The Faculty of Geosciences at Ben-Gurion University is seeking a highly motivated and talented Postdoctoral Researcher to work on the ERC-Synergy project RESILIENCE. The project aims to advance our understanding and predictions of tipping points and critical transitions in ecosystems and reveal how these can be evaded and even reversed through spatial pattern formation. The successful candidate will work on studying the dynamics of fronts and the possible roles of front instabilities in reversing degradation processes such as desertification and species invasion in resource-limited ecosystems.
Summary Table:
- Designation: Postdoctoral Researcher
- Research Area: Dynamics of fronts and coexistence states
- Location: Ben-Gurion University, Israel
- Department: Faculty of Geosciences, Department of GEO/Dept SD
- Eligibility/Qualification: PhD in physics, mathematics, or engineering sciences with experience in nonlinear dynamics, pattern formation, and ecology, and modeling and numerical computations.
- Application Deadline: March 31, 2023
Job Description: The Postdoctoral Researcher will be involved in the development of spatial vegetation models that capture relevant plant-resource and plant-soil feedbacks, study the models using mathematical analysis, numerical simulations, and numerical continuation in one and two spatial dimensions, and confront model predictions with available empirical data. The candidate will benefit from the expertise of the four Principal Investigators (PIs) in the RESILIENCE project: Ehud Meron, a physicist at Ben-Gurion University, Arjen Doelman, a mathematician at Leiden University, Max Rietkerk, an ecologist at Utrecht University, and Isla Meyers-Smith, an ecologist at the University of Edinburgh/University of British Columbia.
Eligibility/Qualification: The candidate should have a PhD in physics, mathematics, or engineering sciences. Acquaintance with nonlinear dynamics, pattern formation, and ecology, and experience in modeling and numerical computations are advantageous. The project is interdisciplinary, and affinity with or interest in working in an interdisciplinary environment is important.
Location: The successful candidate will be offered a postdoctoral fellowship (1.0 FTE) to work with Prof. Ehud Meron in the Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research (SIDEER) of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research located in the Sede Boqer campus of Ben-Gurion University.
How to Apply: To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation via the ‘apply’ button.
Last Date for Apply: The application deadline is March 31, 2023.
About the Organization: The SIDEER is an interdisciplinary research institute consisting of physicists, applied mathematicians, ecologists, and environmental scientists, covering in their research major aspects of dryland ecosystems. It is one of three institutes that comprise the BIDR (Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research), with the other two offering complementary expertise in water research, agriculture, and dryland biotechnologies. The BIDR is located in the Sede-Boqer Campus, about 60km south of the main campus of BGU in the city of Beer-Sheva. The Sede Boqer campus is an intimate place with a spectacular and inspiring desert landscape and an international atmosphere, thanks to the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies it hosts.
Additional Information: For more information about this position, please contact Prof. Ehud Meron via email. The given dates in the job descriptions mark the start of the evaluation procedure followed by the selection procedure. Eligible applications will be considered until the positions are filled, after which the vacancies will be closed. In case of interest but
