Offer title : International PhD fellowship: Modelling the carbon balance and biodiversity of fragmented tropical forests (M/W) (H/F)
Reference : UMR5174-JERCHA-012
Number of position : 1
Workplace : TOULOUSE
Date of publication : 29 August 2023
Type of Contract : FTC Scientist
Contract Period : 36 months
Expected date of employment : 1 November 2023
Proportion of work : Full time
Remuneration : 2135
Desired level of education : Niveau 7 – (Bac+5 et plus)
Experience required : Indifferent
Section(s) CN : Science and Data
Missions: We are seeking applications for one highly motivated international PhD candidate to conduct research in our lab in Toulouse, France. The PhD candidate will study the response of fragmented tropical forests to future climatic conditions using an individual-based forest simulator and Earth observation data. This is a three-year position, with a start date in the last quarter of 2023.
Activities: Forests cover almost a third of the Earth’s surface and recycle more carbon than any other biome and are a reservoir of biodiversity. They are undergoing rapid change as a result of rising temperatures, intensifying drought and increasing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere, and these changes are particularly marked in the tropics.
The main characteristic of tropical forests today is their increasing fragmentation due to human activity. The microclimate and floristic composition of forest fragments differ from those of continuous forests, and their response to climate change may also be different.
Individual-based dynamic forest models are able to simulate the demography of forest trees based on a wide range of observational data in order to provide realistic responses of forest ecosystems to simulated conditions.
The PhD project will aim to describe the proportion and structure of fragmented tropical forests in the world, model a representative sample of these forest fragments under climate change scenarios and study the vulnerability of these fragments and their flora. Applicants are welcome to suggest preferred regions of application within the tropics.
Skills
Applications are open to students currently living in a country other than France who wish to enroll in a French higher education institution. Candidates must be able to communicate in English or French.
Required qualifications include a Msc degree (or equivalent) and preferably a prior experience in field work in tropical forest environments, remote sensing, quantitative data analysis, and programming skills in a scientific language (e.g., R, C++).
Work Context: The PhD fellowship is open in Toulouse, France, at the EDB research unit (Evolution and Biological Diversity; where the research will be conducted, excepted from field trips, if necessary. Funding is provided by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). Gross salary is 2135€/month (health benefit are taken into account).