Duration: 1 year
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellow to join the Marine Programme at SANBI. The successful candidate will lead research to improve upon and update the classification and mapping of pelagic ecosystems for South Africa’s mainland maritime domain (from the shore to 200 nm). This work was previously conducted by Lagabrielle (2009) and reported by Roberson et al. (2017), based on a bioregional classification of surface oceanographic and bathymetry variables. Updated and improved datasets exist as well as several new statistical approaches that should be considered. The candidate will be encouraged to investigate the integration of biodiversity datasets and include a focus on depths beyond the surface ocean. This work will feed directly into the next Marine Ecosystem Map, a core contribution to South Africa’s National Biodiversity Assessment.
Lagabrielle, E. 2009. National pelagic bioregionalisation of South Africa: a preliminary report (eds K. Sink, A. Lombard and H. Grantham), 23 pages. Prepared for the South African National Biodiversity Institute by Conservation Systems.
Roberson LA, Lagabrielle E, Lombard AT, Sink K, Livingstone T, Grantham H, Harris JM (2017) Pelagic bioregionalisation using open-access data for better planning of marine protected area networks. Ocean & Coastal Management 148:214–230. doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.08.017
Requirements: The postdoctoral fellowship is open to anyone who has completed a PhD in the last five years, or who will be awarded their PhD by February 2023. Requirements include demonstrated marine biodiversity and/or oceanographic knowledge and strong analytical and data management skills. Experience with spatial analyses and competence with analytical programming languages (e.g. R or Python) will be strongly preferred, as well as past experience of classifying and/or mapping biodiversity and/or oceanographic variability at regional scales. Advantages will include a developed network of collaborators in South African marine science institutions and a track record of publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
Research Areas: The main focus of this position will be bioregional classification of surface and subsurface pelagic ecosystems in South Africa. The candidate will be expected to lead the work from start to finish, in close collaboration with SANBI’s Marine Spatial Analyst. This will involve interrogation of the literature, identifying, sourcing and managing relevant data, choosing among and implementing statistical approaches, and writing up results. Development of transparent and reproducible workflows will be a priority throughout. The applicant may additionally be involved in protection level analyses for pelagic ecosystem types and will be exposed to the wide array of science-to-policy work that SANBI conducts.
Bursary value:
The value of the fellowship is R300,000/year and is available for 12 months with an early 2023 starting date. Some running expenses will also be made available. The postdoctoral fellow may propose a South African University of their choice or work with SANBI to find a host university.
Application procedure: Applications must include a standard bursary application cover sheet (attached to this advert); a full CV; certified copies of ID and academic records; two letters of reference (one must be from an academic supervisor); examples of published work and a motivation letter describing the applicant’s suitability for the position in terms of skills and experience, highlights of achievements to date, research interests, and future goals (approximately two-pages).
Send all application documents to students@sanbi.org.za and students.sanbi@gmail.com with “Marine Pelagic Ecosystems Postdoc Fellowship” in the subject line.
SANBI reserves the right not to fill this fellowship. If no response has been received within 21 days of the closing date, candidates may assume that their applications were unsuccessful.
Academic enquiries:
Dr Jock Currie
Email: j.currie@sanbi.org.za
General enquiries:
Ms René du Toit
Email: r.dutoit@sanbi.org.za
Closes: Monday, 27 February 2023