PhD position: "Analyses of environmental variability associated to a shallow-water macrobenthic restoration plan"
Place: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona
Salary: 28,000-33,000 euros per year (gross salary)
Contract period: 36 months contract, potentially renewable up to 40 months for a PhD candidate.
Institute of Marine Science – CSIC
The Institute of Marine Science (Institut de Ciències del Mar, ICM) is the fourth largest research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the largest dedicated to marine research. Under the motto “Ocean Science for a Healthy Planet,” the ICM conducts frontier research and foster both knowledge and technology transfer on topics related to ocean and climate interactions, conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems, and impact mitigation of natural and anthropogenic hazards. In-depth knowledge, determined action, and coordinated management are essential to confronting these global challenges, thereby driving sustainable development of humankind. ICM’s goal is to develop research excellence to inspire a society in harmony with the blue planet, in line with the values of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
ICM is the first Spanish marine science centre to be accredited as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence, in recognition to the institution’s leadership in the field of marine research in Spain and to its commitment to create social impact.
For further information, please visit: https://www.icm.csic.es/en
Recruitment at ICM is open, transparent and merit-based, and all applicants compete on the same terms. CSIC and its research centers were awarded with the "HR Excellence in Research" seal in 2021. This recognition reflects our commitment to continuously improving our human resources policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.
What we are looking for
We look for a highly-motivated, creative individual with a Degree in marine science (or related discipline), particularly in geochemistry. Desirable experience working with environmental variables (e.g. temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen) and/or marine sediment and/or suspended particles in the water column. SCUBA diving certificate and experience (preferably advanced) and demonstrated oral and written communication in the English language are necessary. Good communication ability to disseminate scientific results and fluid and proactive interaction with people to develop successful team-working activities are highly considered. Working autonomously and eventually leading team tasks is an asset. Experience with social media and basic literature and data surveying techniques are also desirable. Proficiency in Statistics and office software to write, assembly presentations and analyse numeric results are also very well valued. Academic grades and research experience will be considered in the evaluation. Successfull candidates should have an official master degree in order to access to a PhD programme in a Spanish university. The PhD candidate will join the Ocean and Littoral Sedimentary Processes Group (https://www.icm.csic.es/en/research-group/ocean-and-littoral-sedimentary-processes), which addresses the causes and effects of natural sedimentary processes and anthropic actions in the marine environment through a multidisciplinary approach.
Tasks
The worker will support and represent the participation of ICM within the European project Ocean Citizen, which aims to restore marine macrobenthic communities and integrate society into the action. The worker will install a monitoring submarine station at a shallow coastal site (approx. 25 m water depth) to assess environmental variability related to a macrobenthic restoration initiative, with particular interest in the marine carbon cycle. The worker will recover samples from the station once or twice per year, analyse them in the Geochemistry Laboratory at the ICM and present results in International scientific meetings and internal meetings of the project. The worker will also be responsible and lead the authorship of several scientific publications and presentations. The worker will develop a PhD Thesis based on the results generated with his/her contract tasks and complemented with results and comments from other project partners.
Work conditions
This is a full-time job based in the ICM facilities, with a gross annual salary ranging between 28,000 and 33,000 €. The job is expected to start as early as April 1, 2023, conditioned to proper registration of the candidate in the CSIC Job Bank (Bolsa de Trabajo). The initial contract will be for a period of three years, but potentially renewable until at least March of 2026.
The worker is expected to work onsite, both at the ICM offices and labs and at the field where the station will be installed; however, part of the work can be done through teleworking (negotiable upon needs). The worker must also have good availability to travel to attend project meetings and conferences.
Contact
Interested candidates, please contact isla@icm.csic.es providing a CV and a statement of interest. Reference letters to support the candidate are welcome.
This call will remain open until the position is filled.
References
OCEAN CITIZEN’s overarching objective is to develop an innovative and sustainable protocol for coastal restoration and conservation of marine coastal biodiversity, tailor-made to, but also replicable in different ecozones. This protocol will focus on the expansion and consolidation of existing marine protected areas (MPAs), the creation of ecological corridors for bio-systems interactions, restoration of biodiversity and blue carbon enhancement with innovative structures and processes and defining a self-sufficient economic business model for long-term continuity. OCEAN CITIZEN will embrace the concept of a participative economy and the ‘Open Access’ philosophy of EU projects, by engaging local communities and authorities in the implementation of proposed solutions.