Studying herbivory in arctic and alpine ecosystems
Deadline: Jan 6, 2023
Would you like to come and work with us at the Tundra Ecology Lab as a post doc? You will find an open call from the University of Iceland Post-doc grants here.
Deadline for applications is January 6th, 2023. You can contact Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir for more information.
Deadline: December 15, 2022.
A PhD student position with 4 years of funding is available to participate in an NSF-funded project examining the interaction of multiple climate change forcings on vegetation and ecosystem functioning in Arctic wetlands through field and laboratory research. Field work is conducted in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska and will involve an experiment with flooding, warming, and herbivory treatments followed by measurements of vegetation responses, and CO2 and CH4 gas fluxes. The successful candidate must start no later than 1 May 2023 (although 1 April 2023 is preferred), and be willing to work 3 months each summer (number of field seasons is contingent on project development) in an extremely remote setting in western Alaska (e.g., no internet service, no running water). This work is a collaboration between faculty at South Dakota State University, the University of Colorado-Denver and Utah State University, and the student would interact with personnel from each location. The successful candidate will receive a tuition waiver; a 12-month stipend ($24,000/yr); and room, board and travel expenses during the summer field seasons.
Required Qualifications: (1) A BS/BA degree in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, or related field by December 2022; (2) strong academic record including previous research experience; (3) quantitative skills including introductory R; (4) excellent written and oral communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications: (1) Prior experience conducting field research in or living in remote settings for extended periods; (2) experience with ATVs and small craft boats: (3) experience in plant identification; (4) experience with LICOR or other gas exchange systems; (5) MS degree preferred.
Utah State University is a highly selective, public, land-grant university and is classified as a Carnegie R1 Research University. The main campus is located in Logan, a community of 100,000 people. The Beard Lab is committed to supporting and advancing diversity in STEM. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.
To apply, please send a single PDF with (1) CV; (2) a letter describing how you meet the required qualifications and any preferred qualifications, research interest, and career goals; (3) unofficial transcripts; and (4) contact information for three professional references to Karen Beard (karen.beard@usu.edu). Application deadline is December 15, 2022.
Deadline for applications is November 18, 2022.
The Faculty of Life- and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland is seeking a motivated candidate for the project: Bryophytes as ecosystem engineers in a changing tundra. The position is funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund for three years. The PhD project will be linked to larger funded projects.
Bryophytes are a major component in many tundra plant communities and potentially have multiple effects on the physical environment of tundra ecosystems as well as providing a habitat for diverse organisms building complex food webs. The aim of the PhD project is to investigate bryophyte functional traits, including the microbial/micro faunal traits, that drive ecosystem processes in tundra rangelands of Iceland (above potential tree line), and how they vary between Bryophyte Functional Groups, climatic condition, and herbivory. Within that framework the successful candidate will be given the opportunity to formulate relevant research questions.
The position is funded by the University of Iceland Research Fund for three years. The PhD project will be linked to larger funded projects.
More information can be found here: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/845469
Mathilde Defourneaux is looking for a field assistant from the 25th of August to the 10th of September 2022. The field assistant will help collect data for Mathilde’s PhD project which is part of a bigger international project (TUNDRAsalad), looking at the effect of changes in herbivore communities on the functionality of the Tundra. The PhD focuses on Iceland and aims to: 1) estimate the contribution of the different herbivores to the nutrient pool in the Icelandic highlands (how much nutrients they contribute to the system and how their movement is actively affecting the nutrient redistribution in the landscape), and 2) investigate how different sources of dung can affect dung decomposition and the nutrient transfer to the soil, as well as the invertebrates communities feeding on them.
Fieldwork is conducted in the Eastern highlands, mainly in Fljótsdalshreppur and focuses on 4 main herbivore species (reindeer, sheep, pink footed goose and whooper swan). It involves various protocols from plants, soil and dung sampling for both nutrient and DNA analysis, as well as estimating primary productivity and herbivore offtake using point frame and exclusion cages. There is also an experiment set up to sample coprophagous invertebrates feeding on sheep and goose dung to estimate invertebrate contribution to dung removal. All fieldwork is conducted in the highlands of Iceland under various weather conditions, and it involves camping or staying in little huts, which can be challenging.
