(Note: this opportunity is now closed.)
Thanks to a grant from Eucalypt Australia, we are seeking a post docsto work on modelling eucalypt trees and the traits that govern performance and distributions.
The Postdoctoral Research Associate will drive research on the distribution of Australian Eucalypts, within a collaborative project funded by a grant from Eucalypt Australia (Eucalypt futures: using functional traits to predict species distributions and responses to environmental change). Australia is characterized by low rainfall with high variability, severe droughts, frequent fires, and low soil fertility. Yet, over 900 tree species in the genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora have flourished in these challenging environments, dominating much of the landscape. Understanding how functional traits (physical, biochemical, phenological, and physiological adaptations affecting how species grow, survive, and reproduce) modulate the distribution of Eucalypts along environmental gradients is a key step in understanding how these species will respond to future climates.
Using process-based models, the incumbent will contribute to the research project by running models quantifying 1) how abiotic factors change the physiological fitness for multiple species along environmental gradients, and 2) what trait combinations are selected via competition along environmental gradients. The research will be undertaken in the EERC in collaboration with Ass Prof Peter Vesk (Melbourne), Dr Daniel Falster (UNSW), Dr Rachael Gallagher (Macquarie), Dr Martin De Kauwe (UNSW), and Gurutzeta Guillera-Arroita. We are seeking candidates with a demonstrated knowledge of systems modelling, ecological dynamics, terrestrial bio-geochemistry, evolutionary dynamics, plant function and/or ecology.
We will also be looking to recruit students who are competitive for scholarships to work together with the team on this project.
Application close: Nov 16, 2020
Eligibility: Australian/New Zealand Citizens and Australian Permanent residents.
Full details: https://careersmanager.pageuppeople.com/841/cw/en/job/500172/postdoctoral-research-associate
