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Climate change is causing major changes in the physical environment, and these changes may in turn fundamentally alter the functioning of ecosystems. Mountain ecosystems are especially affected as they are warming faster than the global average. This is especially critical as they are comparatively pristine environments, are home to about a quarter of the terrestrial biodiversity and provide important services to humans.
Most alpine plant species are shifting their ranges upslope to track the climatic conditions they are adapted to, resulting in increases of species richness on mountain summits. However, there is considerable variation in the direction, magnitude and timing of responses of individual species, communities and regions that cannot be solely explained by recent temperature trends.
The core of your work will be based on a very large and unique Europe-wide database that comprises re-surveys of historical vegetation data since the middle of the 19th century with multiple observations over time. You will complement this database with your own observations during extended periods of fieldwork distributed across Europe. The temporal resolution and the large spatial extent of this database will then be used to disentangle the impact of individual global change drivers on observed changes, and to investigate the temporal dynamics of mountain vegetation.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a self-organized and solution-oriented work attitude. Applicants should hold a MSc degree in ecology, botany, biogeography, environmental science, computational biology or related fields. Very good written and spoken English is a must. Candidates should be able and willing to conduct fieldwork over extended periods of time under harsh climatic conditions and should have experience or knowledge in plant species identification. The successful candidate should be able to independently conduct statistical analyses (preferably in R), and hold a valid driver’s license. Experience in GIS and handling large datasets is a plus.
A fully-funded PhD position for four years in a dynamic research group in the international and interdisciplinary Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel in Switzerland. You will join a supportive, collaborative and cooperative working environment in a new research group and will have the opportunity to be integrated in established international research networks. Salary and social benefits are provided according to the rules of the University of Basel.
Application / Contact
Please upload your application via our online platform.
It should include: a motivation letter (max. 1 page), a CV, a copy of your MSc degree, the names and contact details of 3 references, and a description of a research project that you conducted or contributed to stating the rationale, results and your own contribution (max. half page).
We especially encourage applications from women and from persons underrepresented in academic research. Applications will be reviewed from 16th January 2022 on, but the advert will remain open until the position is filled. For further questions please contact Prof. Dr. Sabine Rumpf (sabine.rumpf@unibas.ch).