If anyone is interested, please contact Mathilde by email or reach her on her phone number (+354 8435313). She will be very happy to give you more details 🙂
We are seeking applications for a Master’s student to conduct geospatial analyses to document the cumulative impact of wild and domesticated herbivores in the highlands of Iceland and contribute to the development of tools for sustainable land management. The ideal candidate will have experience in geospatial analyses and a willingness to conduct fieldwork in remote sites in Iceland. Applicants will be expected to have a relevant Bachelor’s degree completed no later than May 2023 and be available to conduct fieldwork in summer 2023. The work will be conducted in collaboration with an international and interdisciplinary team of scientists, students and government partners. The position will be jointly supervised by Dr. Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe (UVic Geography) and Dr. Isabel C. Barrio (Agricultural University of Iceland).
Interested applicants should send a cover letter, CV and contact information for two references to Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe no later than August 1st, 2022. Cover letters should identify their motivations and highlight how previous academic and/or work experience are related to the advertised position.
Would you be interested in developing a postdoc in Iceland? The University of Iceland offers 3-year post-doc grants for researchers who have obtained their PhD within the last seven years. It is open now for applications until December 2, 2021.
More information and how to apply here.
If interested in developing a project, you can get in touch with Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir.
We are looking for two motivated and enthusiastic students to work on master project in Arctic terrestrial ecology at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland.
One of the MS projects is a part of the research project „Trapped in a degraded state? Tundra ecosystem responses of grazing cessation – TRAPP“, funded by the Icelandic Research Fund. Through field and laboratory experiments the student will study the mechanisms that keep tundra ecosystems in the Icelandic highlands trapped in a degraded state for a long time after grazing protection. Supervisors will be Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir, University of Iceland and Kari Anne Bråthen, the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø.
The second MS project will be linked to the research network International Tundra Experiment – ITEX, which aims at studying effects of climate change on tundra vegetation and ecosystems. The master project is partly funded by the Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund and will be based on long-term warming experiments in the Icelandic highlands and Svalbard. The aim of the master project will be to compare responses of individual bryophyte and vascular plant species and functional groups to long-term warming. The plan is to do vegetation analyses and data collection in Svalbard by the end of July, but it is possible that this part of the project will be postponed to the summer 2022 due to the covid pandemic. In that case all project work will be in Iceland in 2021.
In both cases, the students need to be prepared to do fieldwork in harsh conditions (the Icelandic highlands, the high Arctic Svalbard) and to work in a team (good communication skills). Good skills in plant identification are desirable as well as skills and/or interest in data analysis (R) and in English.
Even though the master programme does not formally start until in the fall semester we want both students to start working within their projects this summer and assist in setting up field experiments, collecting data and material to work with in the lab, etc.
For further information, please contact Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir isj@hi.is
Application deadline is April 6, 2021
Submit your application by e-mail to isj@hi.is with MASTER PROJECT as subject. Attach the following documents:
It is expected that the applicants that will be selected then formally apply for the master programme at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences before the deadline April 15. Further information on the master programme is provided here: https://english.hi.is/biology
MS research project – Sheep farmers’ perspectives of the impact of wild herbivores in the Icelandic highlands
We are seeking a motivated Master student to join our interdisciplinary team of social and natural scientists working on the impact of wild and domesticated herbivores on the vegetation of the Icelandic highlands. This project will involve the use of social research methods to gather farmers’ perspectives on the impact of reindeer and wild geese on summer pastures.
Management of Arctic rangelands needs to consider the pressure from various herbivores. Wild birds and mammals (e.g. geese, ptarmigan, reindeer) as well as farmed animals (e.g. sheep) are vital parts of these ecosystems. In recent years, the increase in the number of migratory geese and reindeer has raised concerns by sheep farmers in parts of Iceland, as they are thought to reduce forage availability to sheep. While the regulation of sheep numbers is based on the conditions of the grazing commons, wild herbivore species management and hunting quotas are largely disconnected from habitat conditions. Moreover, farmers can document damages caused by wild herbivores on farmed lands, but little is known about their impact on summer pastures in the highlands.
The student will be based in the Department of Geography of the University of Iceland and co-supervised by Karl Benediktsson and Noémie Boulanger-Lapointe (Department of Biology). Since the project will involve active engagement with farmers, candidates are required to be fluent in Icelandic. You can contact Noémie (nbl@hi.is) for further information regarding this project. The deadline to apply for a master program at the University of Iceland is April 15th.
