PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER FOR IMPROMED PROJECT (ref. 24-076-54798)

CREAF is seeking a predoctoral researcher for the IMPROMED project (Improving the modelling of key forest dynamic processes to forecast long-term changes in Mediterranean forests under climate change) with reference PID2023-152644NB-I00 funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, the Agencia Estatal de Investigación and FEDER, MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

The increase of extreme events such as droughts are expected to have a profound impact on the future dynamics of Mediterranean forest ecosystems, through effects on key physiological and demographic processes. Importantly, all these forest changes will have cascading effects on wildfire hazard, forest biodiversity, and C sequestration rates. Process-based dynamic vegetation models are useful tools to forecast the future of forests in response to extreme events, because they allow translating climate projections into changes of forest structure and composition from the interplay of physiological and demographic processes. However, the development of such models has been so far biased towards temperate forests, and therefore process-based models still suffer from important limitations in their ability to predict long-term changes in forest composition and structure driven by drought impacts.

IMPROMED aims at advancing our capacity to forecast long-term drought impacts on Mediterranean forests and associated effects on carbon sequestration rates, dominant species replacement, wildfire risk and habitat provisioning for biodiversity. Building on MEDFATE, an existing process-based modeling framework of forest functioning and dynamics, IMPROMED includes tasks to improve the model’s capacity to predict drought impacts on mortality and regeneration processes. Furthermore, we plan to develop novel models of dead wood dynamics and accumulation to be coupled to the existing framework. These modeling exercises will be supported by existing large-scale datasets and field data specifically collected during the project on sites in Catalonia known to be affected by drought-driven forest decline according to the DEBOSCAT monitoring program. In addition, the project aims at forecasting future changes in composition and structure of forests in peninsular Spain driven by climate change projections under different management scenarios. Finally, we will employ the improved modeling framework to complement predictions of forest dynamics into assessments of climate change effects on carbon sequestration, wildfire risk and habitat provisioning for biodiversity.

Under the umbrella of IMPROMED, we seek motivated candidates in forest ecology for building a Ph.D. project around forecasting the future of Spanish forests in terms of carbon sequestration – potentially complemented  with other ecosystem services –, wildfire risk as well as in the provision of suitable habitat for biodiversity.

This contract is envisaged to start in January 2025*. The salary offered (gross) is established by the RD EPIF (Real Decreto 103/2019, de 1 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Estatuto del personal investigador predoctoral en formación):

- 1st year (12 months): 60% of €32.465,02** = €19.479,01 gross per year.

- 2on,3rd and 4rt years (36 months): 75% of €32.465,02** = €24.348,76 gross per year (each year)

 *The start of the contract will depend on the final resolution of the project, not coming into force until it’s resolved and it’s possible to allocate expenses to it.

**Salary from Group 1 (M3) of the salary table from the Convenio colectivo único para el personal laboral de la Administración General del Estado of 2024 (subject to possible salary increases when new salary amounts are approved during the years of contract).

TASKS:

• Conducting evaluations of the performance of the process-based modeling framework against observed data, notably from the Spanish National Forest Inventory.
• Assessing the effect of different C sources and sinks in the net forest C balance, and developing/adapting protocols for estimating them.
• Adapting existing indices of forest biodiversity potential for their use in combination with process-based models.
• Defining management scenarios representing current forestry practices in different regions of peninsular Spain and alternative management scenarios pursuing specific goals such like adaptation to climate change.
• Evaluating the impacts of combinations of climate and management scenarios by means of extensive process-based simulations on plots corresponding to the National Forest Inventory.
• Compilation, curation and analysis of data for forest model development or refinement.
• Field campaigns to sample drought-related impacts on mortality, regeneration and dead wood decay.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Environmental Science, Ecology, Geography or equivalent.
• Master's degree in the fields of environmental, biological sciences or forest science.
• Strong interest in Mediterranean forest ecology.
• Interest in combining field work, data analysis and process-based modelling.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Programming skills in R language.
• Good level in English written and spoken.
• Valid EU driving license (Type B).

ASSESSABLE CONDITIONS:

• Previous participation in scientific communications and publications.
• Proved ability to work within a team and independently.
• Experience in using models of forest function or forest dynamics, either empirical or process-based.
• Experience in handling and analysing national forest inventory data.
• Mean BSc and MSc score above 8 (out of 10). If you are a non-Spanish student, please, calculate your equivalent grades following the information in these webpages (some only in Spanish, sorry): To do so, please, visit these webpages:
  -https://universidades.sede.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/Equivalencia_notas_medias/language/en
  - https://www.universidades.gob.es/equivalencia-de-notas-medias-de-estudios-universitarios-realizados-en-centros-extranjeros
  - https://www.universidades.gob.es/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Guia_informativa_Declaracion_Equivalencia_Nota_Media_2022.pdf
  - https://www.universidades.gob.es/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ANEXO_II_INSTRUCCIONES.pdf
• Availability to travel for field work.
  Name and email addresses of one or two professional reference

• Candidates who have a recognized disability will be considered and accredited equal to or greater than 33% will be prioritized, as long as the disability is compatible with the proper performance of the job.

SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA:

1. Applicants should submit: 1) CV in English, 2) motivation letter (less than 1 page), 3) academic transcripts of bachelor’s and master’s degrees (in Spanish or English) until October 27th, 2024. 
2. Pre-selection: determination of compliance with the minimum requirements of the offer.
3. Selection: preselected candidates will be scored based on objective criteria. The candidates presenting the highest scores will be invited to a physical or remote interview (depending on country of residence).
4. Final decision: the decision will be communicated to the candidate with subsequent publication in the CREAF job openings section.
   
   For informal enquiries, please, contact Dr. Miquel De Cáceres (m.caceres@creaf.uab.cat) or Dr. Josep Mª Espelta (j.espelta@creaf.cat).