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Call for a posdoc researcher in freshwater (rivers) ecology, specifically understanding ecosystem functioning and the patterns of alteration created by anthropogenic activities
We are seeking an enthusiastic candidate with a strong interest in freshwater (rivers) ecology, with a specific understanding of ecosystem functioning and the patterns of alteration created by anthropogenic activities. The candidate will join the Freshwater Ecosystems Research Group of IHCantabria where we are seeking for a young and motivated researcher who can complement and strengthen our position in the field of river ecosystem functioning.
The candidate will be involved in a recently awarded project “Global effects of hydrological alteration in the functional state of large rivers (GANGES – Phase 1)”.
One of the main research interests of the Freshwater Ecosystem Group is the understanding of how the presence of dams threatens the ecological integrity of large rivers, aiming to generate new knowledge that enables the definition of proper management actions to improve large river’s integrity. Our research and applied science encourage the need to address the challenges that humanity faces regarding the integrity of freshwater under largescale perspective, which is now feasible by increasingly available time series data and novel modelling techniques. In this regard, the proliferation of reliable river functioning monitoring data at national/continental level and its combination with Earth Observation and optical approaches brings an undeniable opportunity to answer several critical scientific questions.
The candidate will be involved in the research of largescale patterns of river ecosystem metabolism (REM) including:
1) Review of existing metabolism databases in large rivers and hydrological and environmental characterization of available sites.
2) Optimization, adaptation and implementation of specific tools and codes for the calculation of river metabolism.
3) Development of a classification of functionality regime typologies according to the spatio-temporal variability of the REM and understanding of the main hydrological and environmental patterns that influence this variability.
4) Analysis of the effects that dams have on the functionality regimes of a selection of large rivers.
The candidate will have an intense collaboration with the other researchers of the Freshwater Ecosystem Research Group and other scientific areas of IHCantabria. He/she will have especial collaboration with researchers involved in the Earth Observation and optical field, which will allow for the production a joint result aimed at linking the functional and optical states of large rivers.
The successful candidate is expected actively to participate in the Freshwater Ecosystem’s Research Program and to take part in interdisciplinary collaborations. In this regard, IHCantabria is a highly interdisciplinary research institute with research programs within such fields as coastal ecosystems, marine and climate change, hydraulic engineering or oceanography, estuaries and water quality, among other.
More information about this call, and how to apply