Position: Post-doctoral researcher position (SEI Research Fellow)
Topic: Land-use, climate change and development
Duration: 2 years, with possibility of renewal or development of permanent position
Start date: Fall 2012 – exact date is negotiable but early fall preferred
Duty station: Stockholm, Sweden
Application deadline: Sunday 13 May, 2012
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
SEI is an independent, international research institute. Its mission is to support decision-making and induce change towards sustainable development around the world by providing integrative knowledge that bridges science and policy in the field of environment and development.
With centres in six countries around the world, SEI has organised its work around four overarching themes. The theme Reducing Climate Risk supports the design, development and implementation of effective and equitable strategies for adaptation and mitigation in developing and developed countries, while the Managing Environmental Systems theme aims to provide new insights on how to manage land, air and water resources together in order to protect food security, human health and biodiversity. The research position advertised here will contribute to both of these themes.
Nordic Strategic Adaptation Research (NORD-STAR) programme
NORD-STAR is a Centre of Excellence involving collaboration across 10 research and policy organisations located in the five Nordic countries, with funding from the Norden Top-Level Research Initiative. Within the scope of climate impacts and climate policy, NORD-STAR focuses especially on two issues: land-use change and energy transitions. NORD-STAR researchers analyse and communicate needs and opportunities for strategic adaptation and the linkages between mitigation and adaptation using two tools: modelling/visualisation and policy analysis. Combining the two issues and the two methodological approaches, NORD-STAR has four main projects:
(1) Interactive land-use modelling, visualisation and decision support
(2) Land-use trade-offs affecting adaptive capacity
(3) Energy transition modelling
(4) Energy transition management
To support the implementation of projects 2 and 4 and to strengthen SEI expertise in these areas, SEI is hiring a post-doctoral researcher focusing on the land use aspects of climate change, both in terms of contributions to mitigation efforts, and change processes driven by adaptation concerns. Research is supposed to fit under a policy analysis umbrella and have a quantitative orientation.
Research field and approach
The objective of the NORD-STAR land-use project is to improve our understanding of how land-use trade-offs and conflicts between different policy objectives affect opportunities for timely and effective adaptation to climate change. The project examines such trade-offs and conflicts at different scales, from the local, regional to global scale, but with a prime focus on the Nordic countries. A suite of sub-projects is expected to highlight influential factors and processes shaping responses to climate change at the different scales. Through comparative studies this research will address the variations in trade-offs in climate policy responses across the Nordic countries.
The research approach will be interdisciplinary in nature and will be developed by the post-doctoral researcher in consultation with the relevant SEI staff, any appropriate NORD-STAR partners and any external collaborators that may be involved. We are seeking independent and highly self-managing candidates capable of developing this research area further intellectually as well as in terms of leading proposal writing and securing external funding. We also expect candidates to be able to link their work to trade, water and land-use/resource efficiency concepts researched in parallel work at SEI.
NORD-STAR has a clear Nordic focus. SEI is however a global research organisation and we expect candidates to this position to have an interest in land use issues well beyond the Nordic context. The researcher should expect to spend at least a third of his/her time in relevant other SEI projects, as well as in the development of new project proposals.
Key Qualifications
Ph.D. in Geography, Agricultural sciences, Forestry, Rural development or a related field (less than five years old)*
Familiarity with existing land use modelling approaches and tools, and an ability to draw policy and implementation relevant conclusions from such modelling
Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
Demonstrated ability to work in an international environment
Demonstrated ability to develop and apply interdisciplinary methods
Willingness to travel
Fluency in written and spoken English
*Applicants expecting to defend their PhD thesis before 1 July 2012 are welcome to apply.
Desirable* Qualifications
Experience in policy relevant research linking land use, eco hydrology and development issues, particularly in the global South
Experience in assessing land use impacts and/or sustainability
Knowledge of another major language (e.g. Spanish, French) and/or a Nordic language
*Note that it is not expected that the candidate would possess all of these qualification or necessarily have experience in all the mentioned areas of analysis/research.
Applications
Applications should be submitted in PDF format and should consist of a CV and a cover letter that includes the names and contact details of three referees. Applications should be written in English and arrive at SEI as soon as possible but no later than Sunday 13 May, 2012. They should be sent by e-mail to vacancies@sei-international.org . Use as the subject line in the email:
‘Nord-star Post-doc position – Land-use - [Applicant’s Last Name] - [Applicant’s First Name]’
Inquiries concerning the content of the position can be directed to Oskar Wallgren, Research Fellow and NORD-STAR project leader: oskar.wallgren@sei-international.org . The Academic Union at SEI Stockholm is represented in this recruitment process by Maria Osbeck: maria.osbeck@sei-international.org or +46 8 674 7929.
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