IBS

Disease Macroecologist

2012-01-27T01:50:00.000-08:00

Zoological Society of London


One Year Fixed-term Contract Initially
Salary: £27,106 plus London Weighting £3568

A postdoctoral position is available from 1st April 2012 to build
global spatial and temporal empirical models of the interdependence
of biodiversity and human health in Africa. The work will build on
previous publications (see Jones et al. Nature 451:990) to examine
the roles of biodiversity, land-use change, climate change and other
socio-economic, demographic and environmental drivers on disease emergence
and transmission.

The position requires an independent, enthusiastic and innovative
researcher with a PhD in a relevant discipline interested in applying
comparative macroevolutionary and macroecological approaches to
understanding disease emergence and transmission and its effect on
human wellbeing. Experience in environmental niche modelling, spatial
statistical modelling, using and compiling global biodiversity,
environmental and socioeconomic datasets would be an advantage.

The post will be based at The Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society
of London, London, but will require visits to our partners in Africa.
Starting date: 1st April 2012, end date: 31st March 2013 with the
possibility of renewing for a further 2 years. Salary: £30,674
p.a. inclusive of London weighting.

Please see www.zsl.org/jobs for a job description.

To apply please send a CV, covering letter and contact details of three
referees to: HR Dept., ZSL, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, or email
hr@zsl.org  Informal enquires can be made to kate.jones@ioz.ac.uk

Closing date for applications:  16th February 2012

MacArthur & Wilson Award

2012-01-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

The International Biogeography Society

Announces

The MacArthur & Wilson Award

The Board of Directors of the International Biogeography Society (IBS) is pleased to open the competition for a new biennial Award. Named after R. H. MacArthur and E. O. Wilson, it honors their seminal contributions to biogeography. The award will recognize an individual for a notable, innovative contribution to biogeography. This award will be targeted at comparatively early career investigators and will have a guideline that recipients should have completed their PhD no more than 12 years before the deadline for nominations. The committee has some flexibility in regard to this criterion, to take account of differing life and career paths. A pair of collaborators might be considered providing both are eligible by this criterion.

The recipient should be prepared to offer a paper at the biennial meeting of the IBS and will be invited to publish a short article on their work in Frontiers of Biogeography. In return, their attendance at the meeting will be underwritten by the IBS.

The first award will be presented at the IBS biennial meeting in Miami, Florida, 10–12 January 2013.

Nominations should be sent to the Chair of the MacArthur & Wilson Award Sub-Committee (pdf’s are preferred; Robert.whittaker@ouce.ox.ac.uk) no later than Friday 23rd March, 2012. An individual can be nominated for a single paper or a ‘group of papers’ and it is anticipated that such a corpus of work will involve – in the spirit of MacArthur & Wilson’s famous monograph – scholarly collaborations with other co-workers.

Nominations should consist of a supporting cover letter of no more than 800 words, co-signed by two members of the IBS, plus a short cv of the nominee, plus pdfs of four key papers published by the nominee, at least two of which should have been published within the last three years.

Current members of this IBS sub-committee include: Pauline Ladiges, Christine Maggs, Albert Phillimore, Robert E. Ricklefs, Brett R. Riddle, Robert J. Whittaker (chair)

For further information about the IBS, see www.biogeography.org.

Positions offered at the Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya (Solsona, Spain)

2012-01-16T06:26:00.001-08:00

Post-Doc position in conservation biology and spatial ecology in Mediterranean farmlands
http://biodiversitylandscapeecologylab.blogspot.com/2012/01/post-doc-position-conservation-biology.html

Assistant technician position in fire and landscape modelling and data analysis.
http://biodiversitylandscapeecologylab.blogspot.com/2012/01/offered-assistant-technician-position.html

Phd candidates welcome: Fire and landscape modelling in the Mediterranean
http://biodiversitylandscapeecologylab.blogspot.com/2012/01/phd-candidates-wanted-fire-and.html

2012-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

IBS Awards: Call for Nominations for the Alfred Russel Wallace Award

The ARW award was established by the International Biogeography Society (IBS) in 2004 to recognize a lifetime of outstanding contributions by an eminent scholar in any subdiscipline of biogeography. Previous recipients have included Drs. Jack Briggs, Jared Diamond, John Avise and Bob Ricklefs. Preliminary nominations consist of a letter endorsing the candidate with an abbreviated copy of their curriculum vitae. The committee reviews these materials and solicits complete nomination packets (consisting of the letter of nomination, a complete CV, and three or more letters of recommendation) for selected individuals. The selected recipient will be invited to address the society at its next biennial meeting.

We are now in the process of accepting nominations for the 2013 award. Please forward preliminary nominations to Felisa Smith (fasmith@unm.edu), chair of the Awards Committee, by May 1, 2012.

First announcement for the 6th Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society.

2012-01-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

Kovens Convention Center on the campus of Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

January 9th-13th, 2013

Registration and abstract submission will open in July 2012.

The meeting will have:
Four successive symposia on broad foundational and cutting-edge topics and approaches in biogeography and macroecology, each with a suite of leading international scientists as well as openings for contributed papers.
- Beyond Bergmann: New perspectives on the biogeography of traits
- Island Biogeography: new syntheses
- Predicting species and biodiversity in a warmer world: are we doing a good job?
- Conservation paleobiology: using knowledge of past ecosystems to inform conservation priorities

12 sessions of contributed papers on key topics including and not limited to: (i) Neotropical biogeography, (ii) Climate change biogeography, (iii) Paleo-biogeography, (iv) Phylogeography, (v) Marine biogeography (vi) Disturbance regimes and biogeography, and (vii) Global biogeography

Poster sessions will occur two times per day and posters will be viewable for two full days.

Schedule:
9th January: Workshops and fieldtrips
10th – 11th January: Symposia and poster sessions
12th January: Contributed papers
13th January: Post-conference field trips

A keynote lecture will be given by the Alfred Russel Wallace Award winner, recognizing a lifetime of outstanding contributions to biogeography.

On the day just before and after the conference (9th and 13th January), there will be arranged field excursions to a number of protected natural areas including Everglades National Park. In addition, on 9 January, several workshops will be held (topics currently in development).

Preliminary information on the venue and lodging is available on the International
Biogeography website: http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2013/index.html

We hope to see you there!

Estonian Science Foundation (ETF) - Incoming Fellowships for Postdocs

2012-01-05T06:24:00.000-08:00

Due: Wednesday 25th January 2012
WWW: www.etf.ee/index.php?page=126

Description

Co-financed by Marie Curie COFUND, the Estonian
Science Foundation (ETF) offers within the ERMOS
programme Incoming Fellowships in Estonia for Postdocs.

With a fellowship, the applicant has the possibility
to do his own research project at an Estonian research
institution for two to threeyears.

Postdoctoral candidates can apply until up to five
years after reception of their PhD certificate counted
from the date of the call deadline. The programme is
open to scientists of all nationalities.
Applicants must not have resided or carried out their
main activity in Estonia for more than 12 months in the
 three years immediately prior to the reference date.

The funding comprises the fellow’s salary, research costs
as well as a relocation support.

Freelance technical editing

2012-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Freelance technical editing: up to 8 hours a week work available, joining a small team of technical editors working for Journal of Biogeography, a leading international life-sciences journal.

Would suit someone:

· experienced in technical editing/copy-editing and publishing;

· educated to post-graduate level in biology, ecology or biogeography, preferably with a knowledge of genetics;

· with an excellent command of English and a good eye for detail; and

· preferably with experience of using ScholarOne Manuscripts.

If interested contact Robert J. Whittaker: rjwjbio@ouce.ox.ac.uk by 30^th January 2012.

Travel awards for women in Science (students through professors)

2011-12-23T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Association of Women in Science (AWIS) has announced the 2012 AWIS Educational Awards to support travel for professional development, broadly defined. We particularly wish to encourage early-career scientists. Individuals may request funding to attend a conference, to acquire specialized training, or to pursue professional development in other ways that take them from home.

Due date: All materials, including the Letter of Recommendation, must be submitted by December 31, 2011 for awards that will be available in March of 2012. Recipients will be notified via e-mail by February 28, 2012. (Please note: there will be a second awards cycle in 2012, so check back to this page at a later date for the next due date and details on how you can apply.)

Award amount: Awards are $1,000 to $3,000. The maximum to be awarded is $3,000.

Allowable expenses: Registration (tuition), transportation (e.g. economy airfare), housing, per diem for meals and incidental expenses, or dependent care can be included in the proposed budget. Expenses for conducting research while traveling are not allowable.

Eligibility: Any woman who works in a STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and who has earned at least a bachelor's degree is eligible to apply.

Individuals may be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, employed scientists and engineers, or those seeking employment or to return to school.

Application Process: The application includes a web-based Application Form, a 2-page Applicant's Statement, a Transcript, and a Letter of Recommendation. Click here to begin the process.

Evaluation Process: The AWIS Educational Awards Committee evaluates all applications and makes recommendations to the AWIS Board. The AWIS Board selects award recipients. Criteria include several categories of information relevant to the progress of a scientific career and to issues that have presented barriers for women in STEM. Please see the application process page and the application found on that page to better understand the information used in the evaluation.

Applicants must apply online and will be required to provide:
o Web-based application
o 1-2 page narrative describing:
o nature of the travel
o relation of travel to the applicant's career goals
o Transcript documenting current program or most recently earned degree
o Letter of recommendation from a STEM professional who can comment on your plan for professional development

<http://www.awis.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=511 >

Biodiversity Informatics Training Workshop (BITW) - call for applications

2011-12-13T20:13:00.001-08:00

Second Call: Applications for VertNet’s first biodiversity informatics workshop are due on January 10th, 2012. Please share this information with your colleagues, students, friends, and anyone else whom you believe would be interested in this opportunity.

The Biodiversity Informatics Training Workshop (BITW), June 24-30, 2012, will provide participants with the training and experience to work with primary biodiversity data sources and new tools necessary to become proficient in biodiversity informatics and conduct biodiversity research. Led by experienced informaticists and researchers, the BITW will emphasize the use and analysis of aggregated biodiversity data from VertNet, and other sources, for a wide of variety of research.

During the course of five days, participants will work closely with trainers to address compelling biodiversity research questions, focusing on the entire scope of a research project, from initial data acquisition to tools for data evaluation to analysis and finally, project dissemination and outreach. The workshop will include large and small group exercises on a common curriculum as well as the opportunity for participants to discuss and explore individual research questions with trainers. During the workshop, participants will explore and utilize:

Data sources for discovery, acquisition, data standards, database creation and organization (e.g., VertNet, GBIF, Darwin Core)
Organization, analysis, work flow, and data improvement tools
Biodiversity measurement and analyses techniques (e.g., species richness, turnover)
Species distribution modeling approaches
Dissemination, education and outreach mechanisms (e.g., citizen science)

The goal of the workshop is to provide conceptual frameworks and hands-on experience on a suite of data sources such as VertNet (including MaNIS, FishNet, HerpNET, and ORNIS), EOL and Map of Life, and new and developing software tools such as BioGeomancer, GEOLocate, DivaGIS, Quantum GIS, R Statistics, ArcGIS, ModEco, Maxent, and OpenModeller.

At the end of the week, participants should leave the workshop with:

an understanding of the evolution of, and the work flows within, a research project,
a set of basic skills to use data repositories and informatics and analytic tools, and understand which tools are appropriate for tasks
knowledge of the abundant resources and additional training available.

Who should attend?
Advanced undergraduates, recent post baccalaureates, and early-career graduate students currently working, or interested in a career in a biodiversity related field, including, but not limited to, ecology, conservation, geography, biology, environmental science, computer science, and library science.

Workshop Selection and Support
Acceptance to the BITW is a competitive process and the workshop is limited to 25 participants. All applications materials and recommendations must be received by 11:59pm PT on January 10, 2012 for consideration. Accepted participants will be notified in March 2012. Individuals selected for participation will receive support to cover reasonable costs for transportation, accommodations, and per diem. Accommodations will be provided on the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) campus.

Application materials are available at http://vertnet.org/about/BITW.php. Submit application materials online (http://vertnet.org/about/BITW.php) or send all completed materials and one letter of recommendation to dbloom@vertnet.org or David Bloom, VertNet Coordinator, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UCB, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Postdoc: Plant macroecology, The Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Germany

2011-12-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

The Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) is a new interdisciplinary institute with the mission to carry out internationally outstanding research on the interactions of biodiversity and climate change on the organism level. It has been founded by the Senckenberg Gesellschaft fuer Naturforschung, the Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, and other partners. The Centre is funded by the Federal State of Hesse through its Initiative for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE). It provides a new, dynamic research environment that integrates a variety of disciplines from both natural and social sciences. The Project Area B „Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate‰ €° invites applications for the position of a Postdoctoral researcher in Plant Macroecology Project B1.13 [Ref. #B47b]

The successful applicant will investigate the impact of climate and land use-changes on range dynamics of plant species. The focus will be on innovative macroecological analyses on the interaction between ecological niches, potential range shifts and dispersal limitation of the plants. The applicants are also expected to develop joint research projects, to write funding proposals, as well as to engage in the joint supervision of Ph.D., bachelor and masters students.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in ecology or a related field and have substantial experience in plant ecology and/or landscape ecology. Successful candidates should have a strong background in advanced statistical analyses of large and complex data sets. Experience with the handling of remote sensing data and geographical information systems (GIS) would be added recommendations. A solid publication record, good skills in writing and oral communications and the willingness to develop collaborations within an interdisciplinary team and the Centre as a whole are also mandatory.

Salary and benefits are according to a public service position in Germany (TV-H E13).

The Research Centre BiK-F advocates gender equality. Women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. Equally qualified severely handicapped applicants will be given preference. The contract shall start as soon as possible and will initially be restricted to 2 years. Extension is possible and will be subject to personal performance and availability of funds. The duty station will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The employer is the Senckenberg Gesellschaft fuer Naturforschung.

Please send your application preferably by e-mail attachment, mentioning the reference of this position (#B47b) and including a letter outlining your suitability for the post, a detailed CV, contact details of 2 referees and a selection of your most important publications before January 15, 2012 to: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. V. Mosbrugger, Scientific Coordinator Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

E-mails are to be sent to Service and Administration: mailto:recruiting@senckenberg.derecruiting@senckenberg.de.

For scientific enquiries please contact Prof. Dr. O. Tackenberg (

JOBS: Ecology @ UC Merced - deadlines extended

2011-12-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

The University of California, Merced, has extended its application deadlines for the following positions:

BIOLOGY - Lecturer with Potential Security of Employment (ASNS3526A)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3526
Closing date: 16 December 2011

ECOLOGY - Tenure track, open rank
Full or Associate Professor (ASNS3500A)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3500
or Assistant (ASNS3501A) Professor
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3501
Closing date: 14 December 2011

If you apply, please mention that you saw the advertisements posted by the International Biogeography Society.

Postdoc position: ecological impacts of climate change

2011-11-29T01:16:00.000-08:00

A multi-year postdoctoral position is available in the Hille Ris Lambers lab at University of Washington (Seattle). In collaboration with Hille Ris Lambers, the successful candidate will develop a project that fits the overall goals of a recently funded NSF grant examining 1) the determinants of altitudinal range limits for a suite of western US tree species; and 2) whether range shifts of these species will keep pace with rapid rates of climate change. Observational, experimental or quantitative approaches (ideally a mix) are possible, and projects that take advantage of existing long-term demographic, distributional and microclimate data sets available from the main field site (Mt. Rainier NP) are preferred. Please see the following website for more details on research conducted in the lab (http://protist.biology.washington.edu/oikos/Index.html). A PhD is required, and strong quantitative and writing skills are desired. Applicants should send a research statement including 1-3 paragraphs describing potential projects of interest, a curriculum vitae and the names and full contact information (email and phone numbers) of three potential references to Janneke Hille Ris Lambers (jhrl[at]uw.edu) with “CLIMATE CHANGE POSTDOC” in
the subject header. The start date is flexible, but would ideally be before June of 2012. Application review will begin January 1, 2012, and will continue until the position is filled.

Postdoctoral Fellows - Fellowship Opportunity

2011-11-25T01:04:00.000-08:00

As a part of our NSERC CREATE training program in <http://biodiversity.ubc.ca/BRITE/index.html> biodiversity research, we seek applicants for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship
in the U.B.C. Biodiversity Research Centre ( <http://www.biodiv.ca/> www.biodiversity.ubc.ca). The Centre is made up of over 50 faculty members with interests in ecology, evolution, systematics, biodiversity and conservation. Preference will be given to candidates with bold ideas, demonstrated research ability, and strong communication skills. The successful candidate will be expected to conduct original research on core problems in biodiversity, foster interactions within the Centre, run a seminar series, and organize a retreat. Postdoctoral fellows funded by the Biodiversity Research Centre typically interact with several lab groups. Candidates are welcome to contact potential collaborating labs in the Centre to inquire about current and potential research activities, but it is not necessary to apply to work with a specific faculty member.

Starting date, 1 September 2012.
Salary $43,000 per yr.
Research stipend: $7,000 per yr.
Send curriculum vitae, three letters of reference, and a statement of overall scientific goals and interests (approximately 2 pages) to the address below. Reference letters will be accepted electronically, and must be sent directly by the referee.
Search Chair, Biodiversity Research Centre, U.B.C., 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z4. (Fax 604-822-2416, e-mail biodiversity.centre@ubc.ca).

Closing date for application, January 12 2012.

The University of British Columbia hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.

Macroecology, Macroevolution, and Models of Biodiversity - Lecturer

2011-11-25T00:46:00.000-08:00

The CNRS Research Unit 5174 (EDB; http://www.edb.ups-tlse.fr/) at Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse, France) seeks to complement and build on existing strengths in ecology and evolution by inviting applications ... for a full permanent position at the rank of lecturer.

We seek outstanding applicants engaged in answering broad basic questions to advance the fields of macroecology and macroevolution, with a strong emphasis on the combined application of empirical and theoretical
approaches. Preference will be given to applicants with experience and strong interest in field oriented research. Numerous opportunities for collaborative research are available in the Toulouse area through EDB itself and the other research units of the Research Federation 3450 (http://www2.toulouse.inra.fr/ifr40/fr/1_Presentation/index.htm)

Strong commitment to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level is expected. Note that it is necessary to be relatively fluent in French since teaching is in English at the Master level only. Applicants must have a Ph.D. degree and have obtained the formal � Qualification � to apply to French University positions.

