Research Assistant in Forest Entomology

Research Assistant in Forest Entomology
Department of Ecology - Unit of Forest Entomology
The Department of Ecology conducts internationally strong empirical and theoretical research and education aimed towards sustainable forestry, agriculture and conservation. Our research on populations, communities and ecosystems form the basis of our research on the effects of land use and climate on animals, plants and soil. We aim at finding solutions that will contribute to improve greenhouse gas balances, conserve threatened species, support biodiversity and ecosystem services, sustainable wildlife management and pest management in forest and agricultural landscapes as well as in urban areas. At the department researchers work on a wide-range of subjects, i.e. ecosystems ecology, insect ecology, forest and agricultural ecology and landscape ecology. The strong connections to other research areas makes forest entomology at the Department of Ecology a unique research environment with a great potential for future development of forest ecology and protection in terms of intra- and interdisciplinary research.

At the Unit of Forest Entomology we conduct research conducts research in the context of anthropogenic effects that already have and will continue to affect forest insects, like climate warming, increased trade and changes in land use. Understanding how forest insects are affected by such changes will provide us, in turn, with insights on how forest ecosystems will be altered by global changes and how we can mitigate the impact of such effects. Our work is driven by the ambition to reveal mechanisms behind variation in the distribution and abundance of forest insects to provide solid basis for decisions in the forest sector, contributing to the goal of sustainable forestry. Another driving force is our fascination for revealing the intricate interactions involving insects and plants.

Duties:
We are looking for a research assistant, whose responsibilities will be to assist with practicalities, analyse and summarize results from several research projects related to plant protection against insect pests, with special focus on the pine weevil Hylobius abietis.

The work itself involves working independently with setting up, collecting and analyzing data from lab experiments. This entails, among other things, planting of forest plants, preparation of protocols/excel sheets for data collection, measurements of pine weevil damage to seedlings, ordering material for lab experiments, maintaining pine weevil colonies in the lab (gathering food in the forest and feeding those in the lab, cleaning cages, etc.), and compiling and analyzing previously collected data. 

You will be expected to work independently, and take part in several different projects at the same time.

Qualifications:
We are seeking a person with a Master’s degree (MSc.) or equivalent in Forest science, and has prior knowledge and previous practical experience of working with the pine weevil Hylobius abietis both in the field and lab. All projects that the person will assist with require collection, maintenance and management of this insect and knowledge on how to design and set up experiments with them.

Place of work:
Uppsala, Campus Ultuna

Form of employment:
Temporary December 2021 (1 months) with the possibility of extension.

Extent:
100%

Starting date:
2021-12-01

Application:
We welcome your application no later than 2021-11-10, use the button below.

Academic union representatives:
https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/



The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. The university ranks well internationally within its subject areas. SLU is a research-intensive university that also offers unique degree programmes in for example rural development and natural resource management, environmental economics, animal science and landscape architecture.

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 in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala.

www.slu.se

SLU is an equal opportunity employer.