A collaborative research team led by Josep Peñuelas (CREAF), Ivan Janssens (UA, Belgium), Philippe Ciais (CEA-UVSQ, France), and Michael Obersteiner (IIASA, Austria) in a vibrant research environment is offering postdoctoral positions to study the effects of phosphorous limitations on Life, Earth system and Society (ERC Synergy grant: IMBALANCE-P).

IMBALANCE-P will achieve a global closure of the P cycle, and generate a novel integrated knowledge of the impacts of the C:N:P imbalances on natural ecosystems’ diversity and function, climate, agriculture, and society.

The aim of IMBALANCE-P is to quantify and understand the responses of Life, Society and the Earth System to current and future P shortages and the N to P stoichiometric imbalance created by widespread N additions and rising atmospheric CO₂, and to identify the options available to improve the management of the P cycle. The P-dependent implications for Life, Society, and the Earth System are tightly interconnected, but have so far mostly been considered in fragmented single-discipline research.

In CREAF we are looking for 5 highly motivated and collaborative post-docs in the following areas:

Postdoc 1 - Stoichiometry and metabolomic processes mostly on plants and bacteria

Postdoc 2 - Ecophysiology and demography of vegetation

Postdoc 3 - Macroecology and biodiversity

Postdoc 4 - Mining, meta-analysis and synthesis of molecular, organismic and ecosystemic data

Postdoc 5 – Nutrient imbalances and trophic webs

Ideally, the work begins in May 2014 but other starting dates can be discussed. The positions are offered for one year with a possibility of renewal for more years.

Qualifications:  Applicants should be enthusiastic and highly-qualified doctors holding a PhD degree in biology, environmental sciences, geosciences, climate sciences or any related field to the mentioned areas. They should ideally have a strong background in those areas. Interest or experience with process modeling or data analysis with script languages (Matlab, R, Python) or other programming languages, and basic knowledge/experience of field measurements is appreciated. In addition, the applicants should have solid experience in working both independently and in group. Fluency in English (oral and written) is mandatory.

Annual Salary: Approx 27000-30000 Euros

Location: Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona

Application Process:  We look forward to receiving your application – including a motivation letter, a statement of research interests, a CV, and the names and contact addresses of three academic referees – Please send your application to josep.penuelas@uab.cat.

The deadline for applications is March 30 (but the deadline may be flexible depending on the project starting dates).

For further information about the position please contact Prof. Josep Peñuelas: josep.penuelas@uab.cat