PhD position on vegetation dynamics and seasonality

PHD POSITION ON VEGETATION DYNAMICS AND SEASONALITY

Categoria: Borse di Studio
Inviato da: nicola puletti

Data evento: 08 Apr 2010
Contatto: bart.kruijt@wur.nl

Contenuti:
Feedbacks between climate and forest carbon/water exchange: modelling
seasonal to decadal variability

At the chair:
Earth Systems Science – Climate Change (ESS-CC)
Wageningen University and Research Centre, Netherlands
Job description:
We seek a PhD student (AIO) for a project participating the development of the EC-Earth earth
system model. You will investigate and model temporal variability in vegetation-atmosphere
exchange of water and carbon, and look at how this variability affects climate. Drought-induced
seasonal and interannual variability (e.g. in the Amazon or Mediterranean) is poorly understood,
also the effects on climate of changes in budburst time in Europe or of changes in spring melt in
Siberia. You will answer questions such as: ?what is the effect of improved phenology in climate
models?’; ?Does productivity in one season or year influence carbon/water uptake in subsequent
periods?’; ?Could this lead to ?chaotic’ behaviour of productivity?’. You will work with your own
models as well as with leading global coupled models, and with global data sets on vegetationatmosphere
exchange and phenology. You will collaborate with groups in Wageningen, De Bilt,
Lund (Sweden), Brazil and the USA.
Requirements:
· an M.Sc. degree in the field of Earth system science, quantitative/theoretical ecology or
forestry, atmospheric sciences or combinations thereof.
· Excellent maths, computational and programming skills
· Creative, innovative drive
· Research experience at ecosystem scale or global scales is an advantage.
· Collaborative skills, willing to participate in developing a complex global model.
· Excellent English writing and communication
· ability to travel abroad for extended times.

Conditions of employment:
Conditions of employment: Fulltime position: 4 years, starting with a 18 month contract. If your suitability in this position is apparent your period of employment will be extended to the remainder of your PhD-study.
Commencing as soon as possible. Gross salary starts at 2042 Euro/month during the first year increasing to 2612 Euro/month during the fourth year. This project is funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific research.

Additional information about the position and a project description can be obtained from: B.
Kruijt (tel: + 31 317 486440; bart.kruijt@wur.nl) or Prof. P. Kabat (tel: +31 317 486458,
pavel.kabat@wur.nl). For more information on the research group: www.ess.wur.nl

Application procedure:
Reference number: 3791. Apply for this job before 1 April 2010 through the Academic transfer
website using the link: www.academictransfer.com/3791. In case of difficulties or questions
please email to bart.kruijt@wur.nl