Opportunity: Are you passionate about fisheries economics and climate change?

Postdoctoral Position:

A 2-year post-doctoral appointment is offered for a researcher with a strong background in theoretical modelling, including bio-economic analyses. The successful candidate will join a team funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project “CLOCK: Climate Adaptation to Shifting Stocks” led by Dr. Elena Ojea at the Future Oceans Lab (FOL) in the University of Vigo, Spain and will work in close collaboration with Dr. Christopher Costello, Dr. Darcy Bradly, and others from the Sustainable Fisheries Group and Environmental Market Solutions Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Researchers with experience in fisheries economics, bio-economic and game theory models and resource management are encouraged to apply.

Project and work description:

The ERC project CLOCK is a highly multidisciplinary project that investigates adaptation to climate change in marine systems from an ecological, social and an economic perspective. The project develops theory and empirical analysis over a range of questions regarding sustainable resource management under climate change, and livelihoods adaptation. The postdoctoral researcher will work with the Principal Investigator and our collaborators at UCSB to explore the governance and management conditions that drive fisheries resilience. The successful candidate will join an active team of researchers settled in Vigo (Spain) and will have the chance to conduct research stays with the Sustainable Fisheries Group (SFG), affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSB. FOL is an active team of researchers in adaptation to climate change in marine systems, currently contributing to the 6th IPCC Assessment Report.

We are seeking a post-doctoral researcher with experience within the fields of environmental economics, ecology and sustainability science. We expect candidates with a strong interest in working on adaptation to climate change in fisheries and willing to contribute to cutting edge research questions. The specific research topic will cover the effect of fisheries management regimes under climate change. The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for: (1) developing a new bioeconomic fishery model for management under climate change; (2) use this model to simulate optimal adaptation in different case study fisheries; (3) collaborate with students in developing theoretical approaches to resource management and conservation.

Additional responsibilities will include: publishing peer-reviewed articles, mentoring junior researchers and potentially co-supervising PhD students, contributing to new research grants, establishing the required research networks to successfully develop the objectives, identifying relevant policy actors and communicating with them, contributing to the team outreach activities to help with the dissemination of the project actions.

Required Qualifications:

• Aspiring candidates should have a PhD in economics or other sciences.
• Experience in theoretical approaches to resource management and bioeconomic modelling is required.
• Research experience in marine fisheries.
• The candidate should be fluent in computer programing (R or similar software).
• Have at least two peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognized journals related to the position.

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with climate change research, including impacts and adaptation.
• Experience with ecological modelling of fisheries.
• Great communication skills, highly motivated and able to work in an interdisciplinary team.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships with academic, NGO, policy and government partners.
• Proficiency using GitHub, Shiny, and other online tools for efficient research.
• Publications in inter-disciplinary journals or in journals from different disciplines will be highly valued.
• The candidate must demonstrate ability to work as part of a team, have leadership skills and be forward thinking, able to support and train PhD students.
• Have the ability, willingness and commitment to work in a new, multidisciplinary team based in Vigo (Spain).
• Have scientific independence and capacity to generate ideas autonomously and to lead new projects and proposals.
• Linguistic fluency either in Spanish, Galician and/or Portuguese.

Salary and Benefits:

Full-time contract will have a 2-year duration, and is expected to start in September 2019. There are no teaching duties. Depending on the research record, relevant background and experience, annual salary commensurate with qualifications, will range between €30,000-€40,000 gross.

To apply:

The candidates are invited to send their application by e-mail to futureoceanslab@uvigo.es with the following subject: “ERC CLOCK postdoc application_family name of the applicant”. The deadline for applications is June 21^th 2019 at 8pm (local time). Additional candidates will be considered beyond the deadline if the position remains unfilled.

The following documentation should be attached in a single PDF file:

1. Current curriculum vitae (in English).
2. A 1-page cover letter discussing your motivation to apply for this postdoc position and explaining how could you both benefit and contribute to the team.
3. A 1-page description of your current research, discussing your main results in the context of this position, and including two related publications.
4. Contact information for 3 academic researchers that can provide you with a recommendation letter if further required in the process.

All candidates will have feedback with a message as proof of delivery. All candidates complying with the Required Qualifications will be evaluated based on the Preferred Qualifications by the Evaluation Commission formed by research and administrative staff of the University of Vigo. Top candidates will be invited to an individual online interview. The final decision criteria will be based on merits (70%) and the interview (30%).

The University of Vigo hires on basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, they will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Note that if the successful applicant is neither a European citizen nor a permanent resident of Europe, he or she must be issued a work permit prior to commencing the position.