Postdoc: forest microclimate and extreme climate events

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We are seeking a postdoc that will research the forest microclimate buffering under variable retention forestry and extreme climate events. Forest management and climate change put forest microclimate buffering under increasing pressure, with overlooked effects on forest biodiversity and function. This postdoc will focus on how forest retention patches can buffer microclimate and extreme drought, examining the related responses in multiple forest-dwelling organisms.

The postdoc project is run in tight collaboration with researchers at the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies and the Ecology Department at SLU. Hence, the project is part of a larger research initiative on retention forestry where several forest companies, researchers, postdocs and PhDs are currently involved, which opens opportunities for collaboration within SLU but also outside academia.

Duties: This two-year postdoc research project will focus on the microclimate buffering and conservation benefits of forest Norway spruce retention patches in central Sweden, in relation to clear-cut and mature forests. You will analyze how retention patch characteristics buffer forest microclimate and the extreme 2018 summer drought, using climate loggers and examining responses in various forest organisms. More specifically, you will work with both experimental and field-based data of growth and vitality of several bryophyte species and the lichen Lobaria pulmonaria that have been collected in forest retention patches, clear-cut areas, and mature forests of different characteristics and time since harvesting. The project aims to generate novel knowledge of the forest climate buffering capacity of retention forestry that can be used for guidance on how and where retention patches can maintain or restore sufficient levels of forest climate buffering and support forest biodiversity.

Qualifications: Applicants should hold a doctoral degree in ecology, forestry, environmental science or equivalent. Required is earlier research experience on forestry, biodiversity, or forest-microclimate interactions. Excellent skills in written and oral communication in English are required. Good knowledge of statistical analyses and R (or equivalent programming) along with a strong publication record (in relation to the time since dissertation) is meriting. The applicant is supposed to be able to take own initiatives and work both independently and in a group. Important are also personal characteristics contributing to a positive development of a research group. Since employment as a postdoctoral fellow constitutes a merit-based employment for junior researchers, priority will be given to those who have a doctoral degree that is not older than three years. However, the time span is not a requirement - we are looking for a highly motivated person who is keen to contribute to the research field.

Application: We welcome your application no later than October 31st, 2022. Applications are to be submitted by completing the process that is accessed through the button below.

The application must be written in English and contain:


• A statement of scientific interests, motivation and fit for applying to this specific position (max two pages).
• Curriculum Vitae including a complete publication list, separating peer-reviewed papers from other publications.
• Contact information of at least two reference persons.
• Copies of previous university degrees and transcripts of academic records.

If the PhD thesis has not been defended at the time of application, clearly indicate in your CV the date of the scheduled defense.

Place of work: Uppsala

Form of employment: Temporary employment 24 months with possibility for extension

Extent: 100%

Starting date: According to agreement



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is a world-class international university with research, education and environmental assessment within the sciences for sustainable life. Its principal sites are in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, but activities are also conducted at research stations, experimental parks and educational establishments throughout Sweden. We bring together people who have different perspectives, but they all have one and the same goal: to create the best conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world.

SLU has just over 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and a turnover of SEK 3 billion. The university has invested heavily in a modern, attractive environment on its campuses.

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