (2) bridge between individual behaviour changes of citizens and broader systems-wide changes in decision-making and policy at levels from local to national to EU; and (3) bridge between different areas of expertise to create a truly transdisciplinary project that includes social sciences, land use modelers and practitioners of land use planning. See PhD Research Position for a primer.

Position starting date: 01 October 2023. We look forward to receiving your application (please without a photo). Please submit your application including a letter of motivation, full CV, a one-page PhD proposal (cumulative PhD), relevant certificates (incl. Abitur / high school diploma), and contact details for two references by 27 August 2023 digitally (summarised in a PDF file) or by post to:

Postdoctoral Research Assistant -- Department of Biology at the University of Oxford

The overexploitation of wildlife is a key threat to biodiversity, exemplified by pangolins. The University of Oxford is seeking a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant to play a key role in the multi-year international research project, “Operation Pangolin: Unifying Diverse Data Streams to Redefine Species Conservation.” The postholder will be an experienced social scientist, with expertise in conducting fieldwork and data analysis to understand social-ecological systems, including institutional arrangements. They will design and execute research to understand the systems in which pangolins are used and traded in Central Africa and work with relevant stakeholders to devise conservation solutions. They will use a combination of research approaches and methods (e.g., institutional diagnostics).  The successful candidate will have: a relevant Ph.D./D.Phil. (or be near to completion, i.e., about to submit); experience of designing and undertaking relevant research; experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams; the ability to manage their own academic research; experience of contributing to publications; excellent communication skills in English and French; experience of organising and leading meetings; and a willingness to spend substantial time in both the UK and Central Africa. Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates who are under-represented in academic posts in Oxford. Here are job details and job description.

Postdoctoral Associate -- Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (Michigan State University) and USDA Midwest Climate Hub. 

A self-motivated postdoctoral research associate is sought to join an exciting multi-institutional USDA-funded 5-year research project. The transdisciplinary team is investigating the complex interactions and cumulative impacts of multiple shocks (e.g., climate change and disease outbreaks) on the resilience and sustainability of agri-food systems in the U.S. Midwest and beyond.

The postdoctoral associate will work under the guidance of Drs. Jianguo (Jack) Liu, Andrés Viña , and Julie Winkler at Michigan State University and Dr. Dennis Todey at the USDA Midwest Climate Hub. These scholars are experts in the areas of climate science, remote sensing, systems integration, and sustainability science. They are members of a large transdisciplinary research team that includes expertise in agricultural economics and supply chain management, artificial intelligence and digital agriculture, food and nutritional science, modeling, social network analysis, K-12 educational outreach, rural development, science communication, and sustainable food systems and food security. The position will be based at the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Michigan State University.

The primary responsibility of the postdoctoral associate will be to investigate the impacts of historical and future shocks, including climate shocks, on agri-food systems in the U.S. Midwest. This research will include the analysis of historical climate and remotely-sensed data, and the development of climate projections relevant to critical growth stages for a range of food crops produced in the U.S. Midwest. The work will involve the analysis of large data sets, preparation of manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, presentations in professional meetings/symposia, and preparation of datasets, together with associated metadata, to be submitted to public data repositories. 

The postdoctoral associate will have opportunities to work with project members in translating climate information for stakeholder decision making, including participation in the development of decision-support tools and early warning systems. The postdoctoral associate will also have opportunities to interact and network with the USDA Midwest Climate Hub and partners/projects related to various aspects of climate change and agriculture in the U.S. Midwest. Additional opportunities for training and professional development relevant to the postdoctoral associate’s professional goals will be provided by the project team, through the MSU Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (https://postdocs.msu.edu/), and through the USDA Midwest Climate Hub. Potential opportunities include training in stakeholder engagement and outreach, teaching, and mentoring of students, among others. 

This is a full-time position. Funding is available for two years with the possibility of an extension given satisfactory performance.

Application materials include (1) cover letter, (2) CV, (3) names and contact information for three references, (4) 2-3 representative publications or papers, and (5) a 2-3 page statement summarizing your research interests and experiences to date. Review of applications will begin March 31 and continue until the position is filled.

For more information and to apply, please visit: https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/job/514101/research-associatefixed-term (Posting #848629). Apply online by clicking on “Apply Now” toward the bottom of the page.

Please contact Dr. Jack Liu (liuji@msu.edu), Dr. Andrés Viña (vina@msu.edu), Dr. Dennis Todey (dennis.todey@usda.gov) and/or Dr. Julie Winkler (winkler@msu.edu) with questions.

Graduate Research Assistant Position 

Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University has an opening for a self-motivated graduate student with interests in remote sensing, agricultural production, climate shocks, resilience, sustainability, telecoupling, and/or metacoupling. Working under the guidance of Jianguo (Jack) Liu and Andrés Viña, the graduate student (PhD or MS) will join an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional USDA-funded 5-year research project. This project will investigate the complex interactions and cumulative impacts of multiple shocks (e.g., climate change, disease outbreaks) on the resilience and sustainability of agri-food systems in the U.S. Midwest and beyond.

With a flexible starting date, the successful candidate will have opportunities to interact and work with a large interdisciplinary research team with expertise in agricultural economics and supply chain management, artificial intelligence and digital agriculture, food and nutritional science, modeling, remote sensing, social network analysis, K-12 educational outreach, rural development, science communication, system integration, sustainability, and sustainable food systems and food security, to explore new frontiers of interdisciplinary research.

 Application materials include: (1) a letter of application, (2) CV or resume, (3) transcripts, (4) GRE scores, (5) TOEFL scores (for non-native English speakers only), (6) list of 3-4 references (names and contact information), and (7) up to three representative publications, if any. Unofficial copies of the transcripts, GRE, and TOEFL scores are OK initially. 

Please e-mail any questions and application materials to: Jianguo (Jack) Liu (liuji@msu.edu) and Andrés Viña (vina@msu.edu).  Applications will be reviewed starting March 31 and will continue until a qualified candidate is found.

Postdoctoral Fellowship program at the University of Minnesota

The goal of the IonE Postdoctoral Fellowship program at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (IonE) is to accelerate the transition to a future where people and the planet prosper by supporting breakthrough research across disciplines, developing the next generation of global leaders, and building transformative partnerships across the state, region and globe.

More information and application here  (deadline May 1): https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/ione-postdoctoral-fellowship/home.

 Fellowships:

Fellowships for graduate students, postdoctoral associates, junior faculty and/or other junior researchers:

• CHANS-Net Fellows

Fellowships for Postdoctoral Associates:

• WWF Kathryn Fuller Fellowships

Fellowships and opportunities for Graduate Students:

• EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowships
• Ford Fellowships
• Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program

Job Opportunities:

Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Social-Ecological Interactions - 24 months of social-ecological research at Uni Göttingen and Uni Kassel. 

Research Scholar in Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services:  The Institute on the Environment (IonE) at the University of Minnesota.

This position is part of a cluster hire to enhance the capacity of the University of Minnesota, through the IonE, to pursue interdisciplinary and collaborative research that advances sustainable systems through community-engaged and societally impactful scholarship.