Open International Scholarships

Application Deadline : 23^rd October 2011

Project description:

Small pelagic fish species such as herring, capelin and sandeel have important ecological roles in marine foodwebs as intermediaries between zooplankton and higher trophic level species such as bigger fish, seabirds and marine mammals. This project will investigate and compare how climatic and hydrographic variability influences linkages between the spring phytoplankton bloom, zooplankton and fish recruitment in different north Atlantic marine ecosystems. Life histories, physiological responses and behaviours (e. g., vertical migration) of fish early life history stages differ among species and regions, and in response to climatic forcing. It is hypothesized that this variability provides the scope for some species to benefit and others to suffer from contemporary and future climate variability and change, and that the potential winning and losing species could differ among geographic regions due to nonlinearities in species-specific responses.
These hypotheses can be investigated by developing process-based models of how fish early life history stages respond to past and expected future changes in seasonal plankton production dynamics, and in particular the links between the spring phytoplankton bloom, zooplankton and fish larvae. Model outputs can be compared with time series of observed fish data (e. g., abundances of 0-groups; growth; recruitment) for particular fish species, and can be used to make scenario forecasts of how different fish species in different regions could be influenced by future climate change. Expected results will be new insights into the processes affecting recruitment success of fish species and how these processes can lead to changes of geographic ranges of species under future climate change. The main fish species to be investigated will be pelagic species such as herring, capelin, and sandeel, and the geographic scope of the project will include waters near Iceland, Greenland, the Barents Sea, and Faroe Islands.

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree or equivalent.
• Previous experience in marine, aquatic or ecological research
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Demonstrated mathematical or modelling skills
• Keen interest in research and for working within the field of marine and aquatic sciences

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see theDTU PhD Guide.

Salary and appointment terms
The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years with starting date 15^th December 2011.

Further information

For further information about the project, please contact Professor Brian MacKenzie,brm@aqua.dtu.dk or Professor Andre Visser, awv@aqua.dtu.dk.
General information may be obtained from Helge Abildhauge Thomsen, hat@aqua.dtu.dk (+45) 3588 3020, or Nina Qvistgaard, niq@aqua.dtu.dk (+45) 3588 3090.
Additional information about the Centre for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate can be found here: http://macroecology.ku.dk/.
Do NOT send applications to these e-mail addresses, but use the electronic submission system – see below!

Application:

Applications should be submitted online no later than 23^rd October 2011. Please open the link "apply for this job online", fill in the online application form and attach all the following documents:

1. Curriculum vitae – including a list of publications
2. A letter motivating the application
3. Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
4. Conversion of grade averages to Danish grades (see guidelines for the conversion here)
5. Brief research proposal (1-2 pages) presenting ideas on how to address the research topics given in the short description of the PhD project above.

Candidates may apply prior to obtaining their master’s degree, but cannot begin before having received it.

More detail information, Please visit the Website