Post-doctoral position in Tropical Ecology

Céline Leroy and Regis Céréghino are looking for a highly-motivated candidate with a significant experience in food web and community ecology.

The postdoc will be involved in the ANR project RainWebs. The aim of the project is to understand the interaction between biogeographic changes in regional species pools and climate change, to build a robust, multi-regional theory of how changes in the hydrologic regime affect ecosystems. The post-doc will conduct replicated experiments in French Guiana and Puerto-Rico, to examine the effects of disrupted hydrological regime on aquatic food webs. We will take advantage of an ecosystem that is naturally replicated throughout the neotropics: the invertebrate food web inhabiting water-filled bromeliads. This system is especially amenable to studies of food web structure and ecosystem function, and forms a relevant model system to test ecological theory.

Candidates should have a PhD and excellent writing skills demonstrated by their publication record. They must have strong background in food web and community ecology and advanced statistical skills (coding with R or other languages). Previous experience of manipulative experiments with aquatic invertebrate/insect assemblages is desirable. Candidates should have the ability to conduct and lead field research. An experience of field work in the tropics would be appreciated. Candidates must be able to communicate in English - Ability to speak French and/or Spanish would be welcome, but not compulsory.

The position will be based at Ecofog, French Guiana for a 20-month fixed-term contract, available from June 1st, 2014. The successful applicant should expect to undertake intensive field work during experiment periods.

To apply, candidates must send motivation letter, a CV and the names and contact information of three references into a single pdf file to Céline Leroy (celine.leroy@ird.fr) and Regis Céréghino (regis.cereghino@univ-tlse3.fr).

Review of applications will begin immediately, and to guarantee full consideration please apply before March 31st, 2014.