Effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functions in temporary ponds (EU PONDERFUL project)

The University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic – UCC) is a young and very dynamic university in Central Catalonia (Spain), with a special commitment to quality education, innovative research and internationalization. The Aquatic Ecology Group of UVic-UCC is formed by a young team of researchers and has recently been granted a Horizon 2020 grant of €6.9 million to lead the project PONDERFUL: Pond ecosystems for resilient future landscapes in a changing climate. The consortium is composed by 18 partners from nine European states and
from Turkey and Uruguay. The project is coordinated by the ICREA Research Professor Sandra Brucet.

PONDERFUL aims are to increase understanding of the ways in which ponds, as a naturebased solution, can help society to mitigate and adapt to climate change, protect biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services. PONDERFUL project started on 1st December 2020 and lasts for 4 years.

We are looking to hire a proactive, dynamic and independent postdoc for 2 years. The starting date is November/December 2021.

Topic:
The successful candidate will be part of our team studying the interactions and feedbacks between biodiversity, ecosystems services and climate in ponds at multiple spatial scales. This position will focus on quantifying the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions of temporary ponds and assessing how the climate and hydroperiod affect these relationships. It will also study the local and regional determinants of biodiversity in temporary ponds across a latitudinal gradient and the role of temporary ponds for biodiversity conservation. We seek a candidate with leadership capacity that can also support the coordination of project tasks. Other tasks include the use of ponds as Nature Based Solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Salary may be negotiable depending on the profile of the candidate.

The candidate will deal with, among others, the following tasks:

  • Publishing results in peer-reviewed journals
  • Coordination of tasks within the project
  • Coordinate and perform sampling of ponds in Catalonia (NE Spain)
  • Counting and identifying invertebrates
  • Quantifying specific ecosystem functions
  • Contributing to the development of a database of ponds, as a nature-based solution, for climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Supervising PhD students
  • Presenting results at scientific meetings.
  • Project dissemination

Requirements:

  • University degree and a PhD on a topic with links to aquatic ecology.
  • Excellent research performance, as evidenced by publications.
  • Leadership and independence
  • Expertise in one or several of the following areas: freshwater ecology, biodiversity, community ecology, ponds, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, climate change mitigation & adaptation, nature-based solutions, ecosystem metabolism and greenhouse gases emissions.
  • Strong statistical skills
  • Practical skills to conduct field work in aquatic systems
  • Excellent communication skills in English in a professional context
  • Car driving license
  • Strong motivation to work in a collaborative environment

Please submit your applications before 28 October 2021 at UVic-UCC application portal:
https://www.uvic.cat/es/trabaja-con-nosotros

Review of applications will begin this date but consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled.

For further Information please contact Dr. Sandra Brucet (sandra.brucet@uvic.cat)