Tuesday 3 November 2009

Ph.D. position in Soil Science: Gotttingen University Announces

At the Büsgen-Institute of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen we offer a position of:
PhD Student / DoktorandIn (TV-L E 13/2)

beginning January 2010 for 3 years. The successful candidate will work on the BMZ funded project “Developing carbon and biodiversity assets for multifunctional landscapes in the Upper Mekong” with case studies in China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The specific task of the PhD student will be the ‘Quantification and modeling of carbon stock changes by land-use management systems and the development of a respective landscape based baseline and carbon monitoring methodology’. Five sites were selected: Two sites in China, Xishuangbanna province, and one site in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand each of which one site (probably Thailand) will be the main study site. The aim of the project is to support the development of carbon and biodiversity assets for multifunctional landscapes in the upper Mekong region.
Project description: The landscape is undergoing a rapid change due to agricultural intensification and regional trade markets with the consequence of above- and belowground C stock changes. The objectives of this research project are: 1) to determine the soil C stock changes of chronosequences from secondary forests, to agroforestry (rubber, tea), mono-species plantations to agriculture, 2) modeling these changes with models like RothC or Century model, 3) development of landscape based carbon baseline and monitoring methodology considering existing standards.
Applicants should hold a M.Sc. or diploma degree in ecology, soil science, environmental sciences, geosciences, forestry, biology or related disciplines. The successful candidate is expected to be in Asia for prolonged periods to carry out research works with regular visits to the home institution for discussions/data analysis/writing. Excellent knowledge of English is essential. Basic knowledge of an Asian language or willingness to learn it is necessary.
Please send your application at soon as possible to:

Dr. R. Brumme
Buesgen Institute -Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems
Buesgenweg 2
37077 Goettingen, Germany
Email: rbrumme@gwdg.de

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