Postdoctoral position in Biology

Sapere Aude—dare to be wise—is our motto. Our students and employees develop knowledge and expertise that enrich both people and the world around them. Our academic environment is characterised by curiosity, courage and perseverance. Gender equality, diversity and a democratic approach form the foundation of our organisation. We are located in an active and scenic region and we promote sustainable development in close collaboration with the wider society.
 
Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1,400 employees and 17,300 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika.
 
More information at: kau.se/en/work-with-us

Description

Due to the postdoctoral appointment’s nature as a career-development position for junior researchers, we are looking for candidates who have completed their PhD no more than three years before the application deadline.

The department of Environmental and Life Sciences at the Faculty of Health, Science and Technology include the subjects Biology and Geomatics. The subject of Biology is a vibrant workplace with students, staff and visitors from many different countries. We are a staff of around 40 people and offers a Degree of Bachelor, Degree of Master and Master of Science in Secondary Education in Biology and Science. Biology also offers doctoral studies and currently has 18 doctoral students enrolled. Our main research areas are ecology, evolution and biology education. Ecology research is mainly conducted by the River Ecology and Management Research Group (RivEM) and includes fundamental and applied research on lakes, rivers and streams, as well as their catchment areas. The department offers excellent conditions for aquatic ecology research with access to an aquarium facility with artificial streams, technical support and field material, among other things. Research is primarily focused on sustainable use of natural resources that is mutually beneficial to human society and nature. This includes research areas such as the effects of hydropower on aquatic and terrestrial environments, invasive species and endangered fish and invertebrate species. Many research projects are carried out in collaboration with stakeholders from industry, government agencies, professional organizations and land owners. You can find more information about us and our research on our websites: kau.se/en/biology and kau.se/en/nrrv.

Duties

We are now looking for a postdoc to work in the project Uncovering causes of salmon recovery in a hydropower regulated river – a new modelling approach. The work focuses on development of an integral projection model, based on riverscape recruitment theory, to quantify and evaluate the effectiveness of different conservation measures in the River Klarälven. Primary duties include:

• Coordinate with local agencies, hydropower companies, and stakeholders to compile data concerning hydrology, geomorphology, salmon biology, and riverine environmental conditions within the Klarälven.
• Plan and organize an international workshop focused on salmon population modelling, river restoration, and management strategies.
• Build a customized sampling raft suitable for multi-day expeditions. And then conduct a 30-kilometer longitudinal river sampling survey while supervising field assistants and technical staff.
• Analyse datasets and publish papers in internationally recognized journals with a focus on reproducibility. Papers that rely on reusable R-coding will be expected to be published as stand-alone R programming packages.

Secondary duties include to, (1) in addition to international collaboration within the project and its partners, collaborate with the Swedish Centre for Sustainable Hydropower (SVC) for a mutual exchange; (2) contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, you are expected to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community at Karlstad University.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in biology, preferably with a focus on modelling stream fish and their habitat in regulated rivers, or have equivalent qualifications from abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The candidate must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline.

Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/assignment of relevance to the appointment.

Good oral and written communication skills in English, and at least some basic knowledge in Swedish including a willingness to learn more Swedish. Driver’s license and boat driver’s license is also required.

Assessment criteria

Special weight will be given to:

• ability and experience to attract external funding in competition
• programming skills in R that encompass r package development
• competence and experience in Bayesian statistical models, mathematical population ecology models, and multivariate analysis
• expert knowledge of GIS and experience with using remote sensing products
• quantitative ecology training that complements and enriches the RivEM’s research orientations, for example through new methods and approaches

Considerable weight will be given to:

• personal qualities such as the ability to cooperate with local stakeholders, show good communication skills with diverse interest groups as well as a positive attitude towards colleagues and students
• ability to independently lead, manage, and complete large collaborative academic papers
• capacity to think strategically about project needs, apply a broad and interdisciplinary perspective, and adapt project goals to unexpected challenges
• proven expertise to plan, organize and prioritize complex project objectives in a structured and efficient manner
• ability to collaborate both within the academic community and with external partners, as well as disseminating research findings to various groups in society
• the extent of the applicant’s international and national networks relevant to the position

Weight will be given to:

• Recognised or distinguished teaching and assessment skills
• Completed course(s) in higher education pedagogy

Terms

Fixed-term full-time employment of 3 years, starting at xx/xx 2024. The employment assumes that the applicant brings their own external project funding equivalent to a 100% employment for three years.

Application

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:

• CV
• cover letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and research interests in relation to the duties of the position
• list of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• copy of PhD degree or information on when it is expected to be completed
• copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
• account of language skills
• two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:

Karlstads universitet

HR-administratör

651 88 Karlstad

State the reference number: REK2024/98

Application deadline: 2024-08-02

We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.

HR Excellence in Research
Karlstad University received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award September 2020. The award is issued to employers with a stimulating work environment and good conditions for researchers and its continuous improvement. The award also conveys the university’s commitment to fair and transparent recruitment as well as favorable professional development for researchers. Read more: kau.se/hrs4r

1. Daniel Olsson, 0547002298

1. Thomas Bragefors, SACO, 054-7001714
2. Denita Gustavsson, OFR, 054-7001434