We offer a 4-year position as assistant coordinator for a scientific project entitled “Spanish woodlands and global change: threats and opportunities (MONTES)”. This project has been financed by the Spanish ministry of Science and Innovation within the program CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010. The project is coordinated by CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications). Other partners are the Technological and Forest Centre of Catalonia, the Biological Station of Doñana, the Institute Jaume Almera, the University of Barcelona, the University of Castilla la Mancha, the University of Granada, the CIEMAT and the Institute of Natural Resources – University Rey Juan Carlos.

The project MONTES aims to create a competitive platform at national and international levels to examine the relationships of Spanish woodlands with the components of global change, and to identify opportunities to modify these components through appropriate woodland management. The program is organized around seven work packages based on interactions between the three main ecosystem services provided by woodlands (carbon reserves and flow, water resources, and biodiversity), and the main threats of global change (changes in atmospheric composition, climate change, land use change and fragmentation, fire regimes, and biological invasions). The seven work packages are:

(1) interactions with the atmosphere

(2) changes in carbon fixation

(3) changes in the distribution of species caused by climate change

(4) water availability

(5) consequences of land use change and fragmentation to populations and communities

(6) species vulnerability to fire and the preventive management of large-scale fires 

(7) biological invasions and consequences to biodiversity

The duties of the assistant coordinator will be:

(a) coordinate the scientific activities of the various work packages

(b) promote the publication of integrative scientific articles

(c) facilitate communication among research teams within the project

(d) compile scientific publications and reports

(e) coordinate the transfer to the media of information generated

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

1. Academic background in ecology / environmental sciences (Biology, Environmental Sciences, Forest Engineering, Physical geography).

2. PhD with a minimum of three-year post-doctoral experience.

3. Experience in project management.

4. Background in statistics, landscape studies, GIS, database management.

5. Proficiency in English.

6. Interpersonal skills and travel availability.

CONDITIONS

- Duration: four years.

- Gross annual salary: 32,000 Euros.

- Location: CREAF (Barcelona)

DEADLINE

Applicants should send a cover letter and a Curriculum Vitae to marta@creaf.uab.es.

Admission deadline: 23th of January 2009.

Pre-selected candidates will be requested for a personal interview.

Resolution: 9th of February.

Starting date: mid February.