The review process will be held in Spring 2012. Official announcements will be posted later but if you are interested,
send a CV and a brief letter of interest to Christophe Th�baud (christophe.thebaud@univ-tlse3.fr).

PhD Assistantship - Spatial Ecology / Coastal vertebrate species response to climate change and sea level rise

2011-11-25T00:25:00.000-08:00

We are seeking a highly motivated graduate student (PhD preferred, MS considered) to work on a project assessing the vulnerability of coastal vertebrates to climate change and sea level rise. The successful candidate will employ GIS-based models to assess which vertebrates will be most s...ensitive to changes in climate and sea level rise, and what habitat management options may exist to enhance the ability of these vertebrates to persist in the coastal region. Qualified candidates will be given flexibility to develop their own interests on this project; however s/he will focus on modeling species occupancy as a function of landscape structure and potential landscape change due to climate and sea level rise.
The research will involve field work to address species occupancy across a range of coastal landscape configurations, and will use spatial modeling tools to evaluate both vulnerability and adaptation/mitigation options.

Qualifications: The successful applicant will be motivated, have well-developed writing and communication skills, strong work ethic, and ability to work cooperatively in team setting. Experience doing field work in rough conditions is preferred. Proficiency using ArcGIS for spatial analysis, some programming experience, strong quantitative skills, and most of all… creative energy, are required! An MS in an ecological field, or substantial equivalent experience, is necessary for PhD consideration; some relevant experience outside academic programs is required for MS consideration. Minimum entry requirements are 3.0 GPA and combined verbal + quantitative GRE score > 1200 for PhD (3.0 GPA + 1000 GRE for MS).

For further information please send a CV and a letter of interest (which should include a description of past research experience and skills) to Dr. Nate Nibbelink (nate2@uga.edu). Review of applicants will begin immediately and competitive candidates will be invited to submit a full application. Our search will continue until a suitable candidate is found.

Salary: Competitive stipend, tuition remission, health insurance options
Last Date to apply: January 1, 2012 for University of Georgia fellowship consideration, otherwise open until filled.

Contact: Nate Nibbelink
Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602-2152
e-mail: nate2@uga.edu

PostDoc-Position - University of Azores

2011-11-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Project - “Biodiversity on oceanic islands: towards a unified theory” (2012-2015. (PTDC/BIA-BIC/119255/2010)

Creative and motivated candidates are invited to apply for a three-year Postdoctoral Scientist position, at the Azorean Biodiversity Group, University of Azores for participation in a collaborative project supervised by Paulo A. V. Borges and Kostas Triantis (University of Azores), in collaboration with Luis António Borda Água (CBA- University of Lisbon), Aris Parmakelis (University of Athens) and Robert Whittaker (Biodiversity Research Group, Oxford University Centre for the Environment).

This project aims at developing conceptual models mathematically describing the dynamics of diversity on oceanic islands. The main objective of the project is a unifying theory of island biodiversity, based on the recently proposed General dynamic model of oceanic island biogeography (Whittaker et al., 2008), which will require: a) the development of analytically tractable mathematical models, b) the analysis of extensive empirical (molecular and biogeographical) data to assess the validity of the models, and c) taking into account that biodiversity itself is multi-faceted, and thus biodiversity theories should incorporate multiple diversity metrics.

Candidates should hold a Ph.D. in a pertinent field. Previous post-doctoral experience is not mandatory but will be considered a plus. The ideal candidate would have excellent skills in ecological mathematics, handling of large data sets, stochastic/mechanistic and/or prognostic modelling and experience of combining molecular and ecological data.

Salary will be 1495€/month.

Please send a CV, a brief statement of research interests, and the names and contact information for two references to Paulo Borges, pborges@uac.pt and Kostas Triantis (island.biogeography@gmail.com).

Review of applications will begin on March 1 2012 and will continue until the position is filled. The project is expected to begin in August 2012.

Postdoctoral Researcher in Landscape Ecology/Global Change Ecology

2011-11-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

A two year postdoctoral position in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment is available at the University of New Hampshire.
The postdoc will join Drs. Rebecca Rowe (University of New Hampshire) and Eric Rickart (Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah) as part of the ongoing NSF-funded Great Basin Resurvey Project. The primary focus of this project is comparing historical and modern survey data for small mammals on multiple mountain ranges in the Great Basin of the western US to investigate change in species distributions and community composition over the past century. Additional details can be found at: http://www.nre.unh.edu/rebecca-j-rowe, http://nhmu.utah.edu/vertebrate-zoology?q=eric-rickart-phd, and http://home.utah.edu/~u0547417/

We seek a highly motivated candidate interested in understanding how changes in climate and land cover are impacting small mammal biodiversity. The position represents a superb opportunity to work at the interface between historical ecology, landscape ecology and biogeography and the candidate will have input in shaping future research directions for this project. Familiarity with landscape connectivity analyses and/or species distribution modeling and/or occupancy modeling would be an advantage. Experience working with small mammals or in the Great Basin is not required, but all applicants must be interested in participating in some field work associated with this project.

Start date is flexible but preference will be given to candidates who can begin on or before August 27 2012. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits.

To apply: Please send a single pdf document containing a cover letter summarizing your research experience and interests, CV, and contact information for three references by email to rebecca.rowe@unh.edu. Review of applications to begin January 15, 2012 and will continue until the position is filled.

UNH is an AA/EEO Employer. UNH is committed to excellence through the diversity of its faculty and staff and encourages women and minorities to apply.

PhD opportunity in Quantitative Conservation Ecology at UC Riverside: Effects of global change on plant biodiversity in California

2011-11-12T07:22:00.001-08:00

The Quantitative Conservation Biology Lab at University of California Riverside lead by Helen Regan is seeking highly motivated PhD students to start in the Fall 2012. Research in the lab applies modeling and simulation techniques to address three main themes: 1) the impacts of global change on biodiversity and potential management responses, 2) characterization and
treatment of uncertainty in ecological models and 3) decision making under risk and uncertainty for conservation. While we seek candidates in any of these themes, we encourage applicants who are interested in applying spatially dynamic population models to address questions about the effects of global change on plants in fire-prone ecosystems. Strong quantitative skills are preferred and an interest in and understanding of conservation
ecology is essential. Likewise, the ability and willingness to collaborate with a broad range of researchers is desirable.

Most students in the Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology Graduate Program at UCR are funded by fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or some combination of the three. Priority deadline for Fall 2012 admission and fellowship consideration is January 5th 2012. More details about the program and how to apply can be found at http://eeob.ucr.edu/

All interested candidates should contact Dr Helen Regan at helen.regan@ucr.edu before they apply. Thank you.

Call for proposals for hosting IBS conference in 2015

2011-11-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

We are seeking proposals from prospective hosts of the 7th biennial conference of the International Biogeography Society to be held in early January 2015. Proposals should be submitted by individuals who are interested in chairing the local (host) committee. The duties of the local host involve conducting contract negotiations with the venue and the hotel as well as all local logistics including field trip organization and production of the abstract book. Minimum requirements of the venue are 1) one auditorium with a capacity of 450-550 people (2 days), 2) three or four smaller rooms with a capacity of 75-150 people (1 day), and 3) various smaller meeting rooms. The IBS is interested in holding the biennial conference in locations fairly convenient with respect to the majority of its membership base in North America and Europe. Locations of past (and upcoming) conferences can be seen here: http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/index.html

We have been contacted by two groups (in Germany and France) and we may be contacted by others shortly. To minimize duplication of effort, you may send an initial inquiry to the address below.

Please include the following information in the proposal:
1. Location of the meeting (city) and the host institution or organization.
2. What would be the benefit of hosting the conference at this location?
3. Actual site of the meeting and the capacity of the auditorium.
4. Space for poster sessions--general size and location relative to the auditorium.
5. Approximate cost for three-day use of the venue. A specific quote is not needed, but evidence of the price competitiveness is important.
6. Transportation infrastructure, including travel from airport.
7. Attractions in the vicinity of the conference site, including field trip potential.
8. Who potentially would serve on the local organizing committee?

Proposals from prospective hosts of the biennial conference must be received before 20 January 2012. Please send proposals by email to Daniel Gavin, International Biogeography Society Vice-President for Conferences at dgavin@uoregon.edu

PostDoc - Biotic Ecosystem Services...and more

2011-11-07T00:31:00.000-08:00

The Department of Computational Landscape Ecology (www.ufz.de/cle) invites applications for an
Researcher (PostDoc) m/f code digit: 85/2011
to commence as soon as possible. The appointment is for an initial period of 3 years, an extension is aspired.

The candidate is expected to further develop the research on biotic ecosystem system services by establishing a model-based analysis that quantitatively shows how land use intensity and structure on a regional scale affects constituents of biological, supporting ecosystem services (such as bio¬control, pollination, seed dispersal etc.) and how these affect final regulating or provisioning services. This analysis aims at providing process based understanding on trade-offs that occur between land¬use, land use intensity and a variety of ecosystem services and identifies optimum land use patterns for supporting regional resource management of ecosystem services.

The researcher has the opportunity to develop a research group within the department. He/she is expected to supervise PhD and undergraduate students and to apply for 3rd party funding on the topics described above. Furthermore, research results should be published in international peer¬reviewed journals. Cooperation within the department, the UFZ and projects in its recent research program are mandatory.

Applicants for the post have a background in biology and ecology profound knowledge on ecosystem functioning. Good experiences in model development and programming, data analysis and advanced statistics are obligatory as well as the ability in working with spatial/temporal explicit data. We expect very good written and oral communication skills in English and a publication track record in peer-reviewed journals. Ability for working in international interdisciplinary team is obligatory.

We offer excellent research opportunities within an interdisciplinary, international team, located in a very pleasant city. Funds for support through students internships.
The place of work is Leipzig, Germany. Salary will be according to the appropriate civil service level, salary group 14 TVÖD (http://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/tvoed/bund/), depending on personal pre-conditions.
The UFZ is an equal opportunity employer. Women are explicitly encouraged to apply to increase their share in science and research. Physically handicapped persons will be favoured if they are equally qualified.

Further Information: Prof. Dr. Ralf Seppelt (ralf.seppelt@ufz.de)
Please send your application with curriculum vitae, certificates of academic degrees and reprints of most important publications under the code digit 85/2011. Please email your application with all documents in a single pdf-file that states your name and the reference number of this job description (e.g. Smith_Peter_85_2011.pdf) to application@ufz.de, or by mail to: UFZ, personnel department, P.O. Box 500136, D-04301 Leipzig, Germany.

PH.D STUDENT OPENING IN COMMUNITY ECOLOGY OR MACROECOLOGY

2011-10-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

The Ernest Lab at Utah State University has an opening for a Ph.D student in the general areas of Community Ecology or Macroecology to start fall 2012.
Active areas of research in the Ernest lab include long-term dynamics of communities, processes generating macroecological patterns, and the role of body size in the ecology and life-history of animals. While students interested in one of the general areas listed above are preferred, students are free to develop their own research projects based upon their interests.
Graduate students in the Ernest lab are funded through a combination of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships.  Utah State University has an excellent graduate program in ecology with over 50 faculty and 80+ graduate students across campus affiliated with the USU Ecology Center (http://www.usu.edu/ecology/). 

More information about the lab is available at: ernestlab.weecology.org

Interested students should contact Dr. Morgan Ernest (morgan.ernest@usu.edu)
by Nov 30th, 2011 with their CV, GRE scores, and a brief statement of research interests.

Columbia Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship - Global Change Biology

2011-10-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

Columbia University in the City of New York invites applications for the new Columbia Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Natural Sciences. The program seeks to bring exceptional scientists of outstanding potential to Columbia University to produce high-quality and visible research. In this inaugural year the Faculty of Arts and Scie...nces is pleased to search for outstanding candidates from the fields of Astronomy/Astrophysics and Global Change Biology, to begin the Fellowship between July and September 2012. This two-year fellowship may be renewable for a third year based on the usual standards of satisfactory performance and contingent on the availability of funding. The Fellow will hold the rank of postdoctoral research scientist in either the Department of Astronomy or the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (E3B). A competitive annual salary will be supplemented by funding to support travel and research.

In the field of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/e3b/) applications are welcome from exceptional young scientists studying critical issues in global change biology such as effects of global changes in climate and land use on species, communities and ecosystems. The Fellow is expected to conduct a research project in collaboration with at least two faculty members at E3B and to interact with colleagues working on global change issues in other research clusters at Columbia. Accordingly, the research proposal included with the application should emphasize future plans. Preference will be given to candidates who combine tools and approaches from disparate disciplines in their research.
Ph.D required by the time of appointment.

For consideration please provide a curriculum vitae, cover letter, three-page statement of research, and arrange for three letters of reference. All applications must be made through Columbia’s online site:

https://academicjobs.columbia.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55449

Deadline for applications is December 15, 2011.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

JOBS: Research Faculty and Lecturer Positions at University of California, Merced

2011-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

The University of California, Merced, has *three* job openings relevant to biogeographers. Please see the links below for full information. UC Merced is the tenth campus, and receives the full support and benefits, of the UC System. The emphasis area of Life Sciences and Environment will also recruit an open-rank tenure track position in evolutionary biology next year.

BIOLOGY - Lecturer with Potential Security of Employment (ASNS3526A)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3526
Closing date: 05 December 2011

BIOSTATISTICS - Assistant Professor (ASNS3528A)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3528
Closing date: 05 December 2011

ECOLOGY - Tenure track, open rank
Full or Associate Professor (ASNS3500A)
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3500
or Assistant (ASNS3501A) Professor
http://jobs.ucmerced.edu/n/academic/position.jsf?positionId=3501
Closing date: 01 December 2011

If you apply, please mention that you saw the advertisements posted by the International Biogeography Society.

post-doc position - Chile

2011-10-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Lab of Biological Invasions in Concepción, Chile has an open post-doc position for 14 months starting in November or December 2011. The aim is to analyze existing plant invasion datasets from a landscape ecology and biogeographic perspective.

More on the lab at www.lib.udec.cl

Interested people can contact Aníbal Pauchard at pauchard@udec.cl for more details.

Professor in Ecosystem Ecology with a focus on terrestrial systems at the Department of Ecology, Uppsala

2011-10-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

A position as Professor of Ecosystem Ecology with a focus on terrestrial systems is available within the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. The position is at the Department of Ecology in Uppsala where we work with many applications of ecological research to preserve our biological diversity and protect our forests and agricultural crops from damage.

Sustainable use of our natural resources requires an ecosystem approach. The ecosystem approach emphasizes that the management of natural resources should be based on scientific inquiry that focuses on structures, processes, function and interactions between organisms and their environment.

Subject area: The subject area is directed primarily towards terrestrial organisms and their importance for ecosystem structure and function.

Duties: The professor will lead and develop research within the subject area. In addition to developing the subject area the professor is expected to integrate empirical and theoretical approaches that contribute to new knowledge. International collaborative research within the field is essential. The professor will be responsible for the planning and development of undergraduate and postgraduate education, supervision of PhD students, and contributing to teaching at all levels.

Qualifications:
A person who has demonstrated both academic and teaching skills shall be qualified for appointment as a professor. As much attention shall be given to the assessment of teaching skills as to the assessment of academic skills.

Assessment criteria:
Assessment for the appointment shall be based on the degree in which a candidate possesses the skill required to qualify for appointment. Furthermore, regard shall be paid to the degree in which a candidate possesses administrative and other skills of importance, taking into account the subject matter determined by the institution of higher education for the position and the duties that the position will involve. Moreover, regard shall be paid to the degree in which a candidate possesses skills in developing and managing activities and staff at the higher education institution and aptitude in interacting with the surrounding community and informing people about research and development projects. Of these considerations special attention will be given to the applicant’s scientific and pedagogical skills.

The scientific and pedagogic documentation submitted in support of the application shall be indicated in the application, and one copy of each document shall be made available to the Registrar at the time of application. At most 10 scientific publications and at most 10 pedagogic publications, including popularized versions, should be submitted in support of the application. In addition a complete list of publications shall be supplied; the publications submitted with the application must be indicated. When expert reviewers have been appointed, the applicant(s) will be informed to send copies of the documentation listed in the application to each one of the reviewers.

http://www.slu.se/en/shortcuts/jobs-and-vacancies/

INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY - Three Postdoctoral Fellowships

2011-10-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

Three Postdoctoral Fellowships

Starting salary ?33,461 including London Weighting

Applications are invited for up to three postdoctoral research 
fellowships, each available from 1 February 2012. These are four-year 
fixed-term appointments for outstanding early career researchers to 
undertake a programme of independent research within the Institute of 
Zoology?s current research themes (www.zsl.org/science/research). 
Applications are particularly encouraged in the area of conservation 
genomics but applicants wishing to work on other topics relevant to 
the Institute's research will also be considered.

The primary criterion for appointment is scientific excellence, 
although projects with an applied component that links to the 
conservation work of ZSL will also be encouraged as long they also 
fulfil the primary criterion. Successful candidates may also 
occasionally be requested to undertake tasks relating to the wider 
conservation and educational roles of ZSL, as required.

Candidates must be within 5 years of completing a Ph.D. on the closing 
date for applications, and should be able to demonstrate their 
potential to develop a successful independent research programme (with 
associated funding) in the appropriate field. Applications should 
include a covering letter (stating preferred research theme within the 
Institute), curriculum vitae, an outline of the research they would 
develop over the course of the Fellowship (maximum 1 side of A4, Arial 
11 point font), and the names and full contact details of three 
referees (including the candidate's Ph.D. supervisor). For informal 
enquiries, contact the senior researcher identified within each 
specified area on the website, or the Director of the Institute of 
Zoology (tim.blackburn@ioz.ac.uk).

Applications should be sent to: Human Resources, Zoological Society of 
London, Regent?s Park, London, NW1 4RY, where further details are 
available (tel. +44 (0)20 7449 6253; e-mail hr@zsl.org).

