Postdoctoral position in seabird ecology/spatial ecology

We have a vacant postdoctoral position in seabird and fish ecology. The position is part of the SEATRACK project, which aims to map the year-round distribution of 16 seabird species in the North Atlantic and understand how changes in environmental conditions affect their demography and population trajectories. It is based on the use of light-level loggers to map seabird movements outside the breeding season. The project is funded by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Norwegian Environmental Agency, the Ministry of Energy, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and Offshore Norway, as well as 16 energy companies. It is led by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and partners in 15 countries. For more information, see: https://seapop.no/en/seatrack/.

This is a fixed termed position for 2,5 years in our section for terrestrial ecology and seabirds at NPI’s research department. The section carries out monitoring and research within the fields of terrestrial ecology and seabird ecology, with a focus on how changes in climate, environmental conditions and human activity affect plant, animal and bird populations in the Arctic and Antarctic.

Your workplace will be Tromsø, Norway. You will be part of a team of researchers from NPI and NINA and collaborate closely with other Norwegian and foreign researchers participating in the project. Some travel to meetings, workshops, and participation in fieldwork may be expected.

Work assignments:

The main tasks for this postdoctoral position are:

• identify potential prey species for seabirds in the North Atlantic throughout the year
• study the distribution of seabirds’ prey in relation to other ecosystem components and environmental parameters, and assess how these affect the distribution of seabirds
• develop scenarios predicting future prey distributions as a result of climate change and evaluate the subsequent impacts on seabird distribution

We would like you to concentrate your work on large-scale studies encompassing multiple species and locations with a focus on the non-breeding period.

Qualifications:

You must hold a PhD in ecology or marine biology. A Norwegian doctorate or an equivalent doctorate degree from a foreign university is required. If you have not yet completed your dissertation, you are still welcome to apply, but then you must document that your doctoral work has been submitted for assessment before the application deadline for the position. An approved doctoral thesis is a prerequisite for employment.

In addition to holding a PhD, you must have experience with quantitative ecology, spatial analysis, and proficiency in R or Python.

It is an advantage if you have:

• experience in fish biology or seabird ecology, including the use of tracking technology for studies of area use
• experience with models and simulations of marine species distribution, as well as familiarity with relevant data for these in the North Atlantic and the Arctic
• fieldwork experience in polar regions and a strong publication record appropriate to career level

Applicants should have good collaboration skills while also being able to work in a structured and independent manner.

Good oral and written knowledge of English is required. Our working language is Norwegian, so knowledge of Norwegian will carry weight in the assessment. If you do not speak Norwegian, you are expected to complete a Norwegian course during the first two years of your employment since communication in Norwegian will be important for both you and the institute. We pay for courses that are completed successfully.

We offer:

• Interesting and exciting work tasks in a highly international research environment.
• Salary according to the Norwegian State salary code 1352 postdoctoral research fellow (2% is deducted to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund).
• Field and cruise pay according to national and local agreements.
• Membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The membership includes many benefits, such as lifetime retirement pension, the right to financial support if you become ill or disabled, financial support for your family if something happens to you in our service, insurance against occupational injury/illness, as well as good mortgage terms.
• Membership in our staff association, which among other things has its own cabin and facilitates various social gatherings.

The position as postdoctoral research fellow is defined as a recruitment position, and the main objective of such positions is to qualify for work in senior academic positions. Postdoctoral research fellow positions are primarily intended for researchers who are the beginning of their careers. No one may be appointed to more than one fixed-term period as a postdoctoral research fellow at the same institution in Norway.

We believe a diverse work force is a strength, and want employees with different skills, subject combinations, life experience and perspectives. If you are qualified for the position, you are welcome to apply regardless of your gender, age, cultural background, disabilities, or gaps in your CV. We also accommodate special needs in the workplace, if needed. There are special health requirements for this position that could limit our possibilities to accommodate special needs in the workplace.

Tromsø and the surrounding area have excellent conditions for experiencing the midnight sun, polar night, Northern lights, varied outdoor activities and a lively cultural and entertainment environment. Tromsø is situated at nearly 70°N with just about 75.000 residents. The city is an expanding centre for research, with numerous governmental and private research institutions and a major well-established university.

Applications:

Your application must be submitted in Jobbnorge. The application should include details of your relevant qualifications and experience, attachments, CV, publications list, copies of your transcripts and names of three references. Please, do not include copies of publications or other works in the application, but note that this may be requested later in the process.

The position has been announced in both Norwegian and English. In the case of differences of meaning between the texts, the Norwegian text takes precedence.

We collaborate with Semac (www.semac.no) on electronical reference interviews and background checks to ensure a good recruitment process. This helps ensure that we recruit the right expertise and contribute to a fair evaluation of the applicants. The background check often consists of verification of information provided in the application, CV, diploma, etc.

All applications are handled in confidentiality until the application deadline. Thereafter, a public list of applicants will be prepared. Applicants who wish to reserve their applications from the public list must give reasons for this in their applications. Information about an applicant can be made public even if the applicant has requested that they be excluded from the public list of applicants, cf. Freedom of Information Act, Section 25, 2nd paragraph.

About us:

The Norwegian Polar Institute is a directorate under the auspices of the Ministry of Climate and Environment and has approximately 160 employees located in Tromsø, Svalbard and Antarctica. The institute is the main strategic adviser for the Norwegian State in polar issues, represents Norway internationally with respect to polar sciences and management committees and processes, and is Norway’s environmental authority in Antarctica.