POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE
The Unit for Modelling of Climate and Biogeochemical cycles (UMCCB) of the University of Liège (ULg) seeks applicants for a post-doctoral fellowship in the framework of researches performed within the MACSUR (www.macsur.eu) and FACCE-WB (www.facce.be) networks.
The research will be conducted in collaboration with several research teams of the University of Liège also members of these networks, particularly within the Environment Sciences and Management Department (Faculty of Science), the Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution (Faculty of Science), the Department of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech) and the Department of Animal Productions (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine).
The work will consist in the improvement of the Dynamic Vegetation Model CARAIB, its application and test over grassland and crop ecosystems, by performing calibration over several sites (including eddy covariance sites) using model inversion or data assimilation techniques. Other possible developments include the adaptation of the model
- to describe the potential acclimation of cultivated species to changes in climate and extreme weather events,
- to better implement management processes in agro-ecosystems,
- to simulate the impacts of plant diseases on productivity and yields.
The improved model will be applied to study the impacts of climate change and expected modification of the frequency and intensity of extreme events, such as droughts and heat waves, on the productivity and carbon budget of grasslands and crops at the regional, country or continental scales.
Pre-selected applicants will be expected to write a short research proposal with UMCCB and the FACCE-WB network, and submit it for funding to the university. Applications are for a two-year position, starting between October 1st and December 31st, 2015. Applicants must have obtained their PhD in a non-Belgian university after October 1st, 2009 or be in a position to obtain it before March 16, 2015. They should not have lived, worked or studied in Belgium for more than 24 months in the past 3 years before the start of the fellowship. The earliest admissible date of the doctoral degree will be set back by one year per maternity/paternity leave, with a maximum of 2 years.
Interested candidates should send, preferably by e-mail and before January 26, 2015, a letter of motivation, their curriculum vitae, their list of publications, a copy of their PhD diploma (or certificate of status and expected graduation date from the doctoral school where the thesis is currently prepared), a letter of recommendation from their thesis supervisor or the director of the research unit/laboratory where they are/have been working, and the names of two external referees (*) to:
Dr. Louis FRANCOIS
Unité de Modélisation du Climat et des Cycles Biogéochimiques
Université de Liège
Bât B5c
17 allée du Six Août
B-4000 Liège (Belgium)
e-mail: Louis.Francois@ulg.ac.be
Tél.: +32-4-3669776
FAX: +32-4-3669729
(*) External referees are international experts with whom you have not previously worked or
published.