Closing date: November 20th 2011

Macroecology Conference (29 Feb - 02 Mar 2012, Frankfurt, Germany)

2011-10-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

6th Annual Meeting of the Specialist Group on Macroecology of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ)

29.02.2012 - 02.03.2012

Venue: Senckenberg Naturmuseum, Frankfurt/ Main

Organized by
Susanne Fritz, Christian Hof and Katrin Böhning-Gaese
at the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt (Main), Germany.

The sixth annual meeting of the Specialist Group on Macroecology of the GfÖ will be held in Frankfurt (Germany), and aims to bring together scientists and students interested in the research field of macroecology. The conference language will be English.
With a selection of keynote presentations by high-profile researchers, a mix of contributed oral and poster sessions, open discussions and social events we aim to promote scientific exchange on macroecology and beyond, in an open and stimulating atmosphere.
The deadline for registration (see below for further information) and abstract submission is 2 December 2011.

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Miguel B. Araújo (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain & University of Évora, Portugal)
Catherine Graham (Stony Brook University, New York, USA)
Thomas Hickler (Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany)
David Orme (Imperial College London, UK)
Ally Phillimore (Imperial College London, UK)
Carsten Rahbek (Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Special events:
• Icebreaker party
• Open discussion: “Meet the editors - the present and future of scientific publishing”
• Conference dinner
• Guided tour through the Senckenberg Naturmuseum Frankfurt

http://www.bik-f.de/root/index.php?page_id=362&cms_veranstaltung_id=162

TENURE TRACK POSITION IN FOREST ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

2011-09-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Under the Institutional Policy for the Recruitment of New Professorial Resources, UQAM is looking for the most qualified human resources to assure quality development in all areas and the renewal of its professorial staff.

Applications are invited for a tenure track faculty position in the Department of Biological Sciences, UQAM (http://www.bio.uqam.ca), in the area of forest ecosystem productivity. Candidates must have research expertise in tree or stand productivity, soil-tree interactions, the genetic improvement and molecular biology of tree growth, ecophysiology, or modelling at the tree, stand, or landscape scale. The successful candidate must be able to develop an independent research program in the area while bringing expertise to the department, and must apply for a Canada Research Chair (level 2: http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/) in April 2012.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES :

Teaching and supervising all three university levels
Relevant research
Involvement in the university community

JOB QUALIFICATIONS :

We are looking for a motivated person with postdoctoral experience and a Ph.D. The successful candidate must have an excellent publication record in the above areas; their research must demonstrate a tangible link to forest ecosystem productivity. The successful candidate will join one of the most important forest ecology research groups in Canada (CFR - UQAM: http://www.cef-cfr.ca/) in a very dynamic department, which includes a diversity of research groups in forest ecology, aquatics, evolution, and behaviour. He or she will be encouraged to interact actively with the members of the CFR, but also with the other ecology groups at UQAM.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach undergraduate courses using the innovative problem-based learning approach of the departement. He or she will teach in some of the following areas: general ecology, forest ecology, ecosystem ecology, modelling, and statistics. All courses are taught in French. Non-francophone professors will be offered a training period, but must master written and spoken French to qualify for tenure. The successful candidate will also be expected to participate in the university community and to train graduate students.

STARTING DATE : 1st of JUNE 2012

SALARY : According to the UQAM-SPUQ collective agreement

Equity is a policy at UQAM; women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Interested candidates should submit a detailed curriculum vitae, signed and dated, in French; a sample of publications; and three letters of recommendation (sent directly) by mail or email BEFORE OCTOBER, 7th, 2011, 17 h 00 to:

Monsieur Yves Prairie, directeur
Département des sciences biologiques
Université du Québec à Montréal
C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville
Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8
Téléphone: (514) 987-3000 poste 4870
Télécopieur: (514) 987-4647
Courrier électronique : prairie.yves@uqam.ca
Internet : http://www.rhu.uqam.ca

Workshop on the Biogeography and Phylogeography of Atlantic Fishes

2011-09-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Date: 26-27 November 2011
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Over the last several years a number of studies on the phylogeography of Atlantic fish have started to shed light on evolutionary processes in this taxa and in their marine environment. Some reviews devoted to biogeographic patterns, namely diversity patterns, historical refuges, dispersal routes and barriers, etc have been published in recent years. The aim of the workshop is to present a coordinated synthesis and discuss studies and perspectives on major patterns and give updates on the state of the art in Atlantic biogeography and phylogeography of fish and outline directions for future research.

The workshop will focus on a number of high profile keynote speakers and the aim is to provide a forum in which also early career students have an opportunity to discuss their work through informal poster presentations.

The meeting will be held in a location where speakers and attendants can spend quality time in interacting informally, taking advantage of breaks and meals together.

Please see details and register on http://biocongroup.eu/Workshop_Atlantic/Home.html

Postdoctoral researcher in “Macroecology” - BIK - F Germany

2011-09-05T04:22:00.000-07:00

The Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F; Macroecology Group) is a new interdisciplinary institute with the mission to carry out internationally outstanding research on the interactions of biodiversity and climate change on the organism level. It has been founded by the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, the Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, and other partners. The Centre is funded by the Federal State of Hesse through its Initiative for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE). It provides a new, dynamic research environment that integrates a variety of disciplines from both natural and social sciences. The Project Area B “Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate” invites applications for the position of a

Postdoctoral researcher in “Macroecology”
Project B2.1 [Ref. #B48a]

The successful applicant will investigate the impact of climatic factors and other drivers of global change on population dynamics of organisms. We aim at trait-based, comparative analyses of long-term data sets across multiple taxa (e.g. epizoobenthos, fish, birds, butterflies, plants) from the terrestrial, limnic and marine realm. The applicant will take responsibility in study design, statistical analyses and publication of the results in close collaboration with data owners.

The applicant should hold a Ph.D. in ecology or a related field, and have a solid background in comparative, macroecological analyses and in advanced statistical methods. Experience in analyses of species’ traits and in population dynamics of organisms will be of advantage. The applicant is expected to work independently, to have an interest in a wide range of taxonomic groups, to have very strong oral and written communication skills and the willingness to develop a joint project with multiple collaboration partners. Salary and benefits are according to a public service position in Germany (TV-H E13). The Research Centre BiK-F advocates gender equality. Women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply. Equally qualified severely handicapped applicants will be given preference.

The contract shall start as soon as possible and will run for 24 months. The duty station will be Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The employer is the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung.

Please send your application by e-mail attachment, mentioning the reference of this position (#B48a) and including a letter outlining your suitability for the post, a detailed CV, contact details of 2 referees and a selection of your most important publications before September 28th, 2011 to: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. V. Mosbrugger, Scientific Coordinator Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. E-mail to Service and Administration: recruiting@senckenberg.de. For scientific enquiries please write to PD Dr. Ingrid Kröncke (email: Ingrid.Kroencke@senckenberg.de).
See also job announcement here.

Faculty Position in Ecology - University of New Mexico

2011-08-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO Department of Biology

FACULTY POSITIONS IN ECOLOGY

UNM Biology is seeking applications for two faculty positions in ecology. We anticipate one Open Rank position will be appointed at the level of Associate or Full Professor (tenure position or probationary appointment leading to tenure), and the second Open Rank position will either be at the Assistant (probationary leading to tenure-track) or Associate (leading to tenured decision) level. We are particularly interested in applicants with research and teaching interests that complement those of the current faculty in a broadly based and highly collaborative Department (http://biology.unm.edu/).

Programs within Biology include the Program in Interdisciplinary Biological and Biomedical Sciences (PIBBS), the Sevilleta LTER, the Sustainability Studies Program, the Museum of Southwestern Biology, and the Center for Evolutionary and Theoretical Immunology (CETI).

Open Rank (Associate to Full) Minimum: Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Biology or a related discipline. Applicants must have a minimum of seven years experience beyond the terminal degree appropriate for the faculty rank of Associate to Full Professor, demonstrated teaching competence, and an established reputation within and outside the University in a specialized field of scholarly work. Preferred: We seek a colleague with demonstrated publication record in peer- reviewed journals; commitment to establishing a vigorous and independent funded research program; research area that compliments existing research in the department; evidence of a commitment to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate through graduate levels; enthusiasm for being a collegial member of vigorous biology department with diverse research interests. Posting #0811671

Open Rank (Assistant to Associate) Minimum: Applicants must have a Ph.D. in Biology or a related discipline. Applicants must have at least two years of relevant postdoctoral experience by September 15, 2012. Preferred: We seek a colleague with demonstrated excellence in research, demonstrated publication record in peer-reviewed journals; commitment to establishing a vigorous and independent funded research program; research area that complements existing research in the Department; promise of a commitment to excellence in teaching at the undergraduate through graduate levels; and enthusiasm for being a collegial member of a vigorous biology department with diverse research interests. Posting #0811670

All application materials must be received by September 15, 2011, for best consideration. The position will remain open until filled. For complete details or to apply, please visit: https://unmjobs.unm.edu/ and reference posting numbers listed above.

The University of New Mexico is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and Educator. Women and underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply.

Postdoc and PhD positions - Global change

2011-08-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Postdoctoral Position

The lab of Jason Fridley at Syracuse University(http://plantecology.syr.edu/fridley) is recruiting a postdoctoral associate to work on aspects of the vegetation of Eastern North

America in the context of global change. Specific research objectives are flexible but will ideally take advantage of vegetation and environmental databases from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Projects combining existing data with new field surveys of soil characteristics, plant trait data, or microclimate surveys are particularly encouraged. Other research emphases in the Fridley lab include global change impacts on grassland vegetation, comparative studies of native and invasive forest species, and biogeographic studies of successional ecosystems. The position is available as early as January 2012, and includes two years salary support (annual minimum $38,500), including full benefits. A PhD in ecology or related discipline is required. Preferred qualifications include 1) evidence of strong quantitative and writing skills; 2) statistical or GIS-based programming experience (e.g., R, GRASS-GIS); 3) relevant

field experience and taxonomic skills. Those with expertise in plant-soil relations are particularly encouraged to apply. Applicants should send a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and the names and full contact information (email and phone numbers) of three potential

references to Jason Fridley (fridley@syr.edu; 315-443-3098) no later than November 1, 2011.

PhD Fellowships

Two graduate (PhD) fellowships are available for students to work on aspects of the vegetation of Eastern North America in relation to global change. At least one of the fellowships will involve a comparative analysis of old field succession patterns across

the Eastern U.S., using experimental and survey-based techniques in a 4-yr project with colleagues at Duke University supported by the National Science Foundation. Other research emphases in the Fridley lab include global change impacts on grassland vegetation, vegetation-environment relationships in the Southern Appalachians, and comparative studies of native and invasive species in Eastern U.S. forests. Successful applicants will join a growing plant ecology and evolution group at Syracuse University and a larger ecological community that includes SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Fellowships are available beginning in Fall 2012 as 2-yr research assistantships, commonly used in the first and third years of graduate study; support through teaching assistantships is guaranteed in other semesters pending satisfactory progress toward the degree.

Current graduate student stipends are $25,167/yr, with full benefits and tuition remission. Full applications to the SU Biology PhD program are due by January 31, 2012; applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a statement of interest, curriculum vitae, and GRE scores before applying to Jason Fridley (fridley@syr.edu;315-443-3098). General information about the Biology graduate program at Syracuse is available at http://biology.syr.edu/grad/graduate.htm.

Invitation: Survey on Biodiversity data sharing & Data archiving policy

2011-08-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

Dear colleague,

We sincerely invite you to take the Survey on Biodiversity data sharing & Data archiving policy. It takes only about 5-7 minutes. Descriptions of the survey are provided below.

The survey is open until 10 September 2011, but we invite you to complete it as soon as possible. Your participation and support are immensely valued!

Please follow this link to the anonymous survey:
https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5ondG9RPBkZQIAc

If you have any question, please email us at huangxl@ioz.ac.cn or huangxlidae@hotmail.com

Thank you and best wishes,

Xiaolei Huang, Gexia Qiao, Bradford Hawkins, Fumin Lei, Ruiling Zhang

(ps: If you have already received this invitation and taken the survey, thank you very much and no need to take it again.)

--------------------------------------------------

Background

Good biodiversity data (e.g. species distributions) are fundamental to biodiversity research, natural resource management and conservation policy making. Public biodiversity databases hold great potential benefit for both science and practice. The established databases (e.g. Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Species2000, Encyclopedia of Life) and different national campaigns have different main goals of their own. For example, Species2000 is building a global species checklist (http://www.sp2000.org/), EoL is building “an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth” (http://www.eol.org/; Wilson, 2003), and GBIF focuses on occurrence data from archived specimens in natural history collections (http://www.gbif.org/; Edwards et al., 2000). According to its aim and database structure, GBIF may be best suited to data exploring and biodiversity meta-analyses. However, due to some challenges such as funding and scientist involvement, gathering data into public databases is not so easy (Yesson et al., 2007; Thomas, 2009), and therefore, databases might lag behind the expanding amount of biodiversity data.

Besides current operational modes of biodiversity databases, adoption of a data archiving policy by biodiversity and conservation journals would be expected to sustainably increase data quantity and quality of biodiversity databases (Huang & Qiao, 2011). Of course, cooperation and coordination between databases and journals are needed. In fact, GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/) can serve as a successful model for biodiversity databases. A development crucial to its success was convincing journal editors to make electronic submission of sequence data a condition for publication in its early stage (Strasser, 2008).

Recently, a group of key journals in evolution and ecology began to implement formally a joint data archiving policy with the aim to preserve paper-related data (http://datadryad.org/jdap; Whitlock, 2011). This is a good example of how the scientific community promotes efforts in data sharing. As another example, different divisions of the US National Science Foundation has formulated data archiving policies to facilitate the process of making data that has been collected with NSF support available to other researchers. Although sharing data (related to published papers) has become more common, some scientists actively or passively resist sharing primary data when considering costs and benefits.

Therefore, we design this survey to study the attitudes, experiences and expectations about data sharing and data archiving policy of researchers in the fields of biogeography, biodiversity and conservation.

References
Edwards J.L. et al. (2000) Interoperability of biodiversity databases: biodiversity information on every desktop. Science 289: 2312-2314.
Huang X.L., Qiao G.X. (2011) Biodiversity databases should gain support from journals. Trends Ecol. Evol. 26: 377-378.
Strasser B.J. (2008) GenBank—natural history in the 21st century? Science 322: 537-538.
Thomas C. (2009) Biodiversity databases spread, prompting unification call. Science 324: 1632-1633.
Whitlock M.C. (2011) Data archiving in ecology and evolution: best practices. Trends Ecol. Evol. 26: 61-65.
Wilson E.O. (2003) The encyclopedia of life. Trends Ecol. Evol. 18: 77-80.
Yesson C. et al. (2007) How global is the global biodiversity information facility? PloS One 2: e1124. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0001124

Aims

To understand the attitudes, experiences and expectations about data sharing and data archiving policy of researchers in the fields of biogeography, biodiversity and conservation.

Methods

Online questionnaire
Online questionnaire using Qualtrics: confidentially and anonymously.

Invitations to whom
Active researchers in the fields of biogeography, biodiversity and conservation.

Data distribution
We plan to discuss with editor of a leading biogeography/biodiversity journal, and wish to publish the results of this study in it. To maximize the usefulness of data obtained in this study, we will openly archive the questionnaire and results on a permanent website or data repository.

About the team

Xiaolei Huang, Ph.D.
Xiaolei Huang is an Assistant Professor at Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Regional Coordinator (China) of the International Biogeography Society. He is interested in evolutionary causes of biodiversity patterns (character, distribution, relationship), and some matters of general interest, such as how to promote the collection and sharing of biodiversity data.

Gexia Qiao, Prof.
Gexia Qiao is the Director of the National Zoological Museum of China and a Professor at Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She is the principle investigator of projects to digitize animal specimen data in natural history collections in China.

Bradford Hawkins, Prof.
Bradford Hawkins is a Professor at Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Biogeography.

Fumin Lei, Prof.
Fumin Lei is a Professor at Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is the principle investigator of Ornithological Research Group and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the journal Chinese Birds.

Ruiling Zhang, Ph.D. candidate
Ruiling Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate in Prof. Gexia Qiao Lab. She studies biogeography issues in the eastern Himalayas and southern China. She is doing journal data survey related to this study with Dr. Xiaolei Huang.

--------------------------------

Congress of the Italian Society of Biogeography

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

XXVIII Congress of the Italian Society of Biogeography
Rome, 15 to 17 December 2011

"I cambiamenti spaziali e temporali nella biodiversità: valutazioni e testimonianze dei biogeografi italiani”

"Spatial and temporal changes in Biodiversity: apparaisal and evidence from the Italian biogeographers"

see the conference website: http://www.biogeografia.uniroma2.it/

The XXXVIII Congress of the Italian Society of Biogeography (Società Italiana di Biogeografia - SIB) will face one of the key themes of the Italian National Strategy for Biodiversity sponsored by the Ministry of Environment in 2010. The Congress will focus on the type and extent of changes in biodiversity in Italy and will take stock of the situation after half a century of research activities of the Italian Society of Biogeography.
The topic is of great interest and relevance, but it is also a sensitive issue often treated in a superficial way by the media; an issue which instead requires authoritative scientific assessment.
SIB, by organizing a series of thematic conferences and the subsequent publication of monographs, has played an important role in the promotion of the knowledge of the biodiversity of our country over the past 50 years.
Zoologists, botanists, ecologists and marine biologists of the SIB are therefore among the most recognized researchers to assess the nature and extent of the changes in Italian biodiversity and to contribute to the guidelines for its management and safeguard.

Please note that most of the contributions will be in Italian.

Post-doctorate in ecology and spatial analysis

2011-07-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

Position reserved to non French nationality applicants or to French applicant with foreign PhD diploma

Application: deadline 15/09/2011
Send a CV and a letter adressing mission and profile points at agathe.leriche@univ-cezanne.fr

CONTEXT Biodiversity is not just under threat globally, it is declining at an alarming rate. In addition to human impacts such as habitat degradation and fragmentation, the recent threat of global warming is adding yet another level of burden for biodiversity conservation. Identifying and delineating areas where congruence between different levels of diversity exists and will exist across multiple levels of organization is also necessary for guiding biodiversity management and protection. The Mediterranean basin is one of the 34 hotspots of species diversity and endemism and one of the most threatened regions worldwide. Knowledge on how and why biodiversity is structured in the Mediterranean basin is rather scattered and relies on still crude non geo-localized empirical approaches. In the Mediterranean more than anywhere else, the efficiency of protected areas for biodiversity conservation remains to be proven as they are unevenly distributed within habitats, are often established as a result of local political situations and often face recurring budget crises.In this project, it is proposed to compile in geo-referenced databases all the information available on occurrence of selected Mediterranean woody plants, current protected areas and major threats, and then use spatial statistics and modelling tools to identify gaps in knowledge on biodiversity spatial patterns. The ecological factors which drive biodiversity pattern will be explored, together with the congruence of specific biodiversity and rare and endemic species.

