PhD Biodiversity responses to regenerative livestock practices

Department

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Organisation

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, University of Groningen, V25.0026

Job description

In the project you will: 1) Use existing and collect new data to develop spatially explicit habitat suitability models for indicator forest and grassland bird species, sensitive to regenerative practices and landscape spatial configuration in Espinal woodlands in Argentina, 2) validate the performance and explore scenarios with stakeholders using the species-specific habitat suitability model in farms with conventional and regenerative livestock management practices, 3) link habitat requirements for indicator bird species with socio-economic and productive indicators at farm scale in farmer collectives (trade-offs analysis). A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted to investigate the relationship between regenerative livestock practices and habitat requirements for indicator bird species. Species-specific responses to vegetation changes will be explored on farms with varying grazing intensities and management practices, building on previous research. Results will be discussed with farmers to guide collective decision-making and inform policy recommendations.

Research environment
Research will be first mainly performed during the first 19 months in the Conservation Ecology group at the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), to be followed for the next 29 months mainly at INTA, Paraná Agricultural Experimental Station (EEA), Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina, with field work across Argentina.

This is position AR-PhD1 of the Curvebend program (https://sites.google.com/rug.nl/curvebend) in which 8 PhD students and 2 postdocs across 9 institutions will collaborate to investigate how to restore biodiversity and promote a nature-positive society through mobilisation of collective action at the landscape level - a program working on three continents worldwide with a focus on livestock-dominated landscapes.

Organisations
Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programs and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 34,000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents. As one of the best research universities in Europe, the University of Groningen has joined forces with other top universities and networks worldwide to become a truly global center of knowledge.

The Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria (INTA) based in Buenos Aires, Argentina is a research institute of the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries department of the Ministry of Economy of the government of Argentina. Through research and extension, INTA contributes to the innovation and sustainable development of the agricultural, agri-food and agro-industrial sectors in Argentina.

Requirements

We are looking for a motivated and skilled student with a MSc degree in Biology or related disciplines such as Ecology, Environmental or Agricultural sciences. Basic knowledge of remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), and the R statistical program is appreciated, as well as background or interest in participatory and social methods. The successful candidate should have a strong commitment to transdisciplinary research and willingness to travel and reside intermittently between the Netherlands and Argentina. Good verbal and written communication skills in Spanish and English (TOEFL iBT 90+ level or equivalent) are required. Knowledge and experience on the target production systems is an advantage.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 months.

For the University of Groningen part of the position (first 19 months) we offer you, following the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

- A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year, and € 3,707 gross per month in the last year for a full-time working week.
- A holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income and an 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance.
- A full-time (1.0 FTE) position for 19 months, first, you will get a temporary position of one year with the option of renewal for another 7 months; prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that successful completion of the PhD thesis within four years is to be expected. A PhD training program is part of the agreement and you will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

For the subsequent 29 months of the position affiliated with INTA, Argentina, INTA offers you an allowance of € 1,000 per month.

Starting date: 1 May 2025

Job Application

Please add the relevant vacancy number as indicated above in your application and include a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, and contact information of three academic referees. You can apply for this position until 13 February 11:59pm / before 14 February 2025 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). The position will remain open until filled. In addition to applying through the APPLY button, it is also required to also fill in the Expression of Interest form before 31 January 2025, 14:00pm Dutch local time (CET). The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/ Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code We provide career services for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen. Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Additional information

For additional information, please contact:

Noelia Calamari
[email protected]

Sonia Canavelli
[email protected]

Pablo Tittonell
[email protected]

In your application, please always include the job opening ID V25.0026

Extra informatie kan worden verkregen via een van de volgende links:

Expression of Interest form

Digital application form