Postdoctoral Fellow in the INFLUX Project

Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a leading international centre in sustainability science at Stockholm University. The Centre advances the scientific understanding of the complex, dynamic interactions of people and nature in the biosphere; trains the next generation of sustainability researchers and leaders; and engages in collaborations with change agents. It is a joint initiative between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The SRC currently employs around 160 members of staff.

For more information, please visit: Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Project description

The Postdoctoral Researcher will join the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant project INFLUX: Emerging pests and pathogens as a novel lens for unravelling social-ecological cascades. Emerging pests and pathogens (EPPs) — including infectious diseases in humans, plants or livestock as well as agricultural insect and plant pests — are increasingly disruptive forces in human society with potential to trigger large-scale social and ecological change. INFLUX aims to understand how shocks and governance challenges associated with EPPs cascade across time, space, and scales in social-ecological systems, and how they can be governed to support sustainable development.

Main responsibilities

The postdoctoral researcher will focus on cascading drivers and impacts of EPPs through analysis of online news and occurrence records. The work will combine large-scale text and data analysis with comparative approaches to identify patterns, drivers, and consequences of EPPs. Examples of potential research questions include:

• What drivers are reported in connection with EPP outbreaks, and how do they differ across pests, pathogens, and contexts?
• How do impacts of EPPs cascade across ecological, economic, and social dimensions?
• How can occurrence records and media reporting be combined to better understand the dynamics of EPPs?

The role also includes collaborating with other INFLUX team members, contributing to database development, publishing high-quality research outputs, and supporting co-supervision of PhD students.

Qualification requirements

In order to qualify for a Postdoctoral position, applicants are required to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent relevant degree from another country. The degree must have been completed no later than when the employment decision is made.

Assessment criteria

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., sustainability science, environmental social science, ecology, geography, global health, epidemiology, data science). It is considered an advantage if the doctoral degree or an equivalent degree was completed no more than three years prior to the application deadline. Under special circumstances, an older degree may also be an advantage. Special circumstances refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances, as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

Special emphasis will be placed on scientific skills relevant for the position. We seek candidates with several of the following qualifications:

• Proven experience with data-driven analysis such as text mining, natural language processing, or network analysis.
• Ability to retrieve, handle, and organize heterogeneous datasets (e.g., online media, species occurrence data) according to best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and formulate original ideas within a broader project framework.
• A track record of academic publishing relevant to EPPs, data science, or social-ecological systems.
• Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration and/or participatory or comparative research approaches.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills (Swedish is not required).

We seek a motivated candidate who is responsible, collaborative, and comfortable working both independently and in interdisciplinary teams. The successful candidate should be able to prioritize and structure work, manage multiple tasks, and communicate effectively.

About the employment

The position involves full-time employment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances. Start date as soon as possible or as per agreement.

We offer

With us, you will experience the dynamic interaction between higher education and research that makes Stockholm University an exciting and creative environment. You will work in an international environment and get favourable conditions. The university is located in the National City Park with good transport links to the city.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

Further information about the position can be obtained from Dr. Peter Søgaard Jørgensen, peter.sogaard.jorgensen@su.se.

Application

Apply for the position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.