Postdoc position available in Deep-Sea Benthic Ecology – Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo – Vitória,ES, Brazil
Biodiversity and Connectivity of Benthic Wood-Fall Assemblages from the SW Atlantic
Summary: Wood-fall assemblages in the deep-sea are colonized by a number of generalist and specialized fauna that use these substrates as habitat or food. There has been much advance on the biological and ecological processes from wood-fall assemblages worldwide, but the South Atlantic still represents an important gap. In order to study the ecology, biodiversity, population connectivity and functioning of wood-fall assemblages in the Brazilian margin in the SW Atlantic, we have experimentally sunk and recovered (after 15-22 mo) a series of wood blocks from 1500 e 3300 meters depth. We expect to study in detail its biota, the ecology of these assemblages and patterns of species connectivity at regional and interbasin scales (SW Atlantic and Pacific) in collaboration with similar experiments carried on the Oregon margin by Dr. Craig Smith and Ken Hallanych in the U.S.
Project funding: FAPESP, Paulo Sumida (PI, IO-USP)
Supervision: Prof. Angelo Bernardino (UFES) and Prof. Paulo Sumida (IOUSP)
Local of position: Vitória-ES (a tropical and calm town on the eastern Brazilian coast)
Salary: There is no salary available from the grant, but the candidate should be able to apply for postdoc scholarships (taxfree) from Brazilian federal agencies, including CNPq, CAPES or FAPES. There is an open call for postdocs from a regional agency (FAPES), with submission deadline on Aug 30th. Average postdoc salary in Brazil is U$1200/month (it will allow a decent living in Brazil as 1U$ = 4,0 Brazilian reais) with contracts of 12-36 months, depending on the grant.
Expected qualifications: Good research background and experience in deep-sea ecology, community analysis and statistics.
Contact: Please send a short CV with email of a contact person for professional recommendation and your Skype address for an interview to: angelofragaATgmail.com<http://angelofragaATgmail.com>
Start and deadline for applications: Immediately, until the position is filled.