PhD Position: Spatial Genetic Structure and Carbon Sequestration in Bornean Tropical Forests, Zurich

August 13, 2010

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PhD Position in Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Switzerland
Job Description: Tropical trees species are threatened by deforestation, which also accounts for an estimated 17% of global carbon emissions. Forest preservation can thus both conserve forest tree species and the carbon they contain. Effective conservation strategy requires an understanding of the processes underlying plant population viability, including reproduction, dispersal and genetic structure. There are indications that such processes correlate with wood density, providing the foundation by which carbon storage and population viability might be integrated within a single ecological framework.
This project seeks to quantify and evaluate the strength of relationships between wood density, reproductive traits, gene dispersal and spatial genetic structure of dipterocarp trees in Borneo, with a view to informing policy and management practice on forest restoration and carbon sequestration.
Specifically this project aims to:
1. Determine relationships between seed size, seed dispersal and wood density across a range of dipterocarp species.
2. Evaluate degree of spatial aggregation across tree size classes and correlate this to fruit traits (wing loading, seed size) and environmental variables (soil associations).
3. Conduct analyses of spatial genetic structure for 10 Shorea species with contrasting reproductive traits and wood density.
4. Evaluate the impact of changes in tree density due to forest fragmentation and degradation on genetic diversity along a wood density gradient.
This project will be conducted in close collaboration with the Sabah Forest Department and the Sepilok Forest Research Institute. The results of this work have application for tropical forest conservation, management and restoration across Southeast Asia.
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Jaboury Ghazoul, Dr. Chris Kettle (ETH Zurich) and Dr David Burslem (University of Aberdeen).
Requirements: We are seeking highly motivated applicants, with a desire to work on Tropical Forest ecology as part of a dynamic team.
Essential requirements:
i. Good BSc and MSc degrees in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Population Genetics or other similarly relevant field.
ii. Very good spoken and written English.
Highly desirable:
i. Experience of working in tropical field conditions.
ii. Prior experience of molecular lab work.
iii. Quantitative and statistical expertise.
iv. Independence and self-reliance.
v. Spoken and written German.
Knowledge of spoken and written Malay would also be advantageous

Conditions of Employment: Three years appointment at ETH Zurich. Starting salary around 40,000 CHF per year. The successful candidate should expect to spend periods of fieldwork at Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
The position is open to suitable candidates of all nationalities.
Application: Please send a letter of motivation, full CV and names and addresses of two academic referees to Ms. A. Chen by e-mail [info.em(at)env.ethz.ch] by 1st October 2010. All applications must include “PSC application” in the subject line. Only electronic applications with the above mentioned documents will be accepted.

For Further Information

Scholarship Tags: Ecology, Environmental sciences, Genetic, International, Zurich