MISSION As part of the team "Persistence and biodiversity dynamics" in the Mediterranean Institute of Palaecology and Ecology (IMEP, CNRS, Université Aix-Marseille 3), and in close collaboration with the team "Evolutionary Community Ecology" in the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM, CNRS, Université Montpellier 2), the successful applicant will have to: - Compile existing occurrences data for woody plants (list of taxons already defined) at the scale of the European Mediterranean basin (with the help of botanists and database manager of the team); - Analyse bias and sampling effect within the dataset; - Use interpolation techniques and/or spatial statistics to generate maps of specific and endemic richness, analyse congruence between richness patterns and conservation areas; - Use statistical methods to identify factors driving diversity patterns at the scale of European Mediterranean; - Use statistical methods to identify clusters of similarity in richness composition; - Write papers for international audience.

PROFILE : Post-doctoral researcher Master degree or PhD in ecology, environmental sciences or statistics applied to ecology Sound skills in spatial statistics and GIS (spatial analysis) Knowledge in ecology especially in plants ecology and taxonom would be much appreciated Modelling and geodatabase management abilities Writing skills

Place of work: IMEP (UMR CNRS 6116), Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France, with frequent meetings in Montpellier, France
Duration: One year from January 2012
Salary: 2333 euros/month before taxes (around 1800 euros/months after), including health insurance
Infos: Dr Agathe Leriche (agathe.leriche@univ-cezanne.fr) and Dr Vincent Devictor (vincent.Devictor@univ-montp2.fr)

6th annual meeting of the specialist group on macroecology of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ)

2011-07-27T04:52:00.001-07:00

Dear colleages,

You are cordially invited to attend the 6th annual meeting of the specialist group on  macroecology of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (GfÖ), which will be held in Frankfurt in 2012.
The meeting will include keynote lectures (1 h) as well as contributed talks (20 min) and poster sessions. Slots for contributed talks include time for discussion, and graduate students are particularly encouraged to present their work. Meeting language will be English.

Time: Wednesday 29/02/2012 1pm until Friday 02/03/2012 noon
Place: Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberg
Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
(www.bik-f.de)

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Miguel Araújo, Museuo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain &
University of Évora, Portugal
Catherine Graham, Stony Brook University, New York, USA
Thomas Hickler, Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) &
Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
David Orme, Imperial College London, UK
Ally Phillimore, Imperial College London, UK
Carsten Rahbek, Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate,
University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Please distribute this information to potential participants.
Registration will be opened in autumn.

2011-07-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

Biodiversity conservation beyond protected areas

21-22^nd September 2011

Convenor: K.J. Willis

A Biodiversity Institute symposium sponsored by Oxford Martin School and hosted by the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK

The overall aim of the symposium is to explore pragmatic solutions to specific challenges faced in biodiversity conservation beyond protected areas.

The symposium will bring together over 23 speakers - presenting the latest science and evidence for conserving biodiversity outside of protected areas. Addressing the Biodiversity Institute’s research theme on Biodiversity beyond protected areas the symposium aims to enhance our understanding of the increasing pressures on biodiversity and the conservation practices which are need to enable the persistence of biodiversity in multiple use landscapes, where boundaries are often undefined, and human activities conflict with biodiversity.

The programme will be based around 7 sessions each containing 3-4 invited talks. Sessions will include modelling complexity, persistence of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes, restoration of ecological processes to degraded lands, marine conservation, cultural landscapes, governance, and business and community connections in conservation.

Registration and further details for the symposium can be found at the following web address:

http://www.biodiversity.ox.ac.uk/biosymposium/register

In addition to the invited talks there will be poster sessions to highlight on-going research into any of the above topics. If you would like to present a poster at the symposium, please submit a title and abstract of no more than 250 words via the registration site.

IBS Early Career Conference - Register Soon!

2011-07-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

The registration deadline (July 31st) is fast approaching for the upcoming IBS Early Career Conference "Advances in Biogeography", that will be held 23-25 September 2011, at the University of Oxford, UK. If you have already registered for the conference, we look forward to seeing you in Oxford! If you haven't, please check out the conference at http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2011Oxford/index.html, and consider telling any early career biogeographers who would be interested.

Additionally, The Biogeography Research Group (http://www.brighton.ac.uk/brg/) has made some small grants (~£100) available for members of BRG who are early career, to assist with attendance at the conference. Presentation of a talk at the conference is a requirement of the grants. Please contact the local committee with questions on how to apply (ibsearlycareerconference@gmail.com).

The Early Career Conference will focus on post-graduate students and those who have recently completed their doctorates (up to five years) interested in biogeography. The aim is to provide a forum in which early career biogeographers have an opportunity to present and discuss their work through formal presentations (oral and posters), and to encourage the formation of informal peer-to-peer networks. Evening mixer events will be attended by IBS board members and other senior biogeographers.

For more information about the conference & symposium, and to register, please visit

http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2011Oxford/index.html

If you have any questions, please write to the organizing committee at ibsearlycareerconference@gmail.com

Help Needed to Identify Study Sites

2011-07-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Do conservation corridors work?

Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading threats to wildlife. About 14 percent of the earth’s land surface has been set aside to conserve biodiversity. Unfortunately, these natural areas by themselves are inadequate for conserving biodiversity, especially if they become “islands” of habitat within a sea of disturbed or converted land. Thus, recent conservation efforts — costing millions of dollars — have focused on establishing conservation corridors, typically 500 m to 50 km long, between habitat preserves. Many studies have documented that animals move through short (~100 m) corridors passing through a contrasting natural land cover type. However, few studies have tested whether conservation corridors (long, wide swaths passing through human-dominated land uses) provide long-term functional connectivity for wildlife.

We intend to test, on a global scale, two questions:

Do conservation corridors work?
What are the characteristics of corridors that do work?

To do this, we need your help to find study sites at which we can assess the ability of big corridors (the sort of corridors typically proposed as conservation interventions) to promote long-term gene flow. Many studies have demonstrated that short linear features promote animal movement over short distances when the area outside the corridor is relatively natural, but we are interested in corridors over a half-mile long embedded in urban, row crop, or industrial areas. And we don’t want to measure success in terms of movement of individual animals; instead we will measure success in terms of long-term gene flow. Thus we need landscapes that have been stable for 20 to 50 years – long enough that the pattern of corridors and patches will have affected genetic patterns. We seek about 100 landscapes (each with 1 or more corridors) for our study, and we will study landscapes on all continents. We need many landscapes because doubtless some corridors provide gene flow across human-dominated areas, and other corridors fail to do so. With a large sample, we can identify what traits are associated with successful corridors.

Although we are highly selective about what landscapes we will study, we will study any reptile, amphibian, mammal, flightless arthropod, or sedentary bird that is likely to be found in the corridor, but not in the human-dominated matrix.

Please suggest appropriate landscapes for this study (and learn more about the study design and rationale) at docorridorswork.org. We are offering finders a small finder’s fee, and immediate access to the genetic data from your site. Please tell anyone you think may be able to help!

************

Andrew J. Gregory, PhD.

Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry, Flagstaff AZ 86011-5018

EM: Andrew.Gregory@nau.edu

Post-Doc Position - Land use impact on arthropod functional biodiversity

2011-07-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Azorean Biodiversity Group (University of Azores, Portugal) is opening a
Postdoctoral position to study the dynamics of soil and canopy arthropod communities under land-use changes. The research should also improve the understanding about how land use changes h...ave affected arthropod functional diversity and body-size frequency distribution and make projections about possible future trajectories. It is also expected to quantify the ecosystem services of arthropods in the different Land-Uses.
May apply those who are holders of a Ph.D. in Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation, Landscape Ecology and related disciplines. We prefer candidates with a list of publications of recognized quality and with strong experience in spatial ecology, ecological modelling, macroecology, and with some experience with R. Opportunities exist to collaborate with field ecologists both in Azores (Prof. Paulo Borges Group; http://cita.angra.uac.pt/biodiversidade/equipa/) and in the Museum of Natural History in Madrid (Prof. Jorge Lobo Group; http://www.biogeografia.org/).
The initial appointments are for one year and a competitive stipend (1740 Euros per month), and continued funding is available for an additional 2 years provided satisfactory progress. The position is available from Autumn 2011, or no later than January 2012.

Application Requirements
1. Individual applications must be submitted electronically, using the web application available at: http://www.azores.gov.pt/gra/sctr.
2. To apply candidates must register at the Sistema Científico e Tecnológico Regional, through the web site mentioned above.
3. In the application form the candidate must include a copy of the PhD certificate or, in case of not having it, indicate the date of the degree, the title and the institution that conferred the degree.
4. Despite the above, the candidate must present an authenticated copy of the PhD. certificate by the time of the contracts signature.
5. The application forms which aren’t fully filled in are excluded automatically.

Contact Prof. Paulo A. V. Borges (pborges@uac.pt) for more details.

PhD/Postdoc positions: UW-Madison

2011-07-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

PhD/Postdoc positions: UW-Madison:
2 Postdoc and 1 PHD position available to study the effects of extreme climate events on avian demographics: the role of habitat refugia in mitigating climate change

Overview: Climate change poses severe threats to biodiversity, and conservationists have to adapt their management decisions to a chang...ing climate. The challenge is that the biological response to future climate change is uncertain. Climate change will entail a general warming, but even more importantly may increase the frequency of extreme climate events (such as multiyear droughts) and extreme weather events (such as shorter droughts, heatwaves, and cold snaps).

Our NASA funded study has two major goals. The first is a basic science question: we seek to predict the effects of extreme climate and weather events, including droughts, heat waves, and cold snaps during the breeding season, on bird demographics, focusing especially on waterfowl and forest birds. As part of this question we will test four alternative hypotheses to explain observed abundance declines: (1) the lower recruitment hypothesis, (2) the adult mortality hypothesis, (3) the long-distance dispersal hypothesis, and (4) the refugia hypothesis.

Our second goal is an applied research question: we seek to quantify the role of National Wildlife Refuges and National Forests as refugia for waterfowl and forest birds respectively during extreme events, and to identify management actions to enhance this function.

The project is a collaboration between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (La Crosse, Wisconsin, P. Heglund), United States Geological Survey (La Crosse, Wisconsin, W. Thogmartin), U.S. Forest Service (Ft. Collins, Colorado, C. Flather), University of Wisconsin-Madison (A. Pidgeon, V. Radeloff, and S. Vavrus), University of Nevada, Reno (T. Albright), and Stony Brook University (Stony Brook, New York, R. Akcakaya). At this point, we are filling three positions that will all be based in Madison, Wisconsin. A fourth position for a PhD student with R. Akcakaya focusing on population modeling will be filled in 2012.

Positions: Three positions (one PhD and 2 Post-doc positions) will be based in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. We are offering each as a fully funded 3-year position, with the potential for a fourth year depending on performance and project objectives. In terms of the different work tasks, we envision the following team composition:

- One person (either PhD or post-doc) will focus on changes in forest bird populations in response to extreme climate events under the supervision of A. Pidgeon.

- One person (either PhD or post-doc) will focus on changes in waterfowl populations in response to extreme climate events, and will be under the joint supervision of A. Pidgeon and V. Radeloff.

- One position (either PhD or post-doc) will assess and predict extreme events, and will work under the supervision of V. Radeloff and S. Vavrus.

PhD students would be appointed as 12-month research assistants, with an annual salary of $20,400, tuition remission, and full benefits including health insurance. Postdocs would be appointed as 12-month research associates, salary is competitive and commensurate with experience, and full benefits including health insurance is included.

Start date for all positions is flexible, funding is in hand, and an early start date is preferred. The positions are open to both U.S. citizen, and non-residents.

Qualifications: We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community.

For applicants at the PhD level, a MS degree in ecology, wildlife ecology, atmospheric science, geography, environmental science, or related disciplines is required. Applicants with a BS degree will only be considered if substantial relevant experience can be shown. A solid working knowledge of remote sensing, GIS, and statistics is required.

For applicants at the postdoctoral level, we expect a completed Ph.D. in an appropriate field (see list in previous paragraph) prior to appointment. Candidates should have a strong background in spatial/landscape ecology; intimate working knowledge of GIS; and strong quantitative skills. For the person filling the position focusing on extreme events, experience in working with climate data is desirable.

For all three positions, we seek candidates who work well in a collaborative setting and have excellent communication and writing skills. Good English writing and verbal communication skills, and a demonstrated ability as a team member, are essential.

To apply: Candidates should send a cover letter summarizing their research interests, a CV that spells out skills, and the contact information for three references. Please indicate in your cover letter explicitly which topical area you are interested in, and at which level (PhD or postdoc) you are applying.

Review of applicants will begin immediately; position will remain open until suitable candidates are found. All applications received on or before August 1st 2011 are guaranteed consideration. Application packages (e-mailed as a single PDF file) should be sent to apidgeon@wisc.edu and radeloff@wisc.edu

Lecturer in Quantitative Geography (ref. 16443)

2011-07-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Lecturer in Quantitative Geography (ref. 16443)
School of Geographical Sciences

Contract: Fixed Term Contract (36 months)

Salary: £33,734

Grade: Level b in Pathway 1

Closing date for applications: 9:00am 22 Jul 2011

Anticipated interview date: 08 Aug 2011

Description
The School of Geographical Sciences is looking to appoint an enthusiastic and committed person to a Lectureship in Quantitative Geography. You will deliver teaching in quantitative methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as other substantive areas of human geography. You will be able to teach regression methods, ideally through the medium of R. The post is advertised at three years in the first instance, and you will need to develop your own research agenda, contribute to initiatives within the Spatial Modelling research group, and participate in the range of activities in the School as well as building strong research links more broadly.

You will become a member of the Spatial Modelling Research Group (www.bris.ac.uk/geography/research/spatial-modelling/) which has an international reputation as a leading centre for spatial analysis. It focuses on innovative methodologies and techniques for the analysis of spatial data and their application to social, political and economic research problems. In addition the Group has a strong interest in the development of innovative social science software.

This Lectureship offers an exciting opportunity to join this innovative research group and to contribute to future developments in the School of Geographical Sciences. Applications are welcomed from both human geographers and social scientists in cognate disciplines who have research interests in quantitative analysis in the social sciences using geographical data. You will have an emerging international reputation for research (or will be able to demonstrate a capacity to build such a reputation) and an excellent record of publication for your career stage.

Contact for informal inquiries:
Professor K Jones (kelvyn.jones@bristol.ac.uk | 0117 928 7509)
Professor P Valdes (geog-hod@bristol.ac.uk | 0117 331 7222)

More details: http://www.bris.ac.uk/boris/jobs/feeds/ads?ID=98491

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO POST-DOCTORAL POSITION IN ECOLOGY/BIODIVERSITY

2011-06-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico is seeking
applications for a post-doc position in ecology/biodiversity. The post
doc will be expected to play a major role in a multi-investigator,
multi-institutional project supported by a four-year NSF Macrosystems
Ecology grant. The research will focus on metabolic processes
underlying the major patterns or biodiversity, especially in pervasive
temperature dependence and requires a demonstrated working knowledge of
theory, mathematical and computer modeling skills.
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in ecology or a related discipline.
Review begins with the first applications and continues until the
position is filled. Applicants must submit a cover letter a curriculum
vitae along with at least three phone numbers of references, three
letters of recommendation and PDF’s of relevant preprints and
publications to be sent directly to ecohire@unm.edu attn: James Brown.
Application materials must be received by July 25, 2011, for best
consideration.
Questions related to this posting may be directed to Dr. James Brown at
ecohire@unm.edu or to Katherine Thannisch at kthannis@unm.edu.
The University of New Mexico is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
Employer and Educator. Women and underrepresented minorities are
encouraged to apply.

Workshop: Climate Adaptation, University of Helsinki 11-14 Sept 2011 - Registration will close soon

2011-06-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

Workshop: ‘ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE FROM A SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE’
11-14 September 2011 at Lammi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Finland

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE NEXT WEEK (JUNE 30TH)

Short description:
Advancing our understanding how organisms adapt to environmental variation lies at the core of ecology and evolutionary biology, and has become especially relevant in the light of current human-induced environmental change as a major threat to global biodiversity. When predicting species’ responses to climate change, including range shifts and adaptation, it is crucial to take into account spatial patterns of local adaptation and population dynamics at the regional and geographical scale.

We organize a conference (~60 participants) with a primary focus on adaptation to environmental variation, in particular climatic and thermal adaptation, from a spatial perspective at the regional and geographic level. We intend to bring together current high-quality research at multiple levels of investigation, including ecology, evolutionary genetics, physiology, theory and conservation. We aim to combine studies including a broad range of organisms, including plants, vertebrates and aquatic organisms, but with a main focus on ectotherms.

