Postdoctoral Scientist Position on the Ecosystem Modelling of Climate and MPA Effects on Fish

Postdoctoral Scientist Position on the Ecosystem Modelling of Climate and MPA Effects on Fish

GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research

Kiel, Germany

Background and Project Description

The position is embedded in the German Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN) funded project SCHUFI – Supporting the development of monitoring and protection concepts for Fish. The successful candidate will work in a consortium in collaboration with the University of Hamburg and the University of Rostock, as well as several researchers at GEOMAR. The goal of SCHUFI is to enhance our understanding of the status of non-commercial fish species in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and to evaluate the role of marine protected areas (MPAs) and environmental variability in shaping biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

The advertised position will be dedicated to the development and application of ecosystem models to characterize the interplay between environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and oxygen concentration), MPAs, and fisheries, and their effects on non-commercial fish species. Model development will enable exploring the influence of climate factors, such as temperature, on individual bioenergetics and species’ spatial distribution. The role of MPAs will be assessed with respect to their effects on populations (i.e., abundance, size structure, and biomass), spatial distribution, and overall ecosystem state. Key management questions, such as the potential of MPAs to increase ecosystem resilience to climate change and the identification of the most effective spatial configurations to achieve these goals, will be explored. The target areas are the southern North Sea and the western Baltic Sea, for which existing models will be harnessed and improved through the integration of novel monitoring data generated within the framework of SCHUFI (e.g., fish movement, and stable isotopes).

Qualification

Required:

• A diploma/M.Sc. and a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in ecology, ecosystem/ecological modelling, biology, marine biology, or a related field;
• Publications (published or in preparation) on topics related to ecosystem modelling;
• Programming proficiency (e.g., R, Python, or Java);
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable:

• Prior experience modeling one of the following systems: the southern North Sea and/or the western Baltic Sea ecosystems;
• Previous expertise in the development and application of spatial-explicit, individual-based ecosystem models;
• Integration of bioenergetics and evolutionary aspects in ecosystem modelling;
• Skills in managing and adapting oceanographic and environmental data in different formats (e.g., netCDF files);
• Expertise in RCP and SSP scenarios and their use to drive future simulations of ecological and fisheries interactions.