The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), one of eight research institutes within the Faculty of Science, has a vacancy for an Assistant or Associate professor in Theoretical Ecology.

• To pursue biological research within the area of theoretical ecology, leading to publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and contributing to the development of the long-term research strategy of the group, department and IBED;
• to engage fully in the collaborative ethos of the IBED, encouraging and fostering collaborations between academic colleagues of other departments within the IBED, the UvA, and elsewhere in the Netherlands and abroad;
• to successfully acquire funding from national and international sources aimed at  developing your own research group;
• to develop, coordinate and teach course(s), especially in theoretical ecology, and supervise projects at BSc and MSc level.

Research profile
Your research interests are complementary to the current research areas within the theoretical ecology group. These could concern the modelling of spatial population processes, the modelling of individual-level life cycle processes to explain population dynamics, or the modelling of evolutionary and eco-evolutionary dynamics of populations and species. Methods employed could range from agent-based models to structured population models. Note, however, that these are examples and other fields of research or methods within theoretical ecology will certainly be considered.

Preferably, you develop ecological theory that is applicable across a range of different systems and you investigate how different levels of organization within and among individuals, populations, and communities can be linked from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. You are a scientist who is open-minded to working with various systems, you have access to scientific networks that can provide experimental data. You have a vision on how empirical data can be used and/or implemented into models, and on how hypotheses arising from model output can be tested experimentally.

Qualifications

You have the right qualifications if you are a creative and inspiring scientist who can identify new directions, implement plans and motivate people, with a clear vision on how to take up the challenges and enhance new opportunities for teaching and research.

You need to have:

• a PhD in (theoretical) ecology, biology or equivalent field;
• a personal research plan that supports and enhances the group’s research strategy;
• a publication record in high quality international journals;
• a track record of high quality teaching at undergraduate and (depending on experience) postgraduate levels with experience in  developing and disseminating successful learning approaches;
• a recognized position in international networks;
• the capability to generate external funding for research projects, and to develop and lead research projects.

We would like you to have:

• a record of, and commitment to, securing grant funding from government departments, research councils and charities and managing these projects to successful completion;
• the ability to attract and successfully supervise doctoral students;
• relevant administrative experience;
• an open mind to work with various systems;
• a critical, open, constructive and enthusiastic personality.

Depending on your qualifications and seniority we offer you a position as an assistant professor or associate professor for 38 hours a week in an exciting, dynamic and international research environment.

If assistant professor is your entry level we will offer you a tenure track agreement for five years and a temporary appointment that lasts one year longer. After a positive assessment of the criteria of the tenure track agreement, a permanent appointment as associate professor will be offered. For more senior applicants, who have the necessary qualifications including evidence of academic leadership as well as substantial fund acquisition, we can offer an appointment at associate professor-level. In this case you will be offered a temporary appointment of two years that will be extended to a permanent employment contract after a positive assessment. For internal candidates a different arrangement can be made. 

Your full-time gross monthly salary would be between €3,545 and €6,567 gross per month, depending on the level of the offered position and your experience (salary scale 11, 12, 13 or 14). The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable, including a salary indexation of 2.6 % starting 1 February 2019. The annual salary will be supplemented with 8 % holiday allowance and 8.3 % end-of-year bonus.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

http://www.uva.nl/en/home

Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)

The Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) is one of eight research institutes within the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. Our scientific research aims at a better understanding of the dynamics of systems at all relevant levels, from genes to ecosystems, using a multi-disciplinary approach where we combine both experimental and theoretical methods. We want to unravel how ecosystems function in all their complexity, and how they change due to natural processes and human activities.

Within the Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology we wish to appoint a promising candidate in the area of theoretical ecology.  We will consider early career scientists with at least several years of experience after obtaining their PhD (at Assistant Professor level) as well as established scientists (at Associate Professor level). The Assistant Professor position is a tenure track position.
In the Theoretical Ecology group we focus on ecological patterns and processes related to population and community dynamics with an emphasis on differences among individuals in terms of age, body size, developmental stage, infection status, genotype, or spatial location. We address theory-inspired questions, rather than developing system-specific models and utilize a variety of mathematical models and methods, from stochastic processes, bifurcation theory, matrix algebra, to sensitivity analysis. Development of new analytical and computational methodologies for the analysis of population dynamics is a prominent component of our research, which is not taxonomically restricted, and includes plants, animals, and humans.

http://ibed.uva.nl/