The conference will be organised around three main sessions:
• Latitudinal and altitudinal clinal variation
• Landscape/metapopulation approaches to ecological and evolutionary dynamics
• Ecological and evolutionary dynamics at the range margins

Keynote speakers:
• Dr. Jon Bridle (University of Bristol, UK)
• Prof. Klaus Fischer (Greifswald University, Germany)
• Prof. Ilkka Hanski (University of Helsinki, Finland)
• Prof. Pär Ingvarsson (Umeå University, Sweden)
• Prof. Volker Loeschcke (Aarhus University, Denmark)
• Prof. Juha Merilä (University of Helsinki, Finland)
• Prof. Patricia Schulte (University of British Columbia, Canada)
• Prof. Chris Thomas (University of York, UK)

Organizers:
Maaike de Jong & Marjo Saastamoinen
Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki

For more information and online registration (registration deadline is June 30th 2011):
http://www.helsinki.fi/science/metapop/workshop/

Frontiers of Biogeography (Vol 3, Iss 1)

2011-06-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Frontiers of Biogeography - the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society (ISSN 1948-6596) is now out:

Volume 3, issue 1 June 2011
(Click on titles below to link to individual articles, or choose complete issue here [1.9 MB])

cover (pdf)

table of contents (pdf)

editorial: Advancing Frontiers, with a retrospective
M.N Dawson, R. Field, & J. Hortal (p. 1)

news and update

symposium summary: organizer�s perspective - Biogeography and ecology: two lenses in one telescope
D.G. Jenkins & R.E. Ricklefs (p. 3)

symposium summary: a perspective from two delegates - Biogeography and ecology: two lenses in one telescope
F. Villalobos & O. Paknia (p. 5)

symposium summary: Mediterranean biogeography: where history meets ecology across scales
S. Sfenthourakis & J.-C. Svenning (p. 7)

symposium summary: New perspectives on comparative phylogeography - novel integrative approaches and challenges
M.J. Hickerson & A.C. Carnaval (p. 9)

symposium summary: Analytical advancements in macroecology and biogeography
J.A.F. Diniz-Filho & C. Rahbek (p. 11)

symposium summary: Marine biogeography
M.N Dawson (p. 13)

symposium summary: Palaeoecology
J. Williams (p. 15)

symposium summary: Conservation biogeography
C.H. Graham & L.M. Brown (p. 17)

symposium summary: Hot topics in biogeography and ecology
C.H. Saslis-Lagoudakis & M. Greve (p. 18)

symposium summary: Climate change biogeography
J.-C. Svenning (p. 20)

symposium summary: Island biogeography
K.A. Triantis (p. 21)

book reviews

book review: Bread, butter and marmite
S. McGowan (p. 23)

book review: A truly colourful inter-continental tropical kaleidoscope
D. Sheil (p. 24)

book review: The ecology of place
F. Gilbert (p. 26)

book review: Macro-ecology of the world�s savannas
N. Barbier (p. 28)

... books noted with interest
M. Eichhorn (p. 30)

profiles

Interview with Robert E. Ricklefs, recipient of the 2011 Alfred Russel Wallace award
Rosemary G. Gillespie (p. 31)

& biosketch: Robert E. Ricklefs (p. 35)

obituary: Bob McDowall (September 1939 - February 2011): a key contributor to our understanding of Southern Hemisphere biogeography and the significance of marine dispersal
C. Burridge & D. Jellyman (p. 37)

membership corner

from the members: On the biogeography of biogeographers
S.S. Meijer (p. 39)

Job announcements (p. 40)
Upcoming meetings (p. 41)

copyright

Frontiers of Biogeography is published online by the International Biogeography Society (http://www.biogeography.org/).

You can access all issues freely at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html, where you can also find all editorial information and the instructions for authors.

--

Joaquín Hortal

Editor-in-Chief
Frontiers of Biogeography — the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society
e-mails: ibs(at)mncn.csic.es, frontiersofbiogeography(at)gmail.com
http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html

Survey - Species Distribution Modelling

2011-06-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Biogeographers

Please accept this invitation to take the (anonymous) survey on Species Distribution Modelling and Software.

It takes only takes 10-15 minutes, just follow this link… https://microsoft.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_80yEiYdFCj7Q3dO

The survey is open until 1^st of July, but please complete as soon as possible! Your views and experiences are immensely valued!

The survey aims to find out how our science is “intertwined with technical innovation…” and how it is “dependent on the existence of suitable software” _{(Thuiller et al. 2009, Ecography, 32, 369-373)}.

Does software help you do what you want to do?

You can find the project and privacy information here http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/sdmsoftwaresurvey/default.aspx

We will publish aggregated results so the modelling community & developers (everyone!) benefits from the findings.

If you have any questions please email us at SDMquest@microsoft.com

Best wishes

Greg, Lucas, & Lara

The Research team

We (Greg McInerny, Lucas Joppa and Lara Salido) are Scientists in the Computational Ecology and Environmental Sciences group in the Computational Science Laboratory at Microsoft Research Cambridge, UK. We frequently use SDM and are interested in all kinds of ecological and methodological questions. Find out more about our group’s research here You can also find out more about the survey at the project homepage here Please if you have any questions, email us here sdmquest@microsoft.com

IBS Early Career Conference "Advances in Biogeography"

2011-06-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

The International Biogeography Society is pleased to announce its upcoming Early Career Conference "Advances in Biogeography", 23-25 September 2011, at the University of Oxford, UK. A special opportunity exists for attendees to also join Oxford University's Biodiversity Institute Symposium on "Biodiversity conservation beyond protected areas" (21st - 22nd September) which immediately precedes the IBS Early Career Conference.

The Early Career Conference will focus on post-graduate students and those who have recently completed their doctorates (up to five years) interested in biogeography. The aim is to provide a forum in which early career biogeographers have an opportunity to present and discuss their work through formal presentations (oral and posters), and to encourage the formation of informal peer-to-peer networks. Evening mixer events will be attended by IBS board members and other senior biogeographers.

Registration is now OPEN for the meeting,
For more information about the conference & symposium, and to register, please visit
http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2011Oxford/index.html

Postdoctoral Research Assistant - Ecological modelling

2011-05-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London

Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Ref: 11144/KK

A postdoctoral applicant is sought with an interest in ecological modelling. The successful applicant will be developing coupled, process-based, models of ecological systems. You will be working under the supervision of Professor M.R. Evans (QMUL). The project is based at Queen Mary, University of London.

This is a three-year, full time position, starting in October 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter. The salary is in the range of £30,350-£39,786 per annum including London allowance. Salary will be according to qualifications, skills and experience. Benefits include 30 days annual leave, final salary pension scheme and an interest-free season ticket loan.

Candidates should hold a PhD in a relevant area of ecology or computer science or have equivalent experience. Training can also be given where needed and there will be opportunities to attend international conferences.

Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. Where required this may include entry clearance or continued leave to remain under the Points Based Immigration Scheme.

Further details and an application form can be obtained from the Human Resources website on: http://www.hr.qmul.ac.uk/vacancies. For further information about the School, please see http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk.

Informal enquiries can also be made to Professor. M.R. Evans at m.r.evans@exeter.ac.uk

Completed application forms together with a copy of your CV, quoting reference number 11144/KK, should be returned to Ms Sunita Devi-Paul, School of Biological & Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, or by e-mail: sbcs-vacancies@qmul.ac.uk.

The closing date for applications is 23rd June 2011 at 4.00pm. Interviews will be held 12th July 2011.
Unfortunately, we are unable to reply to those applicants who have not been short listed and invited for interview. However, we would like to thank all candidates for their applications and interest.

Valuing Diversity & Committed to Equality

PDRA in Systems Ecology
We are facing a period of unprecedented environmental change. While climatological modelling provides robust estimates of the predicted changes in temperature and precipitation patterns it is clear that few will notice the direct changes in climate against the background of naturally variable weather patterns. In contrast, many will be affected by the indirect effects of climate change through the impact it has on the natural world. There are going to be changes in biodiversity, ecosystem services, landscape quality and the performance of agricultural land. At present, in contrast to our level of comprehension of the expected physical changes, we have a relatively poor understanding of the scale and nature of the impacts of climate change on the biological world. To answer crucial questions about the impact of climate change on biological systems we must be able to predict the state of such systems in future, novel conditions. Prediction in ecology is typically made using models, and conventionally ecologists have used models that are good at describing observed patterns but are poor at predicting future behaviour, especially under conditions outside the bounds of observation (such as will be inevitable as climate change progresses). Ecology must develop the ability to produce robust, accurate predictions of specific systems in novel environments. A process-based, systems approach is essential to provide this ability and has been used successfully in the related fields of climatology and molecular systems biology. In this project I propose to apply large-scale computational techniques to existing long-term ecological datasets (by analogy with molecular systems biology these are the ecological equivalent of high-throughput data). The aim of this project is to establish a systems-approach to ecological prediction and forecasting. The objective will be to apply existing a model that describes forest dynamics such as SORTIE or ED (Pacala et al. 1996; Moorcroft, Hurtt & Pacala 2001; Purves & Pacala 2008; Purves et al. 2008; Strigul et al. 2008) to data from UK forests. We then intend to couple this model to individual-based models of herbivores using the trees as a food resource, the approach would be similar to that used in a model of forests and human clearance in a Himalayan Valley (Bithell & Brasington 2009). The intention would be to project this model into the future by allowing it to be forced with climate change data.
We are looking for a PDRA with interests in ecology and experience using and developing large-scale computer models. This post is initially available for 3 years starting 01/10/11, and is intended as research support for Prof. M.R. Evans whilst acting as head of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences. For informal discussions please contact m.r.evans@exeter.ac.uk.
Bithell, M. & Brasington, J. (2009) Coupling agent-based models of subsistence farming with individual-based forest models and dynamic models of water distribution. Environmental Modelling and Software, 24, 173-190.
Moorcroft, P.R., Hurtt, G.C. & Pacala, S.W. (2001) A method for scaling vegetation dynamics: the ecosystem demography model (ED). Ecological Monographs, 71, 557-586.
Pacala, S.W., Canham, C.D., Saponara, J., Silander, J.A., Kobe, R.K. & Ribbens, E. (1996) Forest models defined by field measurements: estimation, error analysis and dynamics. Ecological Monographs, 66, 1-43.
Purves, D. & Pacala, S. (2008) Predictive models of forest dynamics. Science, 320, 1452-1453.
Purves, D.W., Lichstein, J.W., Strigul, N. & Pacala, S.W. (2008) Predicting and understanding forest dynamics using a simple tractable model. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America, 105, 17018-17022.
Strigul, N., Pristinski, D., Purves, D., Dushoff, J. & Pacala, S. (2008) Scaling from trees to forests: tractable macroscopic equations for forest dynamics. Ecological Monographs, 78, 523-545.

PhD course - Modelling species distributions under climate change

2011-05-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Modelling species distributions under climate change

Organizer: David Nogués-Bravo: Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen.

Venue: Four floor, Universitetsparken 15, Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate, Department of Biology, Copenhagen, DK-2100. Denmark

Supported by:
Faculty of Science of Copenhagen University, Department of Biology, Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate
Scientific content: Understanding species distributions is a core topic in ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation and global change biology and SDMs are a key tool for forecasting species distribution due to climate change. This PhD course will cover ecological and evolutionary theory on species distributions and species niches, methodological issues, training in SDM software, and applications of SDMs to a broad range of questions from global change to phylogeography. The course will encompass lectures, computer practical and seminars based on paper discussions. The students will read, before attending, a compendium with original research papers representing landmark studies. Each student will be required to prepare for the course by reading a specified background literature (~20 papers). During the course all students are expected to participate in paper discussions and practical, and to attend to the lectures. Full attendance of the entire PhD course, preparation through background reading, and pro-active participation in seminars and practical are required to obtain the 5 ECTS.

List of teachers:
Prof. Miguel Bastos Araújo, Museo Nacional Ciencias Naturales, CSIC.
http://www.ibiochange.mncn.csic.es/people/miguel-araujo

Dr. David Nogués-Bravo, University of Copenhagen,
http://macroecology.ku.dk/dk/people/

Dr. Katharine Ann Marske, University of Copenhagen,
http://macroecology.ku.dk/dk/people/

Participation: This international PhD course is open to PhD student. Applicants will be selected according to the relevancy of their PhD project and their achievements in the field so far. There will be room for a maximum of 15 students in the course, so strong competition for attendance is expected.

Registration: Email a brief description of your PhD research project and a1-page curriculum vitae (emphasizing your scientific experience and achievements) to David Nogués-Bravo, dnogues@bio.ku.dk. Dead-line July 1st 2011.
Fee: 2000 dkk. Course participants must pay for travel, accommodation and meals during the course. PhD students at the Faculty of Science of Copenhagen University do not need to pay the fee.

Postdoctoral position in theoretical ecology

2011-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am seeking a postdoc to help me develop integrative theory at the interface between ecosystem ecology and community or evolutionary ecology. More details on current research
interests in my lab can be found on my web page below.

Applicants should (1) have obtained their PhD during the last five years, (2) have strong
quantitative or mathematical skills, and (3) develop an independent research project.

The position is available for one year but will be renewable, with a competitive stipend of up
to $40,000 per year depending on experience, plus health and dental benefits. The postdoc
will be based at McGill University, where ecology has expanded considerably in recent years,
with a special strength in theoretical and experimental ecology.

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
To apply, e-mail a letter of application, a CV, a statement of research interests and arrange to
have e-mailed three letters of recommendation to me.

Michel Loreau
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Ecology
Department of Biology, McGill University
Phone : 514-398-3778
Email: michel.loreau@mcgill.ca
Web page: http://www.biology.mcgill.ca/faculty/loreau/

Post-doc position in reef fish macro-ecology

2011-05-06T08:49:00.001-07:00

*Background* This position is part of the GASPAR program and financed by the FRB (“Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversit?” — a French State Organization). The aim of GASPAR is the macro-ecological analysis of reef fish assemblages on a world-wide scale in order to understand their major functioning principles. The scientific program may be asked to M.Kulbicki (michel.kulbicki@ird.fr). This program is based on the principle of several meetings a year at the CESAB center (in France) during which the members of this program brainstorm on the questions and hypotheses in order to produce scientific information (mainly analytical and synthetic articles) and build a database which will be made freely available to the scientific community at the end of the program.

*Skills :* The candidate should be skilled in the following domains: (a) theoretical ecology or community ecology; (b) statistics; (c) databases; (d) GIS. Fluent English is required; French is not required but would be advantageous. The role will consist of: (1) organizing a database which will compile information on the diversity of reef fishes from a wide selection of sites across the world, on their life-history traits, and on environmental factors. These data will originate from the members of the program and from existing international databases; (2) preparation of the meetings in order to facilitate the writing of analytical and synthesis articles on the macro-ecology of reef fishes. This preparation entails statistical pre-analyses, maps and the compilation of important references; (3) participation in the coordination of the project, in particular by liaising between the partners of this program; (4) contribute to the writing of scientific articles issued from this work. The candidate will work with some of the best specialist in coral reef fish ecology. A number of high impact factor scientific articles are expected from this program, to which the candidate will be associated and in some instances be first author (depending on the degree of involvement). There should be also opportunities to attend international meetings and to meet renowned scientists in the field of reef ecology.

*Contract duration and salary* The post-doc will be based at the “Laboratoire Arago” in Banyuls/mer (France –http://www.obs-banyuls.fr/) and will be under the supervision of Michel Kulbicki, the person in charge of the GASPAR program. The contract is for 30 months and will start in July 2011. The net monthly pay will be around 1900 euros, this amount varying slightly according to the social security and welfare costs.

For any question regarding this position please contact Michel Kulbicki at: Tel. : within France : 04-30-19-24-17 from overseas : 33-4-30-19-24-17 e-mail.:michel.kulbicki@ird.fr IRD- UR227 — Laboratoire Arago – BP 44 66651- Banyuls /mer — France — Michel Kulbicki UR 227 – “CoReUs” IRD – Laboratoire Arago BP 44 – 66651- Banyuls /mer Tel.: (33)-(0)4-30-19-24-17 / Fax.: e-mail: michel.kulbicki@ird.fr (michel.kulbicki@univ-perp.fr is no longer valid)

PhD student: Land use change and ecosystem services

2011-05-05T05:31:00.000-07:00

In the VOLANTE project funded by the European Commission 14 institutes collaborate to design new methodologies and integrated models to analyse human-environment interactions, feedbacks in land use systems, hotspots of land use transitions and identify critical thresholds in land system dynamics. This research contributes to the development of multifunctional and sustainable pathways of land system change. Within this project the PhD student will develop novel approaches for analyzing the linkage between global and local scale processes of land use change. For this purpose the PhD student will develop spatially explicit multi-agent modelling systems that are driven by the demand for multiple ecosystem services. The PhD student will collaborate intensively with other PhD students and staff in this project and publish the results as peer-reviewed papers.

Profile Description: A completed Msc degree in the field of geography; environmental sciences or human ecology; affinity with an interdisciplinary working environment; excellent research and publication skills, proven by past accomplishments; experience with GIS analysis and quantitative research methods.

Benefits: The initial appointment will be for a period of 1 year. After satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, it can be extended for a total duration of 4 years. You can find information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment at http://www.workingatvu.nl like remuneration of 8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance; generous contribution (70%) commuting allowance based on public transport; discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance). The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel, and amounts € 2.042,- gross per month in the first year up to € 2.612,- in the fourth year (salary scale 85) based on a full-time employment.

Location
VU University Amsterdam (VU), De Boelelaan 1105

1081 HV - Amsterdam
NETHERLANDS

Deadline
9th May 2011

Link
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/jobs/jobDetails/33689079

Symposium: Biodiversity in the Silicon Age

2011-04-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

The symposium Biodiversity in the Silicon Age which will take place on May 17 to May 18, 2011 in The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in Copenhagen.

An exponential development in Information Technology is driving a methodological paradigm shift across much of science. This symposium takes a broad look at how this revolution is transforming biodiversity research, from genetics to ecology to global change biology: increasing amounts of data and new technologies to handle them are now completely revolutionizing the scope and scale of insight and understanding across the field. A key focus will be on elucidating potential new avenues for informatics-driven advances.

Unlike most research conferences you will attend, this symposium is characterized by being highly interdisciplinary with the participation of high profile researchers from both the biology and the computer science research communities (see program).

If you would like to participate we encourage you to register (http://www.biodiversity-in-the-silicon-age.dk/html%20files/Register.html) as soon as possible since the venue has very small meeting rooms.

Organizers Professor Lars Arge, Professor Henrik Balslev, Professor Jens-Christian Svenning, Professor Mikkel Schierup, and Professor Christian S. Jensen.

Frontiers of Biogeography (Vol 2, Issue 4)

2011-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of Frontiers of Biogeography is now available on the IBS website for download. Please follow this link for further information:

http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html

Job Announcement - Senior Lecturer in Paleoecology

2011-03-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Senior lecturer in paleoecology (Umeå University)

The holder of the position should have one of two nonexclusive research profiles, both aimed at strengthening the integration between research in paleoecology, ecology and evolution in the research environment Ecosystem Change, which has been identified as a Strong Research Environment at Umeå University and includes ecologists, environmental scientists. One possible research profile is in aquatic paleoecology to study lake-ecosystem dynamics across limnological and paleolimnological timescales (Holocene), integrating geochemical and ecological/evolutionary research. Here, we particularly encourage applications from scientists using up-to-date paleolimnological approaches such as molecular genetic, spectroscopic or biogeochemical methods. An alternative research profile is in evolutionary paleoecology to address evolutionary questions with paleoecological methods, to enhance the ongoing integration of paleoecology with research in evolution and biogeography, and in collaboration with researchers in macroevolution, macroecology, phylogenetics or population genetics.

