FACULTY POSITIONS: Community Ecology & Conservation Lab

(appointment at Assistant Professor/ Associate Professor level)

We are seeking two experienced scientists with interest and vision for the ecology and conservation of terrestrial communities to join our research group.  The appointees will be expected to develop productive, collaborative, and externally funded research programs and contribute to postgraduate training. A demonstrated record of first-author publication in leading international journals will be essential for consideration. We are especially interested in candidates with a focussed interest on community ecology, landscape ecology, landscape genetics, biogeography or conservation biology. Both Chinese and foreign nationals are encouraged to apply.

Our location in Yunnan Province, southwestern China, is ideally situated for testing questions on the ecology and conservation of terrestrial communities. In our immediate vicinity, local tropical forest has been massively reduced and fragmented as a consequence of conversion to rubber plantations, meaning that there are serious conservation questions regarding long-term viability of biota within these fragmented landscapes.  At the wider scale, Yunnan Province is a biodiversity hotspot characterised by huge topographical and environmental variation, lending itself to the study of community assembly and functional diversity at different spatial scales.

Who are we?

We are the Community Ecology & Conservation Group (www.communityecologyconservation.com) at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG, http://english.xtbg.cas.cn/ ), a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Our present research covers topics from evaluating consequences of landscape fragmentation for conservation of the remaining biota of southwest China through to answering basic ecological questions addressing the evolution and distribution of ecological strategies across resource and disturbance gradients.

We offer:

1.        Access to start-of-the-art analysis facilities within the Institute, greenhouse facilities and long-term research sites. The appointees will also receive start-up packages to support further equipment purchases.

2.        Access to XTBG’s network of research sites across Yunnan province.

3.        A fixed-term contract of 4 years for foreign nationals, with the possibility for renewal given satisfactory progress. An opportunity to develop your own research specialisations.

4.        An exceptional environment for studying ecology and biodiversity, enthusiastic and productive staff and students to work with, and a great place to live.

Applying for the positions:

Applicants should submit a CV including contact details for three references, statement of research interests/plans, and pdfs of three publications. Please send these materials to Dr. Kyle Tomlinson (kylewtomlinson@gmail.com) and Ms. Liu Zhiqiu (lzhq@xtbg.org.cn). If you are invited for an interview, requests for further documentation will be made at that time.

      If you have questions about the research position and the lab, please contact Dr Kyle Tomlinson (kylewtomlinson@gmail.com).