PhD student position in biomass and land use

Human societies have put almost half of the world's land surface to their service and have caused extensive land and ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. We now face the double challenge of increasing biomass production to meet increasing demands for food, bioenergy and other bio-based products, while addressing negative impacts of current (and future) land use. We invite you to participate in research into solutions that help meeting future biomass demand, provide livelihoods, mitigate climate change, and protect ecosystem health and biodiversity.

Information about the project and the division
The PhD student will participate in research projects investigating land management strategies for meeting the growing biomass demand for food, energy and other bio-based products, while at the same time improving conditions for biodiversity and a range of ecosystem services. Through case studies of land use in agricultural landscapes in Västra Götaland, involving a variety of stakeholders, the projects aim to identify and promote locally adapted land use strategies that contribute to climate change mitigation and a range of other societal objectives. Special attention will be placed on approaches to increase biomass production and enhance carbon sinks as well as biodiversity in agriculture landscapes.

The PhD student will be part of the land-use science group at Physical Resource Theory, which use a multitude of quantitative and qualitative methods, such as land-use modeling, LCA, energy- and material-flow analysis, remote sensing/GIS, and interviews, to study environmental, social and economic aspects of land use and biomass production. There are several other ongoing research projects within the land-use science group, which will provide opportunities for collaboration to address common analytical challenges and data needs

The division of Physical Resource Theory is one of five divisions in the Department of Space, Earth and Environment, which conducts research and education spanning from global challenges related to sustainability and energy supply to astronomy and space sciences. The division carries out research and education on potential solutions to major environmental challenges such as climate change and sustainable use of land and other resources. At our division we focus on research in the field of technical and socio-economic systems addressing the challenges involved in the transition into a sustainable and low carbon society for a growing population, where a range of different quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied on our research topics. The ambition is to build challenge-driven scientific excellence by crossing traditional boundaries and increase the level of multi-disciplinarity in research. The division has around 50 staff members, faculty and PhD-students with diverse expertise, including engineering, natural science and social science. We also offer courses in areas related to our research.

Here you can find more information about the land-use research group at Physical Resource Theory.

Major responsibilities
As a PhD student your main responsibility is to pursue your own doctoral studies, which includes work in the research project and to undertake doctoral courses. You are expected to plan and organize your research, to work independently as well as in close collaboration with other group members and partners, and to communicate scientific results, both orally and in written form, in English. The doctoral program leads to a doctoral degree, equivalent to four years of full-time studies, which includes research, coursework, and participation in seminars and conferences. Included teaching obligations, the position is expected to be five years.

Position summary
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Qualifications
We require a MSc degree (or equivalent) in a field of relevance to the area of research (e.g., environmental science, biology, ecology, agronomy, engineering) with an MSc thesis project corresponding to a minimum of half a study year. We look for applicants with an excellent academic track record, excellent analytical and communication skills, and strong motivation and commitment to scientific inquiry, as well as a genuine interest and curiosity in the subject matter.

We expect the applicant to have the ambition and ability to take on own responsibility and to work independently towards set goals. The applicant should have good social skills and be comfortable in communicating and engaging with stakeholders in different functions in society, e.g., making study visits to collect data, present and discuss results and conclusions at stakeholder meetings. As the project includes much interaction with Scandinavian researchers and stakeholders, good knowledge in Swedish and/or Danish/Norwegian is a merit. The project involves some travels in rural areas associated with data collection and it is therefore beneficial if the PhD student has a driver's license.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

For questions, please contact:
Göran Berndes, Physical Resoure Theory 
Email: goran.berndes@chalmers.se
Phone: +46 730 794287

Application deadline: 2 August, 2020

For more information an to apply, cick here

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***