The duration of a position as associate senior lecturer is four years of research, and can be expanded to five years with 20 % of teaching. At the end of the employment period, an associate senior lecturer owns the right to be examined for a permanent position as senior lecturer at Umeå University. The assessment criteria for such an examination are described in the corresponding job profile.

To be eligible, in the first place, for the position as associate senior lecturer you should have a PhD, or a corresponding degree, which is not more than five years old, in a relevant field such as ecology, evolutionary biology, environmental science or biogeochemistry.

An associate senior lecturer should primarily pursue research. The successful applicant is expected to create his/her own research group and to supervise graduate students as well as post-docs. He/she is also expected to attract research grants from external sources of funding and to have a vivid collaboration with scientists at both Umeå University and other universities. In the evaluation, particular emphasis will be given to scientific skills. Pedagogical and administrative skills and the ability to collaborate with other researchers in the Strong Research Environment will also be considered.

Further information about the position and how to apply can be found at http://www8.umu.se/umu/aktuellt/arkiv/lediga_tjanster/312-224-225-11.html#eng

Last day for application is April 26, 2011.

Job Posting: Assistant Professor in Marine Geography

2011-03-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Assistant Professor in Marine Geography, Position No. 84518, Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mânoa, 9-month appointment, permanent, general funds, full time, tenure track, to begin August 1, 2011, subject to position clearance and availability of funds.
Duties: Teach undergraduate and graduate classes; advise students; conduct an active research program and publish results; seek extramural funding; collaborate on interdisciplinary research and field courses in marine geography; engage in departmental governance and service activities.
Minimum Qualifications: Earned Ph.D. in Geography or a closely related field from an accredited college, university or foreign equivalent. Demonstrated ability as a teacher; record of scholarly achievement or promise of future achievement in chosen area of research.
Desirable Qualifications: Teaching and research interests in spatial analysis of marine environmental systems, anthropogenic impacts, and conservation of marine species and habitats; ability to teach statistics and research methods. Secondary interests in applying GIS to integrate human and environmental systems and analysis.
Salary Range: commensurate with qualifications and experience.
To Apply: Applications will be accepted online at http://surveys.socialsciences.hawaii.edu/ework/.
Application shall include a current curriculum vitae, cover letter stating your teaching and research interests and indicate how you satisfy the minimum and desirable qualifications and expected fit within the department, the College of Social Sciences and University of Hawai‘i at Mânoa; contact information for three references; evidence of teaching effectiveness; and three representative publications (pdfs). Any other correspondence about the position should be addressed to Professor Alison Rieser, Chair of Search Committee, Department of Geography, 440 Saunders Hall, Honolulu, HI 96822; e-mail: rieser@hawaii.edu. Further information on the department can be found at http://www.geography.hawaii.edu. Review of applications will begin on April 1, 2011 and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will be given priority.

Postdoctoral positions available with PalEON

2011-03-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Three postdoctoral research positions are available with the PalEON project (A PaleoEcological Observatory Network to Assess Terrestrial Ecosystem Models), an interdisciplinary research group of paleoecologists, ecological statisticians, and ecosystems modelers working together to study how climate variations shape forest dynamics across a range of timescales (www.paleonproject.org). All postdoctoral positions have a desired start date of May, 2011.

Specific PalEON goals include developing a coherent inferential framework with rigorous estimates of uncertainty for paleoecological data, applying these techniques to reconstruct variations in forested ecosystems for the last 2000 years from the Great Lakes to New England, and then assimilating these datasets into a suite of regional-scale ecosystem models to infer presettlement biogeochemical cycles. PalEON has recently received funding from NSF-Macrosystems to begin a two-year effort towards these goals, with an emphasis on initial development of methods and datasets, community-building, and interdisciplinary training in paleoecology, statistical ecology, and ecosystem modeling.

1. Postdoctoral Position in Paleoecological and Paleoclimatic Data Synthesis and Analysis

The primary responsibilities of this position are to coordinate the assembly of the witness tree, fossil pollen, charcoal, and paleohydrological datasets and analyze these datasets for intra- to interregional patterns of variance and synchrony. The postdoc will work closely with the other postdocs and the rest of the PalEON team towards the objective of fitting a full space-time statistical model to the paleoecological data and assimilating these reconstructions into the ecosystem model experiments.

Minimum qualifications are a doctoral degree in a relevant ecological or environmental science. The ideal candidate would have a strong familiarity with Quaternary paleoecological and paleoclimatic data, skills in paleoecoinformatics, knowledge of scripting languages such as Matlab and R, and experience with multivariate statistical methods. Experience with Bayesian hierarchical models, spatial models, and/or ecosystem models is also desirable.

This position will be based at the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin and will be jointly supervised by Drs. Jack Williams (University of Wisconsin) and Steve Jackson (University of Wyoming). This position is up to two years with a preferred start in early May 2011. Salary is competitive and this position includes health and other insurance benefits. See http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/hr/info/benefitschart.pdf for additional information. The University of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Interested applicants are encouraged to email a CV and cover letter with the names and contact information of three references to Alice Halfen (ahalfen@wisc.edu) with the subject line: PalEON Postdoctoral Application. For more information contact Dr. Jack Williams jww@geography.wisc.edu or Dr. Steve Jackson jackson@uwyo.edu. Evaluation of applications will begin April 4 and continue until the position is filled.

2. Postdoctoral Position in Ecological Statistics

This researcher will lead the development of statistical models, based on spatial statistics, state space, and data assimilation methods for the PalEON initiative, interacting with statisticians, paleoecologists, paleoclimatologists, and ecosystem modelers. Specific modeling challenges may include spatio-temporal modeling of paleoecological data, state-space modeling informed by ecological models, modeling uncertainty in radiocarbon dating, and spatial modeling of vegetation based on colonial settlement-era historical records. Strong applicants will possess a background in Bayesian statistical modeling, especially spatial modeling, state space modeling, or data assimilation. Applicants must be interested in working at the interface of statistics and ecology.

The postdoctoral researcher will be based at the University of Notre Dame’s new Department of Applied and Comutational Mathematics and Statistics and is supported in part by the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative (ND-ECI). This position will be supervised by Dr. Jason McLachlan at Notre Dame, with extensive input from Dr. Chris Paciorek at UC Berkeley, and interaction with other PALEON team members. The position is available for a two-year period, subject to annual performance review. We will consider applications on a rolling deadline. Funding is available for an immediate start, but we will consider start dates as late as summer 2011. Please email your CV and a cover letter with the names and contact information of three references to Jason McLachlan (jmclachl@nd.edu). The University of Notre Dame, an equal opportunity employer with a strong institutional and academic commitment to diversity, endeavors to foster a vibrant learning community animated by the Catholic intellectual tradition.

3. Postdoctoral Position in Ecosystem Modeling and Model-Data Synthesis.

The primary responsibility of this position is to coordinate the model-data inter-comparison activities and shared data among the modeling teams, to analyze model dynamics to make inferences about presettlement biogeochemical cycles, and to assess model-data fidelity across multiple models. The secondary responsibility is to help complete the Ecosystem Demography model runs for the model-data inter-comparison. Research questions focus on validating ecosystem models at centennial time-scales, making inference about pre-settlement ecosystem dynamics and biogeochemical cycles, and exploring the sensitivity of models to historical vegetation. Position will be supervised by Dr. Michael Dietze at the University of Illinois.

Minimum qualifications are a doctoral degree in a relevant ecological or environmental science. The ideal candidate would have experience with more than one of the following areas: ecosystem models, paleoecological data, Bayesian statistics, R, linux, computer programming, data assimilation, and climate downscaling techniques.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications with to two years of funding available. The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Evaluation of applications is rolling with a preferred start May 2011. Interested applicants are encouraged to send a CV and cover letter with the names and contact information of three references to Melinda LaBorg laborg@igb.uiuc.edu. For more information contact Dr. Michael Dietze mdietze@illinois.edu

Postdoc position available

2011-03-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Postdoc position
Predicting future patterns of freshwater fish extinctions
Host Institute: Evolution and Biological Diversity, University Toulouse 3, France (www.edb.ups-tlse.fr)
Closing date for application: 1st April 2011
Duration: 24 months

Context
The world is entering a major extinction crisis, the so called “Sixth Extinction” and this is particularly true for freshwater ecosystems that are among the most threatened on Earth. Among freshwater taxa, fishes are the best known regarding biodiversity. Fishes are also useful indicators of aquatic ecosystem health and sustainability and provide many economic services. Consequently a better understanding of the determinants of fish species extinctions is an attainable and critical step toward predictive models of freshwater ecosystems responses to global change.

In that context, the aim of the project “FISHLOSS” (ANR “Sixth Extinction”) is twofold. First, to draw an ecological and evolutionary framework for both natural and human driven freshwater fish extinctions at several spatial scales (from the site to the globe) by using a multidisciplinary approach combining ecology, biogeography, phylogenetics, paleontology, and biometry. Second, we intend to use this framework as an explanatory and predictive tool to identify species that are extinction-prone and to provide expected extinction rates under different scenarios of future climate change. As available evidence suggests that area of occupancy is a good predictor of background extinction rate, FISHLOSS consortium intends to establish a general relationship between background extinction rate and area of occupancy (EAR, extinction-area relationship). EAR could then be used to predict how much the extinction probability of a population will increase if its area of occupancy decreases.

Predicting future extinction rates
The successful applicant will apply a range of climate niche models, General Circulation Models (GCM) and greenhouse Gas Emissions Scenarios (GES) to a set of stream fish species occurrences. Then he will produce fish species distribution forecasts and will combine these forecasts (i.e., ensemble forecasting) with previously defined extinction-area relationships.
Future extinction rates will be predicted in two case studies: France (ONEMA database) and Africa (FAUNAFRI database, a compilation of geo-referenced occurrences of fish species over the African continent). The final outputs of this work will be to identify/cartography the combination basin-species having the highest predicted extinction probability (France), and the basins having the highest predicted extinction probability of endemic species (Africa).

Qualifications

• PhD in quantitative ecology or biostatistics
• Knowledge of species distribution modelling
• Working knowledge of large databases

Please send a CV (no more than 5 pages) outlining research experience and interests, publications, a list of skills and other relevant professional information.

Contact: gael.grenouillet@cict.fr

Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and Reefs: Past, Present, and Future

2011-03-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Evolution of Life on Pacific Islands and Reefs: Past, Present, and Future
26-30 May 2011, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Information on the conference can be accessed at http://botany.si.edu/events/2011_pacific/index.htm.

Ph.D. positions available

2011-02-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

PhD position (m/f) phylo-/biogeography of mammals & community ecology of plants

For two projects funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG), the UFZ Department of Computational Landscape Ecology invites applications for

1 PhD position in the field of biogeography (m/f), code-digit 28/2011
and
1 PhD position in the field of community ecology (m/f), code-digit 29/2011

The first project seeks to analyze the climatic niche of the world’s mammals and then relate it to their phylogeny. Thereby the evolution of realized climate niches shall be reconstructed.
The second project, which is subject to final funding confirmation, will test the idea of fluctuating hydrological conditions in grasslands as a basis for plant species diversity.

The interested applicant should hold a master or diploma degree in Biology, Geoinformatics, Hydrology, Physics or related subjects with a strong leaning towards statistical computation (preferably in R). The project comprises substantial amounts of statistical analysis, and statistical and/or programming skills as well as basic knowledge of mammal/plant ecology, respectively, are a strong advantage. Working language will be English.

The positions will be available starting as soon as possible, for 36 months. The place of work is Leipzig, Germany. Salary will be according to the appropriate civil service level TVÖD 13 (50%). The successful candidate will be working in a highly interdisciplinary research environment with excellent facilities and motivated colleagues.

Women are explicitly encouraged to apply to increase their share in science and research. Physically handicapped persons will be favoured if they are equally qualified.

For further information on the project please contact Dr. Carsten Dormann, carsten.dormann@ufz.de, phone +49 341 235-1946.

Interviews will start in late February until the position is filled. Applications with a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, last academic certificate and the contact details of 2 references should be sent as single pdf-file by email to Dr. Carsten Dormann as well as application@ufz.de. For submission of paper applications, please send complete application documents under code digit 28/2010 or 29/2011 to the personnel department, P.O. box 500136, D-04318 Leipzig, Germany. E-Mail: application@ufz.de.

CONFERENCE: Frontiers in Historical Ecology

2011-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

The deadline to submit abstracts for the upcoming conference on "Frontiers in Historical Ecology" is February 15, 2011. The conference will be held 30 August 2011 to 2 September 2011 at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL in Birmensdorf, Switzerland.

Human activities are important drivers of landscape development and ecosystem change. Consequently, the relevance of considering human impacts has become increasingly popular in ecology over the past decades. Historical ecology has been promoted as an integrative approach for the study of human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes over time and as a prerequisite to understand current day ecosystems and landscapes. At this conference, we strive to determine promising new developments in methodological diversity and interdisciplinary challenges in historical ecology.

Abstract submission to the following four session topics is possible:
- Relevance of historical information in times of global change
- Beyond case studies in historical ecology - the search for general patterns of ecosystem change
- Historical ecology and ecosystem modeling
- Problems and possibilities on the border between historical ecology and environmental history/archaeology
More information on the conference and a template for submitting abstracts is provided at the conference webpage on http://www.wsl.ch/frontiers_historical_ecology

For any further queries, please contact:
Matthias Bürgi, WSL, matthias.buergi@wsl.ch

Postdoc position in Geospatial Informatics on the boundary between computer science, geomorphometry and biology

2010-10-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

An interdisciplinary postdoc position is available at Aarhus University, Denmark, starting February 2011 or later. The responsibilities of the postdoc will include work on geospatial problems on the boundary between computer science, geomorphometry and biology.

The postdoc should focus on problems in relation to computationally efficient use of modern detailed massive topographic data in various global-change-relevant modeling applications. These problems include the computation of fine-resolution topography-derived variables on a global scale, as well as applications such as global- and local-scale flooding scenario modeling (sea-level rise, tsunamis, extreme precipitation events etc.) and impact assessment. Relevant teaching responsibilities will also be offered.

The postdoc will be jointly affiliated with the Danish National Research Foundation Center MADALGO (Center for Massive Data Algorithmics - www.madalgo.au.dk) under the supervision of computer science Professor Lars Arge (person.au.dk/en/large@cs) and the Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity Group at the Department of Biological Sciences under the supervision of Professor Jens-Christian Svenning (person.au.dk/en/svenning@biology).

MADALGO is a major basic research centre lead by Professor Lars Arge. The focus of the center is efficient algorithms for processing massive datasets. MADALGO's core researchers are a team of six world leading researchers located at four major algorithms research institutions: Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics (MPI); Institute for Computer Science, Goethe-University Frankfurt; Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University (AU).

The Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity Group is lead by Professor Jens-Christian Svenning. This group is amongst world leading research groups focusing on informatics-based research on ecology and environmental sciences. Its research takes advantage of the recent gains in computing power and data storage capacity, advances in statistics and mathematics, and dramatic increases in data availability to tackle complex problems in ecology and environmental science.

Applications are welcomed from

· Computer scientists with clearly demonstrated skills in the design, analysis and implementation of algorithms

· Geoinformaticians or geographers with strong informatics and programming skills

· Biologists with strong, demonstrated skills in ecoinformatics, GIS, and programming

Researchers with interdisciplinary research experience will be preferred.

Applicants should apply by uploading a letter of interest and a CV, as well as indicate at least two names of references for recommendations, using the application form available at www.madalgo.au.dk. To be assured of full consideration, applications must arrive by November 1, 2010. Applications will be considered until the position is filled.

For further information contact Professor Lars Arge at large@madalgo.au.dk or Professor Jens-Christian Svenning at svenning@biology.au.dk.

Ph.D. Level Graduate Research Assistantship

2010-09-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

We seek an advanced graduate student with strong interdisciplinary interests in biogeography, ecology and evolution to join us in an NSF-funded project studying body size of mammals that inhabit islands. This project will be conducted collaboratively with Drs. Mark V. Lomolino – College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, USA (biogeographer and community ecologist), Dov F. Sax – Brown University, Providence, RI, USA (an invasion biologist) and Dr. Maria R. Palombo - Università degli Studi “La Sapienza” – Roma, Italy (a vertebrate paleontologist) to examine a diverse array of evidence for changes in body size that occur following colonization of islands by mammals. The position will involve significant travel, but will be based in the research lab of Dr. Lomolino in Syracuse, NY. The position is available beginning January, 2011, or earlier depending on availability of applicant. Please send a curriculum vitae and letter of inquiry as email attachments to Professor Lomolino at island@esf.edu; please fill in the subject line as “Island GRA”.

Register for the 5th IBS Conference

2010-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Registration is now OPEN for the 5th Biennial Conference of the International Biogeography Society in Heraklion, Crete, Greece; 7-11 January, 2011

For more information about the conference, and to register, please visit
http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2011/index.html

2010-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Biogeography of Disease
EcoHealth - special feature
http://www.springerlink.com/content/1612-9202/6/4/

This special feature is the outcome of the symposium "The Biogeography of Disease" organized by Sam Scheiner and Kate Morris at the 2009 Meeting of the IBS in Merida, Mexico. The issue includes research covering emerging diseases and more traditional areas of biogeography such as the nature of ecogeographic rules in a suite of 15 articles.

June 2010 issue of Frontiers of Biogeogaphy is now out

2010-07-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Frontiers of Biogeography - the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society (ISSN 1948-6596) is now out:

Volume 2, issue 2, June 2010

You can access it freely at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb/FBv2i2.html.

