Postdoctoral fellow in Social-ecological systems and Natural capital

Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a research centre for resilience and sustainable development at Stockholm University. The centre promotes scientific understanding of complex, dynamic interactions between humans and nature in the biosphere; educates the next generation of researchers and leaders in sustainable development; and collaborates with change agents who share our vision. The centre is a joint initiative of Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute for Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In total, SRC has around 160 employees. 

More information about us, please visit: Stockholm Resilience Centre.

This postdoctoral position offers an opportunity to engage in place-based research with global impact. You will be part of a dynamic and interdisciplinary team working in collaboration with Stanford University’s Natural Capital Project (NatCap) on a pioneering research initiative funded by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation and the Mistra-funded research programme Finance to Revive Biodiversity (https://finbio.org/).  FinBio aims to ensure that biodiversity and nature-related risks become a key aspect of decision-making in across the financial sector, from regulation to investment decisions. 

Main responsibilities

The successful candidate will conduct research that focuses on developing an open-access, interactive Regime Shift Explorer to map the risk of regime shifts across the world’s ecosystems.

You will:

• Combine existing understanding of regime shifts as captured in the Regime Shift Database with global social and ecological spatial data.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of the interactive web platform, ensuring it provides clear and actionable information on regime shift risks and strategies to build resilience.
• Collaborate closely with SRC researchers and NatCap to link the Regime Shift Explorer to financial decision contexts, such as screening investments for regime shift risks.
• Publish results in leading academic journals and engage with partners and stakeholders to promote the tool’s use for research, policy, and investment.

This position will be based at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, with research visits to Stanford’s Natural Capital Project expected. You will work under the supervision of Prof. Garry D. Peterson (SRC), Dr. Megan Meacham (SRC), Dr. Juan Rocha (SRC), and Dr. Tong Wu (Stanford) who have extensive experience with regime shifts, ecosystem services, and connecting ecology and finance. 

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

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.

In the appointment process special attention will be given to research skills needed for the position. We seek a candidate with the following qualifications:

• Experience working on empirical analyses of social-ecological systems, experience with ecosystem service assessment and valuation is a merit.
• Skills in geocomputation and programming competence in a scientific programming language such as R, Julia, or Python. Demonstrated experience in data curation and management.
• Willingness to work as part of a transdisciplinary team, and evidence of previous work with researchers from different disciplines.
• Ability to communicate research ideas and results and an interest to engage with stakeholders outside the academic community.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills.

We are seeking a researcher who has the ability to work in an international, fast-paced environment. We are seeking a researcher who is responsible, responsive, and effective team member.

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 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 Prof. Garry D. Peterson, phone: +46 8 674 7742, garry.petersson@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.