PhD-Postdoc Position Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France

April 30, 2008

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Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Laboratoire d?Ecologie Alpine (LECA)
Grenoble, France

Description

The functional Traits and Dynamic of Ecosystems (TDE) group is looking
for a highly motivated PhD student or postdoc associate to take part
in the ANR funded project DIVERSITALP (Forecasting the impacts of
global changes on French Alpine Flora: distribution of specific,
functional and phylogenetic diversities, simulations and conservation
strategies).
Although there is now convincing evidence of ongoing climatic change
and its impacts of life on Earth, one major limitation impeding the
use of models for implementing sound management plans and adaptation
strategies to forthcoming global changes is that the mechanisms
structuring the distribution of species, functional and phylogenetic
diversities are loosely known. This is particularly the case in Alpine
ecosystem.

The PhD student or postdoc will have to investigate the mechanisms
that shape plant community structure in the Alpine Region by
quantifying the relative importance of niche-based processes (habitat
filtering vs competitive exclusion) and neutral processes. To do so,
mechanisms of plant communities? assemblage and biodiversity
maintenance will be studied in the light of species? environmental
niche (climatic, soil, topographic), functional traits (? and ? niche
traits) and phylogenetic relationships. Theoretical models will have
to be constructed and tested on existing data. Experimental studies
using mesocosmes could be envisaged.

Supervision
Dr. Wilfried Thuiller
Dr. S?bastien Lavergne

Education
MSc/PhDin ecology, community and theoretical ecology or related discipline

Qualification Strong background in community ecology, phylonenetic
analyses and species co-existence models. Strong motivation for
theoretical and applied studies. Excellent English writing skills.
Willingness to work in a team.
Excellent knowledge of statistics and mathematics under R and Scilab
plateforms.

Duration
3 years for a PhD
2 years for a Postdoc

Collaborators to the project
Dr. Nicolas Mouquet (Univ. Montpellier, France)
Dr. David Mouillot (Univ. Montpellier, France)
Dr. J?rome Chave (Univ. Toulouse, France)

Deadline for application
September 2008.

Contact person Send your application, including CV, names of three
reference persons and a brief statement to:

Dr. Wilfried Thuiller (wilfried.thuiller@ujf-grenoble.fr)
Dr S?bastien Lavergne (sebastien.lavergne@ujf-grenoble.fr)
Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR-CNRS 5553
Universit? J. Fourier
BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
Tel: +33 (0)4 76 63 54 53

–
Dr. Wilfried Thuiller
Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, UMR-CNRS 5553
Universit? J. Fourier
BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
Tel: +33 (0)4 76 63 54 53
Fax: +33 (0)4 76 51 42 79

Email: wilfried.thuiller@ujf-grenoble.fr
Home page: http://www.will.chez-alice.fr
Website: http://www-leca.ujf-grenoble.fr/equipes/tde.htm

Scholarship Tags: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France, PhD, Position, Postdoc