Also, you can download the full issue as a single PDF [1.7 MB], and/or find particular articles following the corresponding links.

cover

table of contents

news and update

commentary: Scale-dependence of spatial patterns of insect distribution and abundance
T. Newbold (p. 31)

symposium summary: Introduced conifer invasions in South America: an update
A. Pauchard et al. (p. 34)

book review: An integrative overview on alpine habitats
D. Nogués-Bravo (p. 37)

book review: All islands in a large nutshell
R. Field (p. 38)

thesis abstract: In search of the forest primeval: data-driven approaches to mapping historic vegetation
T.D. Fagin (p. 41)

opinion and perspectives

opinion: Habitat data resolution and the detection of species interactions
N. Cooper & J. Belmaker (p. 46)

perspective: Learning new tricks from old trees: revisiting the savanna question
A. Moustakas et al. (p. 47)

membership corner

from the society: The forthcoming 5th IBS International Meeting (Irakleion, Crete, Greece 7-11 Ianuary 2011) is almost here, S. Sfenthourakis & J.-C. Svenning (p. 54)

... Job announcements (p. 56) ... Upcoming meetings (p. 57)

Frontiers of Biogeography is published online by the International Biogeography Society (http://www.biogeography.org/).

You can access all issues freely at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html, where you can also find all editorial information and the instructions for authors.

Job Offer: ARC Super Science Fellows in sea level rise impacts across the biophysical and social sciences (5 positions)

2010-07-08T03:40:00.000-07:00

Global Change Institute
The University of Queensland, Australia

Applications are invited for up to five Super Science Fellows to undertake exciting research on the future impacts of, and responses to, sea level rise on the Australian coastline. International applicants are encouraged to apply. The prestigious ARC Super Science Fellowship scheme targets early career researchers (within three years of completing their PhD) who have a strong track record in research and discovery. The Fellowships are funded through two projects which will explore the impacts of sea level rise on the Australian coastline, and developing decision support, adaptive guidelines and strategies for responses to these impacts.

The Fellowships require expertise in one or more of the following areas (as related to sea level rise and other coastal issues):

1. Spatially explicit modeling;
2. Analysis of wetland or marine ecosystems responses;
3. Economic geography;
4. Urban planning,
5. Legal, policy or governance frameworks.

The Fellowships will be based at the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland headed by Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, and will be supervised by leading international experts from across the relevant disciplines including Peter J Mumby, Hugh Possingham, John Quiggin, Andrew Griffiths, Stuart Phinn, Colin Woodroffe, Sarah Derrington, Catherine Lovelock, and Tiffany Morrison. The five Fellows will be expected to interact closely as group in order to develop multidisciplinary solutions and outcomes for responding to rapid sea level rise. Five Fellows will be offered a full-time position, fixed term for three years from commencement date. Start dates are negotiable, but Fellows applying under Project One will need to start before 31 December 2010.

Applicants should systematically address the selection criteria in their application and indicate the chosen project area on the cover letter.

All documentation can be downloaded from the GCI website at www.gci.uq.edu.au. Having read all the documentation you may then direct any enquiries to Melanie King on email m.king4(at)uq.edu.au. Applications close: 30 July 2010

Prof. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
Director, Global Change Institute, University of Queensland
Please contact research manager: Melanie King on email m.king4(at)uq.edu.au

Ecography Special Issue

2010-06-30T22:37:00.001-07:00

International Biogeography Society, 4th biennial meeting
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117966123/home

Ecography launch a selection of contributions in an special issue which arose from the International Biogeography Society conference (Mérida 2009). The special-IBS issue has 22 papers, plus an editorial by Nogués-Bravo and Rahbek, representing the diversity of current biogeographical research. Classic biogeographical topics as diversification, extinction and migrations are examined in the light of new data and approaches, from molecular to macroecological scales.

Call for papers - "Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation on Wallacea and New Guinea"

2010-06-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

You are invited to submit research papers for possible inclusion in a first volume of the new book series “Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea” (ISBN 978-9984-9768-4-6). The book series will be dedicated to the taxonomy and systematics of freshwater, terrestrial, and marine animals and plants as well as biogeographical, ecological and conservation research of the region of Indo-Australian transition. This book series will be published on a regular base every 2-4 years. Survey and review papers from senior researchers and scientists are welcome.

The first issue will focus on Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands (also known as Nusa Tenggara), the Moluccas, New Guinea (including Raja Ampat, Bismarck and Louisiade archipelagoes), and the Solomon Islands.

Web address of the book: http://leb.daba.lv/book

If you require further information or have enquires, contact the chief editor Dmitry Telnov: anthicus@gmail.com

March issue of Frontiers of Biogeography

2010-03-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Frontiers of Biogeography - the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society (ISSN 1948-6596) is now out:

Volume 2, issue 1, March 2010
You can access it freely at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb/FBv2i1.html.

editorial

Frontiers of Biogeography, a rapid forum for biogeographical advances and debate
J. Hortal & M.N Dawson (p. 1)

news and update

commentary: Ecological complexity at the forest-grassland transition revealed by lake sediment records
D.G. Gavin (p. 2)

commentary: Effects of community invasion across multiple spatial scales
W.P. Pearse (p. 3)

commentary: Is climate change making plants go up mountains?
J.C. Lovett & A. Hemp (p. 5)

update: Feces, fungus, and the fall of megafauna
P.L. Koch (p. 7)

book review: How daisies conquered the world
H. Schaefer (p. 8)

book review: The making of a biogeographer: the life of Jack Briggs
G. Bernardi (p. 9)

thesis abstract:Assessing the effect of land-cover changes on species distributions: application of habitat models to conservation of Mediterranean bird communities
S. Vallecillo (p. 11)

thesis abstract:On the biogeography of vertebrate body size: ecological and evolutionary insights from assemblage-level patterns
M.Á. Olalla-Tárraga (p. 15)

agora

EDIT's Taxonomy and Biodiversity Information Services for Biogeographers
P. Mergen et al. (p. 20)

membership corner

from the society: Robert E. Ricklefs to receive the 2011 Alfred Russel Wallace Award in Crete, F. Smith & R.J. Whittaker; News for the January IBS meeting in Crete 2011, J.-C. Svenning & S. Sfenthourakis (p. 26)

... Job announcements (p. 28) ... Upcoming meetings (p. 28)

Dealing with Diversity Meeting

2010-03-01T02:16:00.000-08:00

British Ecological Society – Tropical Ecology Group meeting and workshop
7-9th April 2010, University of Nottingham

Plenary speakers:
Prof. Anne Chao (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)
Dr Owen Lewis (University of Oxford)
Dr Francis Gilbert (University of Nottingham)

Deadline for abstracts: 10th March
Deadline for registration*: 24th March
* Accommodation is limited so please book early (www.britishecologicalsociety.org/tropical).

Meeting outline
IUCN declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. In response, the Tropical Ecology Group Annual Meeting will focus on the description and analysis of hyper-diverse communities.

7-8th April (note we start at lunch time on 7th April): our 4th annual Early-Career Researchers’ meeting. We will accept talks or posters on the meeting theme or any topic within tropical ecology. Priority will be given to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers. Talks are 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes for questions. Our poster session will be sponsored by Journal of Tropical Ecology. On the second evening we will have a dinner with live Congolese music.

9th April: a one-day workshop introducing techniques for diversity analysis. In the morning Prof. Anne Chao will teach local diversity analysis methods, including various species richness estimators that bear her name, using her SPADE (Species Prediction And Diversity Estimation) software. In the afternoon, Dr Richard Field will teach diversity analysis methods that address spatial autocorrelation, using a series of exercises developed with Prof. Alexandre Diniz-Filho, using the software SAM (Spatial Analysis in Macroecology), developed by Diniz-Filho’s group. (NB Alexandre is unfortunately no longer able to be with us in person.) Delegates are welcome to bring their own data; teaching datasets will also be supplied. The workshops will finish by 6pm.

Costs for delegates will be as follows (students can apply for financial support from BES):
TEG Early-Career Researchers’ Meeting £60
One-day methods workshop £60
Discount for attending both £20
En-suite accommodation £40 per night

Financial support for students from developing countries: the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) has generously offered to provide assistance towards the costs of attendance for students from developing countries (even if based in the UK or EU). If you would like to apply for a grant then please contact the organisers in advance (teg2010(at)nottingham.ac.uk).

For details of abstract submission and registration, or more general enquiries, please see the Tropical Ecology Group website at www.britishecologicalsociety.org/tropical or contact teg2010(at)nottingham.ac.uk.

Crete 2011 dates revised: 7th - 11th January

2010-01-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

The dates for the 5th IBS meeting have been moved one day to 7th - 11th January 2011 (from 6th - 10th), to better accommodate the diverse international calendars of our membership. Please amend your calendars, and we look forward to seeing you in Crete!

Post doctoral position with the 'Rui Nabeiro' Biodiversity Chair

2009-12-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

Post-doctoral research position announcement:

Ensemble forecasting of species distributions under climate change

Starting date: Early 2010 (starting date flexible)
Duration: 36 months
Stipend: EUR 1495-2245 per month plus social security. The stipend value is free from taxation. The upper value is due when the research fellow is doing research abroad.
Other subsidies: EUR 750 per year to participate in scientific meetings and conferences, EUR 1000 for installation, EUR 300-600 for inbound and outbound travelling.

Background
Over the past 100 years, Earth’s climate has become warmer and precipitation regimes have changed. Can we predict the effects of these changes on the distributions of species? Bioclimate models estimate relationships between the distributions of species and climate. However, models are based on some problematic assumptions and studies have shown that projections by alternative models can be so variable as to compromise the simplest assessment of whether species distributions should be expected to contract or expand for any given scenario. Can uncertainty from bioclimate models be reduced? In this research project, approaches to improve existing statistical tools for forecasting effects of global environmental changes on biodiversity will be explored. In particular, alternative approaches to explicitly handle model uncertainties within an ensemble forecasting framework will be investigated.

Key papers for the project
• Araújo, M.B. & New, M. 2007. Ensemble forecasting of species distributions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 42-47
• Araújo, M.B. & Guisan, A. 2006. Five (or so) challenges for species distribution modelling. Journal of Biogeography 33: 1677-1688
• Araújo, M.B. & Rahbek, C. 2006. How does climate change affect biodiversity? Science 313: 1396-1397
• Araújo, M.B., Pearson, R.G., Thuiller, W., & Erhard, M. 2005. Validation of species-climate impact models under climate change. Global Change Biology 11: 1504-1513
• Araújo, M.B., Whittaker, R.J., Ladle, R.J. & Erhard, M. 2005. Reducing uncertainty in extinction risk from climate change. Global Ecology and Biogeography 14: 529-538
• Diniz-Filho, J.A., Bini, L.M., Rangel, T.F.L.B., Loyola, R.D., Hof, C., Nogués-Bravo, D. & Araújo, M.B. 2009. Partitioning and mapping uncertainties in ensembles of forecasts of species turnover under climate changes. Ecography 32: 897-906

Research environment:
The post doctoral research fellow will be associated with ‘Rui Nabeiro’ Biodiversity Chair at the University of Évora and the BIOCHANGE lab at the CSIC National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid. The project also involves collaboration with the Theoretical Ecology Group at the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil. The successful candidate will work jointly with Miguel B. Araújo, Alexandre Diniz-Filho, and Thiago Rangel. The post doctoral researcher will be mainly based in Évora, but he/she is also expected to conduct research with Theoretical Ecology Group in Brazil.

Required background and skills:
Two alternative profiles are acceptable for this post

Profile 1 – PhD in Statistics, Mathematics or Physics. Solid skills in modelling of environmental processes, particularly climate, and/or the statistical analysis of non-linear patterns; good programming skills are desirable.

Profile 2 - PhD in Biology, Ecology, or related fields. Solid background on species distributions modelling, numerical analysis of ecological data, and /or macroecology is required.

Language: English as a first or second language is required.

Publication record: Candidates are expected to have a good publication record in internationally refereed journals.

Application: Send your application by email (catedra-biodiversidade "at" uevora "dot" pt) before the 14th of February 2010. The application must include a cover letter (in English) explaining why you think you are an adequate candidate for the post, a short CV (please no more than 5 pages), external links to five of your most relevant papers, and the names and contacts of two academics that can provide a reference for you.

Mark your calendars for the 5th meeting of the IBS

2009-12-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

The 5th Conference of the International Biogeography Society will be held in Irakleion, Crete, 6th to 10th January, 2011.
For more details please visit the conference website at http://www.biogeography.org/html/Meetings/2011/index.html

December issue of Frontiers of Biogeography

2009-12-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

Frontiers of Biogeography - Volume 1, issue 2 December 2009
http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb/FBv1i2.html

news and update

Bern Convention Group of Experts on European Island Biological Diversity: an international network to preserve island biodiversity 
P.A.V. Borges (p. 35)

Decomposing beta diversity
 N.J. Gotelli (p. 36)

Of refugia and colonization, an innovative use of biogeography for climate studies 
J.H. Thorne (p. 37)

More uncertainty with BIOMOD
N.E. Zimmermann (p. 38)

commentary: Geographic patterns of establishment success among exotic bird populations
P. Cassey (p. 39)

commentary: Colonization of the arctic archipelago Svalbard
I.G. Alsos (p. 41)

commentary: A Darwinian approach to community ecology 
R.P. Freckleton (p. 44)

symposium summary: The importance of being small: does size matter in biogeography? 
D. Fontaneto & J. Brodie (p. 46)

congress summary: EMAPI 10: Bridging approaches to plant invasions
J. Alexander & A. Pauchard (p. 48)

book review: A book for our time 
R. Grenyer (p. 50)

thesis abstract: Potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of freshwater fishes in French streams and uncertainty of projections
 L. Buisson (p. 52)

thesis abstract: Understanding the evolutionary radiation of the mega-diverse Monkey Beetle fauna (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) of South Africa 
J.F. Colville (p. 56)

opinion and perspectives

perspective: Trans-realm biogeography: an immergent interface M.N Dawson (p. 62)

membership corner

from the society: A new membership manager for the IBS - Karen Faller; Nomination of IBS officers (p. 71)

IBS-sponsored events: Conservation biogeography: Integrating biogeography and conservation science in a changing world (p. 72)

from the members: Re-unite Gondwanaland!  H. Adsersen (p. 73)

from the members: Alan Graham awarded for his career (p. 75)

... Job announcements (p. 75) ... Upcoming meetings (p. 76)

2009-12-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Conservation Biogeography: Integrating Biogeography and Conservation Science in A Changing World

The UNESCO is holding an International Year of Biodiversity Science-Policy Conference in Paris during 25-29 January 2010. As part hereof, a conference session dealing with the theme: ‘Conservation Biogeography: Integrating Biogeography and Conservation Science in A Changing World’, will be held, in association with the International Biogeography Society, on day 2 of the Conference, 26 January 2010 (Conveners Robert J. Whittaker and Jens-Christian Svenning).

The International Biogeography Society:

The International Biogeography Society (IBS) was founded as a non-profit organization in 2000 with the following mission:

· Foster communication and collaboration between biogeographers in disparate academic fields - scientists who would otherwise have little opportunity for substantive interaction and collaboration.

· Increase both the awareness and interests of the scientific community and the lay public in the contributions of biogeographers.

· Promote the training and education of biogeographers so that they may develop sound strategies for studying and conserving the world’s biota.

Further information available at: http://www.biogeography.org/

Remit of the Conservation Biogeography Symposium:

Conservation Biogeography has been defined as the application of biogeographical principles, theories, and analyses, being those concerned with the distributional dynamics of taxa individually and collectively, to problems concerning the conservation of biodiversity” It is thus a sub-field of conservation science and of the discipline of biogeography, being concerned with pattern and process over large extents of space (and time), and the insights this subject brings to understanding patterns of biodiversity and the processes that threaten biodiversity in the 21^st century. Conservation Biogeography can contribute to understanding the impacts of habitat loss, climate change, biotic homogenization, and other drivers of biotic change, while also contributing to conservation solutions, and especially to strategic conservation planning.

The aim of the Conservation Biogeography session is to link biogeographic theory and practice to improve the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity – the three main objectives of the CBD. The session will feature a series of prominent biogeographic scientists who will speak on how the long-term, large-scale perspectives provided by the various subfields of biogeography, which collectively provide crucial insights for biodiversity conservation and management:

· Robert J. Whittaker (University of Oxford) “Conservation biogeography: assessment and prospect”

· Jens-Christian Svenning (Aarhus University) “Historical biogeography: implications of long-term macro-scale biodiversity dynamics for conservation”

· Kathy Willis (University of Oxford) “Long-term ecology and conservation science”

· Sara Lourie (McGill University) “Marine conservation biogeography”

· Wilhelm Barthlott (University of Bonn) “Global assessments of plant species richness and endemism: implications for conservation in a changing world”

· Miguel Araújo (CSIC, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid) “Spatial conservation planning and climate change”

· Richard Pearson (American Museum of Natural History) “Predicting species distributional shifts and extinction risk under climate change”

· Josh Donlan (Advanced Conservation Strategies) “Rewilding”

· Vincent Devictor (University of Oxford) “Citizen science and conservation biogeography”

For further information and registration, please see www.unesco.org/en/biodiversity.

Open Positions in Freshwater Biodiversity Research

2009-11-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

5 PostDoc Positions, 2 PhD Positions, 1 Science Officer Position

BioFresh - Biodiversity of Freshwater Ecosystems: Status, Trends, Pressures, and Conservation Priorities - is a large, integrative EU-funded project. BioFresh aims to build a freshwater biodiversity information platform to bring together, and make publicly available, the vast amount of information on freshwater biodiversity currently scattered among a wide range of databases. BioFresh will provide spatially-explicit information on the status and trends of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. Using the data to search for past and present impacts of multiple stressors, the project will significantly improve our ability to predict future responses of freshwater biodiversity and its services to climate and socioeconomic pressures. These responses will be investigated at global, continental and local scale with a focus on European biodiversity. The BioFresh project will start on February 1st, 2010, and has a duration of four years (Coordinator: Klement Tockner; contact: tockner(at)igb-berlin.de; freyhof(at)igb-berlin.de).

