Research Scientist, Postdoc, Birds

Research Scientist, Postdoc, Birds

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)

Helsinki, Finland

€ 4135 - € 4315 per month

Job description

The position of researcher in bird ecology and population dynamics (postdoc) is part of the European HABITRACK project (HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-4 programme). The project aims to produce information on the habitats of threatened hunted birds in breeding areas, along migration routes and in wintering areas to promote the conservation of these environments. The selected applicant will analyse data collected by GPS transmitters and, where possible, combine it with other demographic data (e.g. bird ringing data) and population size monitoring data. The aim is to develop models that explain variation in individual mortality or reproductive success, as well as observed population changes, using landscape elements in breeding areas, habitat quality and climatic factors. The datasets and research questions used in the analyses vary by species, and the analyses may be selected according to the applicant’s expertise and interests. The research will support habitat management and restoration recommendations for the conservation of bird species in Europe.

The duties include scientific research, especially modelling the effects of habitats on demography and population dynamics using GPS tracking data and other data sources, preparing manuscripts and leading the publication process. In addition, the work includes implementing habitat management and restoration recommendations for decisionmakers and other stakeholders. The work will be supervised by a researcher and a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and will be carried out in close cooperation with the European HABITRACK consortium partners.

Our expectations of the applicant

The applicant must have a doctoral degree in biology or a corresponding field. The selected applicant must have a strong track record of scientific publication in international peer reviewed journals. In addition, good written and oral English skills, a good ability to cooperate, and a good capacity for independent work and acquiring new skills are required. Strong competence in data analysis and programming is required, preferably in the R programming environment. Experience in bird ecology, movement ecology, analysis of tracking data, population ecology, demographic analysis, spatial analysis and fitting hierarchical Bayesian models using ecological modelling software (Nimble, JAGS, Stan) will be considered an advantage.