Post-doctoral fellow in Biology Full-time

Post-doctoral Fellow In Biology

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world's top universities. The University has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain, and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Subject Description

This postdoctoral position is part of the research project “Predicting Climate Driven Shifts in the Past and Future of Crop Pollination Synchrony (BeeSYNC).” The project explores past and future trends in crop and pollinator phenology, focusing on climate variables as a driver of change over time. We aim to investigate whether climate change has resulted in greater asynchrony in the timing of crop bloom and pollinator activity and forecast pollination trajectories under multiple future climate scenarios. The research combines field experiments, AI-based analysis of museum specimens, and advanced climate modeling to provide process-based insights into the ecological and economic consequences of climate change.

Work Duties

The main duty of this position is to conduct research. The postdoctoral scholar will take a leading role in the BeeSYNC project, focusing specifically on:

• Computational Natural History. The researcher will develop deep learning models to predict individual bee age based on wing morphology. This model will be trained on existing wing images and applied to images of museum specimens to estimate historical age structures over the last 150 years.
• Forecasting Shifts in the Pollination Service Window. The researcher will use Bayesian inference (e.g., Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation, INLA) to test if bee age structure has changed over time in response to climate change. The researcher will also apply these estimates to forecast future changes in pollination services under various IPCC climate scenarios.

Qualification Requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD in Biology, Ecology, Data Science, or a related subject, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Demonstrated experience in computational methods, particularly in deep learning and computer vision.
• Understanding or willingness to learn advanced statistical modeling is a plus.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications:

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Additional assessment criteria:

• A strong ability to develop and conduct high-quality research independently.
• Experience using deep learning methods and computer vision with biological data
• Experience working with large datasets or natural history collections

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant's experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of Employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Instructions on How to Apply

Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

• CV, including a list of publications
• A general description of past research and future research interest
• Contact information of at least two references
• A copy of your doctoral degree certificate, and any other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.

Within the Faculty of Science research and education is conducted within Astronomy, Biology, Physics, Geosciences, Chemistry, Mathematics, medical radiation physics, physical geography, and Environmental Sciences. The Faculty of Science is organized into eight departments, gathered in the northern campus area in Lund. The Faculty of Science has approximately 1900 students, 330 PhD students, and 730 employees.

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