Organisation/Company: University of Lille
Department: Marine station of Wimereux
Research Field: Environmental science » Ecology, Computer science » Informatics
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1), Recognised Researcher (R2)
Positions: Postdoc Positions
Country: France
Application Deadline: 15 Dec 2024 - 00:00 (Europe/Paris)
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Offer Starting Date: 6 Jan 2025
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description Context: Arenicolid lugworms are polychaetes mainly represented in Europe by two species ( Arenicola marina and A. defodiens ) that play a crucial role in the benthic ecosystem and serve as bioindicators. They are threatened by intensive fishing, primarily for bait, and require better understanding of their population dynamics.
Current Research and Problem Statement: Studies have confirmed the presence of two species and assessed the risks of unregulated fishing, which could harm population sustainability. A dynamic energy budget (DEB) model has been developed to understand the life cycle of A. marina . Recent studies highlight competition and population dynamics under varying environmental conditions.
Objectives and Methods: The goal is to improve the understanding of the population dynamics of these polychaetes to guide sustainable resource management. The successful candidate will develop a method based on image analysis to estimate population dynamics without direct contact with the sand.
Key Responsibilities: Conduct research, experiments and analyze data:
Image Acquisition and Analysis: Capture images of lugworm faecal casts, process them to detect and count casts, and measure their size.
Estimating Population Dynamics: Apply geostatistical methods and mixture models to interpret the spatio-temporal dynamics of the lugworm population.
Publish results: At least two papers in high-quality journals or international conferences should be published during the position.
Collaborate with other researchers: Collaborations with computer scientists and civil engineers from other labs are encouraged.
Possibly supervise master students and contribute to grant writing.
Required Qualifications Educational background: Ph.D in ecology and population dynamics with a strong interest in marine applications and numerical approaches.
Specific skills: coding skills (R, python, etc.), data and image analysis (ImageJ, etc.), geostatistics, machine learning, field research.
Publications in the research field.
Duration and Start Date: 18 months, Start expected in first trimester 2025.
Funding and Salary The position is fully funded through a research contract between UMR LOG and the French Observatory for Biodiversity (OFB).
Salary range between 2000 and 2500 € per month including health insurance and 5 to 9 weeks of vacation.
Location The position is based at UMR LOG (Laboratory of Oceanology and Geosciences), at the marine station of Wimereux (University of Lille), North of France.
Mentorship and Collaboration Opportunities The position will be supervised by two researchers, with collaborations encouraged across various labs.
Application Process Required documents for the application:
CV and cover letter
References (at least two).
Application deadline (ASAP not later than 15th of December 2024).
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