The department of Coastal Systems (COS, department head dr. ir. Henk W. van der Veer) is looking for a highly motivated PhD student with a background in animal ecology to take part in our research on effects of rapid Arctic warming on the development of young shorebirds. We would like to meet a candidate with experience in the fields of animal ecology, physiological ecology, and theoretical ecology.

The Vacancy
There are strong indications that long-distance migrant shorebirds breeding in the high Arctic have difficulty keeping up with the phenology changes taking place at their rapidly warming breeding grounds.

Using the red knot (Calidris canutus canutus) as a focal species, the aim of the project is to investigate whether new-born knots face a trophic mismatch at their breeding grounds in northern Taimyr, Russia.

The emphasis in the PhD Work Package is on monitoring growth rates and fates of juvenile knots under experimentally manipulated food conditions. The entire project is embedded in long-term demographic and experimental work taking place on red knots at NIOZ since 1988.

The candidate should be an excellent, highly motivated student with a background in animal ecology, who is able to work under tough field conditions (full-summer camping at a remote site in the high Arctic).

Due to the international character of the research group, excellent English communication skills are expected.

You will closely work together with the Postdoc in this project (see vacancy 2017-083 “Postdoc Bodyshrinkage project”), other animal ecologists at COS, and with Russian ecologists in the field. The main task is to conduct a PhD thesis. PhD defence will take place at the University of Groningen (promotor prof. dr. T. Piersma).

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

We offer you a fulltime position for 4 years, a pension scheme, a yearly 8% vacation allowance, year-end bonus and flexible employment conditions. Our labour policies are based on the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement of Research Institutes (WVOI). Cost of relocation and help with housing is provided by the Royal NIOZ.

The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)

NWO-NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research is the national oceanographic institute and principally performs academically excellent multidisciplinary fundamental and frontier applied marine research addressing important scientific and societal questions pertinent to the functioning of oceans and seas. Second, NIOZ serves as national marine research facilitator (NMF) for The Netherlands scientific community. Third, NIOZ stimulates and supports multidisciplinary fundamental and frontier applied marine research, education and marine policy development in the national and international context.

http://www.nioz.nl/

COS focuses on biological, chemical and physical processes that underlie the population dynamics of marine organisms (invertebrates, fish, mammals, and birds), including migrant shorebirds that live in intertidal ecosystems during the nonbreeding season.

A key aim of the department’s research is to better understand how coastal ecosystems function, and how changes in trophic interactions -in response to natural and anthropogenic environmental changes in hydrological, morphological and environmental regimes- influence the richness and productivity of coastal marine ecosystems and the ecological functions they provide. Within COS, research is performed as a combination of field observations, experiments and modelling activities, including demographics, migration and energetics.