Two postdoc positions in tundra data synthesis on Team Shrub at the University of British Columbia

Deadline: February 15, 2025

Team Shrub walking across a new thaw slump. Photo: Elias Bowman.

One postdoc will lead ITEX phenology syntheses including the integration of phenocam and below-ground data as a part of the Canada Excellence Research Chair Project on the global change ecology of northern ecosystems. The other postdoc will join the European Research Council Resilience project to look at spatial patterning in tundra ecosystems and how they might influence resilience in the face of global change.

You can read more about our research on our website: https://teamshrub.com/

There will be opportunities for fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic and potentially elsewhere as a part of both of these positions. The two postdocs will join the teams for these two projects based at the University of British Columbia and will have the opportunity to work with collaborators in North America and Europe and across the ITEX network. These postdocs will join current UBC postdoc Jeremy Borderieux who is leading new data syntheses with the ITEX plant composition data focusing on community assembly and spatial patterning as a part of the Resilience Project and the recruited Tundra Time postdoc at the University of Edinburgh (see below).

You can check out the positions and apply at the following links:

Postdoctoral Position: Plant phenology change over time across spatial scales

Postdoctoral Position: Spatial patterning and ecological resilience across the tundra biome

If you are interested in the Tundra Time postdoc at UEdinburgh, you can find that job advertised here.

NordBorN session at the EGU 2025!

We’d like to invite you to submit an abstract to our new session in Biogeosciences programme group: BG3.20 Borealization of tundra ecosystems at the EGU General Assembly 2025 (27 April–2 May 2025). Both on-site and online attendance is possible!

Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems are changing fast in response to ongoing climate change and increased human pressures linked to land use changes. One observed phenomenon in response to these changes is the northward and upward shift in the distribution of temperate or boreal species from southerly latitudes or lower elevations, a process known as borealization. Examples of tundra borealization include the encroachment of woody species, the spread of non-native species, and changes in the composition of plant, animal and microbial communities. Borealization also alters the trophic and functional structure of ecosystems, changes landscape structure and impacts ecosystem processes such as the strength of carbon sink and sources.
This session aims to address the drivers, processes, and consequences of the borealization of tundra ecosystems, as well as its quantification from the perspectives of different disciplines, such as biogeography, remote sensing, (historical) ecology, and forest sciences. Multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are particularly welcome.

If you have any questions about abstract submission, please visit https://www.egu25.eu/programme/how_to_submit.html

PhD position in remote sensing at UEF

Deadline: November 10, 2024

We are looking for a highly motivated and skilled PhD researcher to join the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies at the University of Eastern Finland, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Miguel Villoslada.

Amid the ongoing shifts in Arctic ecosystems driven by climate change, Finland has recently experienced significant outbreaks of the Common heath moth (Ematurga atomaria), severely impacting crowberry-dominated heath tundra ecosystems in Lapland. These events raise critical ecosystem management questions: When and where did the outbreaks start? How quickly are they spreading? What are the precise extents of affected areas? And most importantly, have the outbreaks caused substantial changes in ecosystem functions and services? Simultaneously, recent research indicates an increase in the dominance and biomass of crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) in various locations across the Arctic. This evergreening process may have deep implications in essential ecosystem functions. The overarching aim of the PhD project is addressing the complex interplay between browning and greening processes in heath tundra ecosystems, through the lens of multi-platform remote sensing.

The PhD project will integrate advanced remote sensing techniques, drone imagery, and in-situ data collection to deliver insights about the dynamics the defoliation outbreak. The successful PhD applicant will combine state-of-the art in-situ data (chlorophyll content, soil moisture and temperature, vegetation composition, GHG data, and field hyperspectral imagery) with multispectral drone imagery and various satellite products. Among the analysis tools used in the project, the applicant will apply machine and deep learning, time series and change detection analysis, and species distribution models, among others.

The PhD researcher will be based at the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland, at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, and will be supervised by Miguel Villoslada, working closely with other members of Digital Geosciences research group. The deadline for applications is November 10, 2024. The position will be filled starting from 1 January 2025, or as agreed, for a fixed term of three years. The position is full-time. A probationary period is applied to new members of the staff.

The salary of the position is based on the salary system for the teaching and research staff of Finnish universities. The salary consists of a job-related salary element and a personal salary element. In this position, the job-related salary element is based on level 2–4 of the job requirement level chart (EUR 2,225.83 – 2,775.28), and the personal salary element is 6–50% of the job-related salary element. In the position of a Doctoral Researcher, the salary is determined based on the stage of doctoral research and doctoral studies, as well as on personal performance.

More information on the application process and the application submission can be found following this link.

Please do not hesitate to contact Miguel Villoslada (miguel.villoslada@uef.fi) if you have any questions.