A major global trend is the increasing number of native and non-native weeds that are becoming resistant to one or more herbicides and thus placing greater pressures on sustainable farming practices. Our research aims to understand the drivers of this trend in order to predict future weeds and inform more sustainable weed management. We are therefore seeking to appoint a high caliber Postdoctoral Research Fellow to build and analyse large scale datasets on the occurrence of herbicide resistant weeds worldwide and use species ecological traits to develop risk models of the drivers of herbicide resistance in weeds. The candidate will join of one of the top plant invasion research groups worldwide under the leadership of Distinguished Professor Philip Hulme.
Working closely with WeedSMart LLC who curate the most comprehensive global database on herbicide resistant weeds, the Postdoctoral Fellow will examine underlying patterns in the dataset that might assist in predicting the likelihood of herbicide resistance occurring in weeds across the world. Macroecological data will be integrated to explore external drivers of herbicide resistance evolution which detailed life-history and phylogenetic data will aim to assess the ecological characteristics of herbicide resistant weeds.
To be considered for the role, you will have:
• A PhD in plant ecology, statistics, geography or a related discipline
• High level of competence in using analytical techniques including multivariate analysis, and regression models.
• A record of peer reviewed publications in international journals
• Skills in data management, including optimising searches for online data, production of metadata, version control and archiving large datasets
• A friendly, outgoing manner, with excellent communication skills
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise your workload
• Enjoy working in a collaborative, team environment
Additional desirable skills include programming in R, C++ or Python and ability to use Geographical Information Systems.
This a fulltime, fixed term 3-year position based at Lincoln University, New Zealand.
For more information, please refer to the position description on the Lincoln University careers page https://jobs.jobvite.com/lincolnuniversity/job/o3TKbfwB.
Application should be through our website and consist of
1. A detailed cover letter expressing i) why you are interested in research on herbicide resistant weeds; ii) what set of skills you will bring to the project that will make a difference; iii) how this opportunity will contribute to developing your career and iv) date of availability,
2. a CV including publication list
3. contact details for three referees who you will be happy for us to contact should you be shortlisted for interview
Closing date for applications is 24th February 2020.
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