Stockholm University seeks a
Postdoc on social-ecological feedbacks and resilience
To Stockholm Resilience Centre
Ref. no: SU 619-0109-12. Closing date: Feb 19, 2012
The Stockholm Resilience Centre is an international centre that advances trans-disciplinary research for governance of social-ecological systems with a special emphasis on resilience - the ability to deal with change and continue to develop. For more information about the Centre see www.stockholmresilience.su.se
The interdisciplinary research group SES-LINK at the Stockholm Resilience Centre seeks a postdoctoral researcher for the project “The nature of social-ecological linkages and their implication for the resilience of human-environment systems”. The project is funded by a starting grant of the European Research Council (ERC). Its goal is to enhance understanding of the dynamics and resilience of social-ecological systems (SES) through systematic analysis of social-ecological feedbacks using theoretical approaches and case studies of irrigation, marine governance and river basin management.
The dynamics of SES are shaped by interactions between actors, institutions and the resource systems they govern and depend on. The resulting social-ecological linkages and feedback loops determine the resilience of SES. The dynamic coupling of human and natural systems has thus emerged as a major focus of international efforts to address challenges such as climate change and the sustainable use of natural resources. However, basic understanding of the nature of social-ecological linkages und their implication for resilience and natural resource governance is still lacking.
The SES-LINK project will advance the conceptual foundation of resilience and our understanding of the dynamics of SES by systematically investigating possible configurations of social-ecological feedbacks and their impact on system resilience using theoretical and empirically-based modeling. Theoretical work will involve the development of stylized models of selected feedbacks to analyse their role for the capacity of the system to adapt to disturbance and ongoing change. Empirical work will test general or case-study related hypotheses about feedbacks in real-world settings. The results of the case and linkage-specific investigations will be synthesized to identify patterns among types of linkages and their impact on resilience.
The focus of this two-year post doc position will be on social and social-ecological feedbacks generated by strategic interactions between resource users and their interaction with ecological dynamics. Depending on the interests and background of the candidate it may also focus on the role of institutions for the co-evolution of SES and maintenance of resilience.
Work Tasks
You will provide scientific leadership in integrating social science theories and methods into the study of social-ecological feedbacks and work closely with the project leader and other team members as well as with an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers.
Your task will be to
• contribute to the development of a conceptual framework for the analysis of social-ecological feedbacks and the dynamics of SES
• investigate linkages and feedbacks within the social system and the connections to the resource or ecosystem the social system depends on
• develop models of selected social-ecological linkages and apply them to study implications for ecosystem services and human well-being in a systematic way
• contribute to research in a case study on irrigation in Bali that is carried out in collaboration with Prof. Steve Lansing (SRC and University of Arizona) and Prof. Simon Levin (Princeton University), particularly with respect to testing a theoretical model of pro-social behaviour and organizing experimental games.
Qualifications
• a background in game theory, (computational) sociology, institutional economics, system science or a related field with a profound knowledge of theory and methods
• experience with formal approaches for the study of complex systems and human-nature interactions such as agent-based modeling, evolutionary approaches, bio-economic modeling
• analytical ability as demonstrated by a scientific report, paper or PhD thesis
• ability and motivation to work in an interdisciplinary team of social and natural scientists
• knowledge of common pool resource management (particularly water) and/or experimental/behavioural economics methods is an asset
Conditions of Employment
Employment is full-time on a fixed-term contract of two years with the possibility of extension for another year. Working place is the Stockholm Resilience Centre with the possibility of a research stay at Princeton University, USA or Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Preferred starting data is April or May 2012.
Detailed information about the employment and project can be requested from the project leader Dr. Maja Schlüter, +49 151 560 17379 or maja.schlueter@stockholmresilience.su.se
Trade union representatives are Bo Ekengren (SACO), Lisbeth Häggberg (Trade Association), Tel +46 8 162000 (switchboard), and Gunnar Stenberg (SEKO), Tel. + 46 703 164341.
Please send your application with the reference no SU 619-0109-12 containing a letter of intent (1-2 pages that explain why you are interested in working on this project), your CV, a list of publications, your two most important papers, and names and email of three referees by the 19th of February 2012 to:
Stockholm University
Registrator/PÄ
106 91 STOCKHOLM
or email registrator@su.se