Deadline for applications: March 26, 2021
We are looking for an enthusiastic MSc student to join the project “Herbivores in the tundra: linking diversity and function (TUNDRAsalad)” funded by the Icelandic Research Fund.
TUNDRAsalad will explore the role of herbivore diversity in tundra ecosystems, and how different assemblages of herbivores influence ecosystem functions in high latitude ecosystems. The MSc project will use a systematic review to synthesize existing knowledge to assess the effects of herbivore diversity on the functioning of tundra ecosystems. Using a peer-reviewed protocol, the student will conduct a systematic literature search and compile all relevant studies investigating the effects of herbivore diversity on the functioning of tundra ecosystems. The results of different studies will be synthesized using meta-regression.
The MSc student will be based at the Reykjavík campus of the Agricultural University of Iceland, and will be co-supervised by Isabel C Barrio (Agricultural University of Iceland), Eeva Soininen (UiT The Arctic University of Norway) and James Speed (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).
The deadline for applications is March 26, 2021 and the position will start on June 1, 2021. The student will be hired for 12 months for the development of the project.
Applications are welcome from candidates with a BSc degree in ecology, environmental sciences or related fields. Applicants should ideally enjoy reading scientific papers, have good organizational skills and the ability to work as part of a team and independently. Previous experience conducting literature reviews and meta-analysis are desirable skills.
In your application you should include:
Please send your application and any questions to Isabel C Barrio (isabel@lbhi.is). For more details see the ad on the website of the Agricultural University of Iceland.
Deadline for applications: March 8, 2021
The Faculty of Life- and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland is seeking a motivated candidate for a three-year PhD position for the project “Trapped in a degraded state? Tundra ecosystem responses to grazing cessation” (TRAPP). The project is funded by the Icelandic Research Fund and will investigate processes that prevent transition of degraded ecosystems to healthier states. Iceland provides good settings for the study because centuries of heavy grazing by livestock have driven extensive tundra rangelands into degraded states. The PhD student will focus on the role of different plant functional types in retarding the recovery process by using both large scale surveys and field experiments.
Research team and collaboration – The PhD student will be a part of an international research team, led by Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir and including Isabel C. Barrio (Agricultural University of Iceland), Bryndís Marteinsdóttir, (Soil Conservation Service of Iceland), Kari Anne Bråthen (UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø) and David Hik (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada). In addition, five other national and international collaborators will be involved in specific research tasks.
Education, desired skills and work experience
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with outstanding track-record and:
Other requirements:
For further information, please contact Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir at isj@hi.is
The Application process:
Deadline for application is 8th of March 2021. The student is expected to start as soon as possible, or no later than April 2021
Applications should be submitted electronically by March 8th 2021 at https://english.hi.is/vacancies (choose the relevant option and register – the option will show up after February 15). Attach the following information to your application:
Further information
All applications will be answered and applicants will be informed about the appointment when a decision has been made. Applications are valid in the system for 6 months after the application deadline. After the hiring process is completed the applicant must apply formally for PhD studies at the University of Iceland.
The University of Iceland is committed to diversity and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Appointments to positions at the University of Iceland are made in consideration of the Equal Rights Policy of the University of Iceland. http://www.hi.is/haskolinn/jafnrettisaaetlun#markmid2
The University of Iceland is a growing community of knowledge and is a very dynamic and interesting workplace. Our values are academic freedom, professionalism and equality. The University strives to provide flexibility and encourages participation in the progression of the studies and research in all fields within the realm of the University.
The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences employs around 400 people involved with teaching and research. The School offers an international working environment, with the number of international employees and students increasing each year. Currently about quarter of all employees and graduate students are international. The school has 2000 students, thereof around 180 PhD students and 340 MS students. The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences is proud of its’ diversity and reform-minded environment where knowledge acquisition and sharing is paramount.
The Biomedical Center BMC (lifvisindi.hi.is) is a co-operation between research groups in life-sciences in Iceland. Through the center the student will have access to well-equipped core facilities and a collaborative cross-disciplinary research environment.
If you are interested in this project, you may also be interested in another related PhD position at the Agricultural University of Iceland.