We are seeking to fill the following research positions within the frame of the EU-project BioFresh (please contact the listed persons below for further details on the specific open position):

I. IGB, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany (www.igb-berlin.de)

1 PhD-position - Climate Change on Lake Ecosystems Based on Long-Term Records (contact: tockner(at)igb-berlin.de; freyhof(at)igb-berlin.de)
The focus of the research is on climate change impacts on the thermal regime, biodiversity, and effects on the structure and functioning of plankton communities in lakes across Europe. Requirements include a master in biology/ecology, statistics, mathematics, or related fields. The ideal candidates would have excellent skills in statistics, handling of large data sets, along with an interest in combining climatologically and ecological research. Start: from Februray 2010. Duration: 36 months.

1 PostDoc-Position - Global Change Impacts on Freshwater Biodiversity (contact: tockner(at)igb-berlin.de; freyhof(at)igb-berlin.de)
The successful candidate will participate in a collaborative project on the effects of climate change on freshwater biodiversity. Requirements are a PhD in biology/ecology, mathematics, bioinformatics or related fields and a strong publication record. The ideal candidate would have excellent skills in statistics, handling of large data sets, stochastic/mechanistic and/or prognostic modelling and an interest in combining climatologically and ecological research to analyse past and future freshwater biodiversity trends. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 48 months.

II. EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland (www.eawag.ch)

1 PostDoc-Position - Ecosystem Modeling (contact: gessner(at)eawag.ch)
We are looking for a motivated modeler with interest and expertise in ecosystem science, global-change research, or related fields. The specific role of is to develop a modeling framework that helps forecast at large spatial scales the consequences of environmental change (including changes in riverine biodiversity) on litter dynamics and decomposition, which is one of the most fundamental ecosystem processes in forest streams. The ideal candidate has a strong background in the development of numerical ecological models, is familiar with spatially explicit models, interest in collaborative research, and a demonstrated ability to produce high-quality publications. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 18 months.

III. UB, University of Barcelona, Spain

1 PostDoc-Position - Effects of Global Change on Freshwater Biodiversity Patterns (contact: bonada(at)ub.edu)
The candidate will develop predictive models on freshwater species distribution related to climate change (climate envelope modeling) and other human-caused disturbances (eutrophication, land-use change, habitat degradation and invasive species). The study will be focused on the analysis of existing datasets and will cover different catchments in the Mediterranean and Temperate climate regions of Europe. Candidates should have a general background in ecology, biogeography and modeling. Experience on the use of predictive models and knowledge of the management of large databases and is highly advantageous. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 24 months.

IV. Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Fluviaux, France

1 PhD-position – Groundwater Biodiversity Patterns and Trends (contact : malard(at)univ-lyon1.fr, christophe.douady(at)univ-lyon1.fr)
A PhD position is available in the Laboratory of Fluvial Hydrosystem Ecology, Lyon University, France, to identify and analyze distribution patterns of selected groundwater crustaceans (e.g. Asellidae, Proasellus) at a European scale using morphological taxonomy and molecular markers. Applicants should have a graduate degree in ecology and a strong interest in understanding current and historical factors controlling the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems. Skills in molecular ecology, geographical information systems, and biodiversity data base would be appreciated. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 36 months.

V. EDB, University Toulouse 3, France (http://www.edb.ups-tlse.fr/)

1 PostDoc-Position - Determinants of Freshwater Diversity and Impact of Human Disturbance (contact: brosse(at)cict.fr)
This post-doctoral project focuses on the spatial distribution and the determinants of biodiversity of freshwater fish species. The main ecological hypotheses currently under consideration for explaining large scale diversity patterns will be tested using a global database on fish occurrences at the river basin scale. Both taxonomic and functional approaches will be considered. The post-doctoral candidate should have a good background in macroecology, community ecology, functional traits and ecological statistics. Modelling skills and GIS competences will be greatly appreciated. The candidate will also contribute to the database development and to the supervision of master and PhD students on related subjects. Start: from February 2011. Duration: 24 months.

VI. Museum of Natural History in Paris, France

1 PostDoc-Position – Freshwater Macroecology (contact: oberdorf(at)mnhn.fr)
We are seeking a scientist with a strong background in community ecology and ecological modeling. Strong preference will be given to candidates with some research experience at the interface between hydrology, climatology and ecology. The candidate should be interested in working on research questions related to how global changes in environment and climate may impact multi-scale patterns (from local to global) of freshwater diversity (species richness or life-history traits) using vast quantitative databases on species distribution in association with climatologic, hydrologic and ecological information. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 24 months.

VII. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium

1 Science Officer – Establishing a web portal that will provide free and open access to relevant data sources and bioinformatics tools will be developed (contact: hendrik.segers(at)natural sciences.be)
BioFresh seeks an enthusiastic scientist to coordinate the construction of a web-based freshwater biodiversity data portal that will provide access to databases holding diverse information on freshwater biodiversity from a local to a global scale. The science officer will be offered a position equivalent to Data Acquisitions Manager in the Belgian Biodiversity Platform, taking into account the specific tasks and responsibilities connected to the BioFresh project.
The successful candidates will be confided the following tasks (i) network with partners involved in the scientific and outreach tasks of the project, to maximize the relevance of the portal to users, (ii) In collaboration with Biofresh partners, organize and expand the scientific and user network of BioFresh, (iii) prospect for, and engage freshwater biodiversity data custodians and related metadata, (iv) liase between scientists and IT specialists during the development of client-oriented databases, (v) support the development of the BioFresh portal, (vi) promote and represent Biofresh at national and international meetings. Start: from February 2010. Duration: 48 months.

One postdoctoral and two PhD positions at Yale

2009-11-25T01:08:00.000-08:00

Postdoctoral position in Biodiversity Science and Informatics (Biodiversity informatics, Species distribution modeling, GIS, Conservation of East African vertebrates)
Jetz Lab, Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), Yale University
One 2-3 year position is available starting between January and July 2010. We are looking for an expert in the analysis, management, and visualization of large quantities of spatial (and phylogenetic) biodiversity data. Knowledge of the major biodiversity informatics initiatives, the design of relational databases, species distribution modeling, and GIS are required. The successful candidate will likely have deep working knowledge in most of the following: SQL/postgreSQL, PostGIS, ArcGIS, Python, PHP, Java, R. Experience in Unix/Linux will be a benefit. A number of basic or applied research opportunities based on databases in the Lab are possible and will be developed jointly with the successful candidate.
One specific research opportunity is an assessment of the fate of East African terrestrial vertebrates under climate change. This project will include time in the field with collaborators in Kenya, and close interactions with the African Conservation Center, the Natural History Museum in Nairobi, and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
RESEARCH GROUP: In the Jetz Lab, the successful candidate will interact with two PhD students and four postdoctoral fellows. For further information see: http://www.yale.edu/jetz. Yale has a thriving community of postdocs and graduate students in ecology, evolution and global change science. The postdoctoral fellow will benefit from interactions with the EEB Department, the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (http://www.yale.edu/yibs), the Peabody Museum (both physically connected to EEB), the Yale Climate & Energy Institute, and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (http://environment.yale.edu).
APPLICATION: Please email short letter of interest, C.V., and the names and contact details of three referees (ideally all combined in one pdf) to walter.jetz(at)yale.edu – subject line: Biodiversity Postdoc. Submission of at least partial materials before 4 Dec is encouraged. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until late December, or until the position is filled.

PhD Positions in Ecology, Biogeography and Conservation (Jetz Lab)
Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Yale University
Up to two fully-funded PhD positions are available starting Fall 2010. We are interested in students with research experience who are excited about interdisciplinary work spanning a range of ecological scales. Applicants should have a strong interest in combining theory, data analysis and modeling, and potentially fieldwork to address questions in Community ecology, Community phylogenetics, Geographical ecology, Movement ecology, Biodiversity science, Biogeography, and Global change ecology. Our preferred study system is terrestrial vertebrates, but work on other groups (including plants) is possible. The student will be integrated in the department’s thriving graduate program in ecology and evolution and will be able to interact closely with related programs in the neighboring Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Annual stipends are ca. $27k.
RESEARCH GROUP: In the Jetz Lab, the successful candidate will interact with two finishing PhD students and four postdoctoral fellows. For further information see: http://www.yale.edu/jetz. There are excellent additional training opportunities in the EEB Department, the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (http://www.yale.edu/yibs), the Peabody Museum (both physically connected to the EEB Department), and the Yale Climate & Energy Institute - e.g. in GIS, macroecology, phylogenetics, phylogeography, macroevolution, biodiversity science, climate change science, global change ecology, and more.
APPLICATIONS: Please note that applications are due December 4, 2009. For further information see http://www.yale.edu/eeb/grad/index.htm and http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/admissions/index.html

Post-doc position on effects of climate changes on the biodiversity of protected areas in the Barents region

2009-11-23T23:58:00.000-08:00

The position is connected to the Landscape Ecology Group (LEG) at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science (EMG). EMG has about 170 employees including almost 50 PhD students. For more information see the department’s homepage: www.emg.umu.se/en.

The LEG works with large-scale ecology. Among other things, we study landscape processes that are affected by human intervention, including climate change, and provide suggestions on how effects can be avoided or reduced.

The position is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and will be associated to a project about the biodiversity in the Barents region in a future situation with a warmer climate. The project has three major goals: (1) to assess whether the network of protected areas can conserve its species and ecosystem types, (2) to identify the major gaps in terms of providing stepping-stones or migration routes between reserves, and in representing natural variation, (3) to evaluate the economic consequences of alternative conservation strategies aiming at representing biodiversity. The position will start as soon as possible and last for about 20 months. For further information, contact professor Christer Nilsson, EMG (+46-(0)-90-786 60 03), email christer.nilsson(at)emg.umu.se, or associate professor Roland Jansson, EMG (+46-(0)-90-786 95 73), email roland.jansson(at)emg.umu.se.

To qualify for the position you should have a PhD degree or equivalent, preferably not more than 3 years old. You should be an experienced GIS user, and be familiar with nature conservation issues and species movements. Your application, in English, must include a short summary (max. 1 page) of your previous experience, a short description (max. 1 page) of how you could contribute to the research, a curriculum vitae with a list of publications, and names and contact details of three reference persons.

Union information is available from SACO, +46-(0)90-786 53 65, SEKO civil, +46-(0)90-786 52 96 and ST, +46-(0)90-786 54 31. Documents sent electronically should be in MS Word or PDF format. Your complete application, marked with reference number 315-1076-09, should be sent to jobb(at)umu.se (state the reference number as subject) or to the Registrar, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden to arrive January 7, 2010 at the latest.

Lecturership in Biogeography and Biodiversity at Oxford

2009-10-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

We are currently advertising a permanent lectureship position to afforce our biodiversity/biogeography staffing in the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. The deadline is 23rd October.

http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/news/jobs/090917.html

School of Geography and the Environment in association with Jesus College

University Lecturership in Biogeography and Biodiversity
Salary scale: £42,351 - £56,917
The School of Geography and the Environment seek applications for a full-time University Lecturership with expertise in biogeography and biodiversity. The Lecturership is tenable from 1st January 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter and will be held in conjunction with a Tutorial Fellowship at Jesus College.

The main duties of the post-holder will be to engage in research and produce high-quality publications of an international standard in the broad area of biogeography and/or biodiversity (which can include ecology, long-term ecology and conservation), to provide University teaching at graduate and undergraduate level, and to offer graduate supervision and assistance with examination duties. Other key duties include co-operating in the administrative work of the School.

The successful candidate will hold a doctorate in Geography or a closely related scientific field, have a proven track record of high-quality research and list of principal publications at an international level, as well as evidence of imaginative research plans and the potential to lead and manage new research initiatives. S/he should be able to demonstrate expertise relevant to appropriate areas of physical geography. Evidence of inter-disciplinary skills, the ability to teach at both undergraduate and graduate level, and the skills and commitment to become a fully participating member of the School are also essential.

The combined University and College salary will be on a scale up to £56,917.

Further information regarding Jesus College may be found on their website.

Candidates will be considered on the basis of the selection criteria outlined in the further particulars (see http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/news/jobs/090917.html). Alternatively contact the HR Office by email recruitment(at)ouce.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1865 285079.

Frontiers of Biogeography vol 1 issue 1 is now available

2009-09-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

The inaugural issue of Frontiers of Biogeography — the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society (September 2009) is now freely available at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb/FBv1i1.html

Table of contents:

editorial
Frontiers of Biogeography, a new frontier for the IBS, by J. Hortal & M. N Dawson
From the Foundations to the Frontiers of Biogeography, by L.R. Heaney & M. V. Lomolino

news and update
A finer focus on glacial refugia in the Mediterranean region, by A.S. Jump
Updated DIVA program, by J. Fjeldså
From acorns mighty micropockets grow, by L. Hannah
commentary: New insights on a classic topic: The biogeography of Southeast-Asian mammals, by J. Beck
commentary: The geographic consequences of climate change for migratory birds, by F.A. La Sorte
commentary: Towards an efficient management of biological invasions, by N. Roura-Pascual
book review: Science Chic, by M.N. Dawson
workshop summary: Biodiversity Synthesis meeting on the biogeography of Melanesia, by J. Drew

opinion and perspectives
perspective: Phylogeography is not enough: The need for multiple lines of evidence, by A.T. Peterson

profiles
conservation biogeography forum: Neil D. Burguess, interviewed by A. Ahrends
obituary: Professor Chris Humphries (1947—2009), by D. Williams

membership corner
IBS-sponsored events: Latest news from the forthcoming 2011 IBS meeting at Crete
Job announcements, Upcoming meetings

Frontiers of Biogeography is published by the International Biogeography Society. Editorial information, instructions for authors are available at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html.

All future issues will be made available also at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html.

Job Announcement: Postdoctoral positions and PhD studentships within 16 research themes

2009-09-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate — Danish National Research Foundation — University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark

Postdoctoral positions and PhD studentships in Macroecology, Biogeography, Evolution, Population Biology, Oceanographic Processes, Climate, Conservation Biology, and Environmental Economics

A number of positions are available to work within an integrated terrestrial and marine research program addressing fundamental questions on the origin, maintenance, conservation and future of life and biological diversity on Earth.

Candidates should have a strong publication record, relevant analytical and data handling skills, and an ability to communicate within a research team. Competitive salaries are offered.
Fuller descriptions of individual positions within 16 themes are at http://www.bio.ku.dk/om/jobs. Application must be based on the full description of the positions, and submitted before 31 of October. For enquiries about the program, contact Professor Carsten Rahbek, crahbek(at)bio.ku.dk.

Job Announcement: Full Professorships

2009-09-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

Utrecht University is a place of learning that offers many widely varying disciplines. Where different areas meet or overlap, the developments are particularly interesting. At Utrecht University science never stops. Nor will your development.
Utrecht University urgently seeks applicants who can easily identify with this open, dedicated and multidisciplinary culture. The Department of Biology (Faculty of Science) invites candidates to apply for the permanent positions of:

Full professor Ecology & Biodiversity
The chair in Ecology & Biodiversity is part of the Institute of Environmental Biology (IEB) and contributes to the University’s focus area ‘Earth and Sustainability'. The central theme of the IEB is 'Biological Mechanisms and Biodiversity in Relation to Climate Change'. This chair is one of the few that has biodiversity as the central object of study, integrating its regulation and its consequences. As full professor, you will direct a research group and a scientific program in the field of plant ecology and biodiversity. In particular, you will focus on the up-scaling of ecological processes with an innovative combination of theoretical and empirical studies.
For additional information, please contact the Chairman of the Appointment Committee: Prof Dr A.F. Lotter, e-mail: a.f.lotter(at)uu.nl, tel. +31 30 253 2629 (secretary)

Full professor Cellular Dynamics
The new chair of Cellular Dynamics is positioned in the Institute of Biocomplexity and Bioinformatics and in the University’s focus area ‘Life Sciences & Biocomplexity’, which harbours groups with strong expertise in cell biology, live imaging, molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and computational modelling. This focus area strives to integrate structural biology, dynamic data acquisition in model organisms and computational biology in order to unravel basic principles of
biological networks. As full professor, you will direct a research group and scientific program in the field of Cellular Dynamics.
For additional information, please contact the Chairman of the Search Committee: Prof Dr Ben Scheres, e-mail: B.Scheres(at)uu.nl, telephone +31 30 253 3133 or +31 30 253 4230.

Qualifications
Candidates must have a PhD and an excellent track record in the desired field of research and proven ability to obtain extramural funding for research and contribute to, and provide leadership in collaborative research programs. You have experience and enthusiasm for teaching and student supervision as well as experience and leadership in shaping the curriculum and further development of programs at the BSc, Msc, and PhD level. You play an active role in leading (national and international) activities in the area of the chair and/or social
communities.
We offer a permanent position as full professor at 1,0 fte. The gross salary ranges between € 4,904.- and € 7,142.- per month.
The deadline for applications is 22 September 2009.
Please visit www.uu.nl/vacancies for the complete job descriptions

Frontiers of Biogeography is out!

2009-09-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

The inaugural issue of Frontiers of Biogeography — the scientific magazine of the International Biogeography Society is published today. Downloads available at http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb.html (whole issue) http://www.biogeography.org/html/fb/FBv1i1.html (individual articles)

Discounts at UC Press

2009-09-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

UC Press is currently offering discounts to people living and purchasing in the US, including titles such as the "Encyclopedia of Islands" (available at almost 1/2 its retail price) and other UC Press titles (discounted up to 70%). go.ucpress.edu/bigsale. Please use discount code 10M9352

If you like this or other UC Press biogeography titles but are not living/buying in the US, let us know (blog here, or better still tweet at http://twitter.com/Biogeography) and we'll try to arrange discounts for the 2011 meeting.

Job announcement: 2-year postdoc project

2009-09-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark
Supervisor: Professor Jens-Christian Svenning
Topic: What determines the global patterns of palm species diversity?

The postdoc candidate is expected to provide cutting-edge expertise in macroecological analyses and to have strong collaborative skills. Applicants should preferably have a PhD degree from a university outside Denmark.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Union, but is expected to be in the vicinity of 520.000 DKK ~ 69.000 Euros per year (before tax).

The position is officially announced at http://science.au.dk/en/positions-and-fellowships/academic-positions/, where you will also find a link to the online application facility. The application deadline is October 19, 2009. If you apply, please also send an email to Professor Jens-Christian Svenning (svenning(at)biology.au.dk).

2009-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Bite-size biogeography at
https://twitter.com/biogeography