Announcement of Vacancy for the Position of Postdoctoral Fellow for Forest Dynamics Research in the Long-Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) programme

Number of vacancies: One

Position: Postdoctoral Fellow 

Chief responsibilities: Oversee and manage the Forest Dynamics project of the Indian LTEO program, liaise with the co-PIs across multiple institutions, supervise junior researchers, and assist in data analysis and report and manuscript writing. 

Last date to apply: July 30, 2020 

Project details: 

Position and responsibilities: We invite applications from suitable candidates for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow for Forest Dynamics research for the Long-Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) Programme on biodiversity and climate change. While this appointment is for a longer-term position, we will offer an initial one-year contract to the successful applicant. The contract will be renewed depending on the performance of the candidate. This position demands that the candidate be a highly self-motivated, independent and enterprising individual who will fulfil the following responsibilities of this position: 

1. Help standardize and test field methods for long-term vegetation monitoring, working with members of Forest Dynamics and related (e.g. Grasslands, Soils) groups of the LTEO program.

2. Oversee the setup of permanent forest dynamics plots across environmental gradients in six LTEO regions across the country.

3. Assist with data management, analysis, and writing up of results for reports and manuscripts.

4. Help organize periodic workshops and meetings. 

Location: The position will be based at Bangalore, but will involve travel to specific field sites across India, which are part of the LTEO project. 

Candidates must possess the following basic qualifications/skills: 

• A Ph.D. degree, preferably in the plant or ecological sciences. 

• A minimum of two years of work experience demonstrating independent thinking and capacity in execution of science projects relating to forest dynamics and ecology. 

• Field experience and knowledge of field botany and the natural history of forest plants. 

• A demonstrable understanding of issues relating to environmental data collection and analysis. 

• Ability to independently facilitate meetings and attention to detail and planning. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English as demonstrated in scientific publications. 

• Quantitative skills including study design and statistical analysis in R (preferably) or other tools. 

Candidates with the following additional qualifications/skills will be preferred: 

• Experience with field work at multiple sites. 

Remuneration: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and work experience within the range of Rs.50,000/- to Rs. 60,000/- per month (in accordance with GOI PDF scales). 

How to apply: 

• Submit a complete CV along with a cover letter (not exceeding one page) clearly conveying why you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position. 

• Provide the names of two referees along with their contact details in the CV. 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

This position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified; interested individuals are therefore requested to apply immediately. Short listed candidates will be invited for virtual or in-person interviews in August 2020. 

Please email your application to: LTEO.IISC@gmail.com with a copy to rsuku@iisc.ac.in with the subject ‘PDF LTEO Forest Dynamics.’ 

About CES 

The Centre for Ecological Sciences, founded in 1983 with the support of the Ministry of Environment and Forests offers exciting opportunities for research in a variety of areas in ecology. Over the past 25 years, and more, we have instilled a tradition of rigorous enquiry in diverse areas of ecology, evolution and behavior. Our projects are often integrative and we use multiple approaches from theoretical and laboratory studies to field-based research to explore our research questions. A number of our research areas are breaking new ground in ecology while others have significant roles in conservation. 

About LTEO 

The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change is launching the Long-Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) Programme, a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, all India coordinated project, which will be led by the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. In its first phase, the LTEO programme will monitor a range of themes and taxa across the Indian subcontinent including soil, forests, grasslands, invertebrates, fish, herpetofauna, birds, animal movement and marine ecosystems. The work will be initiated at 6 index sites representing different biomes including the Northwestern Arid Zone, Western Himalaya, Eastern Himalaya, Central India, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The entire project will be managed by a Coordination Cell at the Indian Institute of Science.