Mots-Clés

biodiversity, quantitative ecology, modelling, marine diversity

Description

Post-doctoral fellowship – 47 months

B-USEFUL: User-oriented Solutions for Improved Monitoring and Management

of Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in vulnerable European Seas

1) Context and objectives

Putting Europe’s threatened marine biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 requires well informed science advice and operational decision-support tools allowing end-users to formulate management plans and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation actions for biodiversity protection, notably with regards to marine protected areas (MPAs). This in order to halt biodiversity loss and protect vulnerable ecosystems while ensuring their capacity to provide services vital to society and the environment (e.g., food provisioning and climate regulation). The B-USEFUL project (Figure 1), co-led by Martin Lindegren and Brian R. MacKenzie (DTU AQUA, Denmark), will contribute to achieve the ambitious policy goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 by developing user-oriented tools and solutions to monitor, assess and protect marine biodiversity, effectively building and improving upon existing European data infrastructures and governance frameworks. To that end, B-USEFUL will provide evidence-based guidance for ecosystem-based management in general and marine spatial planning (MSP) in particular to ensure protection and recovery of biodiversity and the sustainable use of European marine resources.

The overarching goal of B-USEFUL is to co-develop a set of user-oriented solutions and decision-support tools allowing end-users to identify and visualize areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services in order to prioritize conservation efforts in biodiversity hotspots, or other high-risk areas requiring a stricter degree of protection. To achieve this overall goal B-USEFUL will pursue the following objectives serving to inform and improve marine management and governance frameworks for biodiversity protection in European Seas within the broader context of ecosystem-based management and marine spatial planning:

1. Develop a set of operational biodiversity indicators and targets fitting end-user needs and policy goals

2. Assess the status and cumulative impacts on marine biodiversity and their associated services

3. Identify sensitive species, habitats and ecosystems particularly vulnerable to cumulative human impacts and biodiversity loss

4. Simulate the status of biodiversity and their associated services under various future scenarios of climate change and human pressures

5. Co-develop interactive, online decision-support tools fit for informing marine spatial planning

The aim of this post-doc research position is to contribute to the above complementary objectives in collaboration with the B-USEFUL consortium for the overall studied area, and with a particular focus on the Western Mediterranean case study (Figure 1). 

This project involves skills in quantitative methods (e.g. biodiversity indices/indicators, GLM/GAM, machine learning, joint-species distribution model, structural equation model), as well as in theoretical and applied ecology.

Figure 1:  Work packages and case studies of the B-USEFUL project, in which the post-doctorate will be involved, notably for the Western Mediterranean case study.

The post-doctorate will be contracted by the University of Montpellier (UM), and will work at the UMR MARBEC “Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation” mainly with Dr. Bastien Mérigot (lead of the Western Mediterranean case study), and will be located at the Ifremer Station, Sète (France). The project involves collaborations with scientists among 11 countries participating to the B-USEFUL project: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, UK, Iceland, Denmark, Deutschland, Netherlands and Norway.

Clusters for modeling are available through the MBB “Montpellier Bioinformatics and Biodiversity” platform. A personal computer for the post-doctorate will be provided. Travel (meetings, congress) and publication fees will be also covered.

2) Outcomes

In addition to contribute to the development of operational decision-support tools for end-users, at least four research articles in international scientific journals are planned, each related to WPs of the B-USEFUL project (Figure 1), notably WP3 “Biodiversity status and cumulative impacts” (2 articles), (ii) WP4 “Risk and vulnerability” (1 article), (iii) WP5 “Forecasting and scenario simulations” (1 article).

3) Skills and requirements

The candidate is required to have a PhD in quantitative ecology, statistics or computer science. Her/his skills cover theoretical and applied community ecology, with strong abilities in biostatistics and modelling.

R language skills should be already acquired.

4) Salary

A maximum growth salary of 2584€/month – net salary 2076€/month, i.e. INM 564 for 2-years and 10 months after PhD defense.

5) Period of contract

The post-doc will start 28 October 2022. Due to administrative modalities, a first contract will be done for 24 months, which then could be pursue for 23 months, i.e. 47 months in total.

The kick-off meeting of the B-USEFUL project will take place the 2-4th November 2022 at Copenhagen, Denmark.

6) Location

UMR MARBEC « Marine Biodiversity, Conservation & Exploitation » at Sète, France.

7) Application

Please send your CV, motivation letter, as well as a maximum of 2 recommendation letters to Dr. Bastien Mérigot bastien.merigot@umontpellier.fr

Dead line of application: 25 September 2022