Post-doctoral position now available in the lab of Maria Thaker. Deadline for Applications extended to 30 May 2020. We invite applications for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow for Movement Ecology research under the Long-Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) Programme on biodiversity and climate change. Contracts will initially be for one-year, with the potential to extend up to 3-5 years, depending on performance.  

Number of vacancies: One

Position: Postdoctoral Fellow

Chief responsibilities: Oversee and manage the Movement Ecology project of the India 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: 30 May 2020

Project details:

Position and responsibilities: We invite applications for the position of Postdoctoral Fellow for Movement Ecology research for the Long-Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) Programme on biodiversity and climate change. We will offer an initial one-year contract to the successful applicant, with the potential to extend up to 3-5 years, depending on performance. A successful applicant should be highly self-motivated, independent and enterprising , and will fulfil the following responsibilities of this position:

1.  Coordinate with the Co-PIs to conduct workshops and identify species to be monitored in the five LTEO regions
2.  Conduct a systematic review of movement (telemetry and GPS) data at a countrywide scale.
3.  Identify the best available technology and coordinate the procurement of equipment for each taxa and site
4.  To oversee the implementation of standardised data collection protocols across the sites
5.  To assist in data management, analysis and writing up of results for reports and manuscripts

Location: The position will be based at Bangalore, but will involve travel to specific LTEO field sites across India.

Candidates must possess the following basic qualifications/skills:

• A Ph.D. degree in the ecological or allied sciences.

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

• Field experience and knowledge of capture and handling of either mammals or birds.

• A demonstrable understanding of environmental and habitat data collection and analysis.

• Quantitative skills including study design, statistics, and ecological modelling tools, in R or other programming languages.

• Ability to independently network and coordinate between partner institutions, co-PIs and other stakeholders.

• Must have experience in engaging with government agencies such as the Forest Department

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English as demonstrated by first-author scientific publications.

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

• Experience with field work at multiple sites.

• Familiarity with spatial statistics and RS/GIS tools

• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team, as a leader and member.

• Valid 4-wheel driver’s licence.

Remuneration:

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and work experience within the range of Rs.47,000/- to Rs. 54,000/- per month + 30% HRA (in accordance with GOI PDF scales).

How to apply:

* Submit a cover letter (not exceeding one page) clearly conveying why you consider yourself to be a suitable candidate for this position.

* Submit a complete CV, with the names of two referees along with their contact details.

Please email your application to: mthaker@iisc.ac.in with the subject ‘PDF LTEO Movement Ecology.

Applications without this subject line or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Short listed candidates will be invited for a virtual or in-person interview in June 2020.

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 has launched the Long Term Ecological Observatories (LTEO) Programme, a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, all-India coordinated project. 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 overall program 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 Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.